Major winners and best of the bush: Part three of 2023's best sportspeople

From winning major regional and state prizes to featuring on the national stage, our region got plenty of recognition this year.

As we continue bringing you the region's best sportspeople of 2023 this week, we've got people who helped make that happen.

Remember to follow our series of articles as we'll throw it over to you, the reader, at the conclusion so you can vote for the best of the past 12 months.

Here's who we're highlighting today:

If you haven't heard of Ericka Keizer you're probably not alone. But just make a note of her name.

The teenage boxer had a special 12 months as she won multiple national titles and firmly marked herself as one to watch in the coming years.

At just 15 she won an Australian Boxing Council (ABC) 48kg title and she followed it up by winning two belts at the Australian Amateur Boxing League Titles in Hobart.

We just had to pair these two together. It seemed like these two did everything together on the basketball court this year. Here's the achievements:

They played at the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup (ACJBC) and confirmed themselves as some of the best players in the bush.

The duo also helped Dubbo to Western Junior League success and the under 16s' girls side also earned a place in the Junior Premier League alongside the other best team in the state.

The pair also earned All-Star selection after helping the Western Region Academy of Sport to championships glory at the Academy Games.

But the highlight was selection in the NSW Country under 16s side that played at the national titles in Perth.

Just a few short years ago this man was helping his father train horses at his base in Nyngan.

Now, Robb is doing it alone and is one of the most exciting up-and-coming trainers in the bush.

This year was huge for Robb as he not only dominated the western area, but he also made history.

He became the first western area trainer to win the Country Championships after Sizzle Minizzle caused an almighty boilover. Then, with the same horse, Robb became the first trainer from this region to race in the Kosciuszko.

He collected more than $1.5 million in prizemoney last season and already looks set to have a bumper 2024.

This region has a long and proud tradition of developing elite rugby league talent. Could this young man be our next NRL player?

It certainly looks possible after the powerhouse front-rower enjoyed a stellar 2023. He was the only Western Rams player to earn NSW Country selection this year while he was named player of the match when his St John's Blue side won the DDJRL under 16s grand final.

That success led to interest from NRL clubs and Karaitiana went on to earn a spot in the Illawarra Steelers' Harold Matthews Cup squad for 2024.

The best cricketer outside of Sydney. That's what Everett was declared this year.

After an incredible 2022/23 season, the classy opening bat earned the Josh Hazlewood Medal as the Country Cricketer of the Year.

He hasn't slowed down as the year's gone on either. He showed flashes of his quality in the severely rain-affected Country Championships carnival at Orange while he again earned NSW Country selection.

Given the former Sydney first grader now lives at Gilgandra and work commitments mean he goes weeks at a time without playing, it's all been pretty amazing.