Ingrid van der Elst took up cricket when she was 11 years old and played for Holland. In 1983, she emigrated to New Zealand, played for Wellington, and was a member of the national squad from 1985-87. She has captained all the club sides she has played for and still plays, into her fifties. A bat she won as best allrounder of the Dutch women's league in 1979 is still in use. It has been around the world twice.

She was a national goalkeeper at hockey, a sport she played until ten years ago when a horse ran into the path of her car and caused an accident which led to a bruised spinal cord.

She has also been a sportswriter for many years: for the Dutch Press Agency ANP, for the Evening post and The Dominion while living in Wellington. Nowadays she is a freelance sports journalist for her local and regional newspapers, including working at the World Cup in 2007 for several Dutch newspapers.
Cricinfo staff November 2007