Alice Henderson On Debut

Thirty-nine

At lunch, I lose count of the number of people who come up to me and slap me on the back, telling me how well I batted. Charlie, having lived vicariously through me for all eight overs, gives a running commentary of the last over, complete with sound effects.

"And then crack! Straight back over her head," she says, her hand sailing in the air for emphasis. Everyone at the table saw me bat, but they're loving Charlie's enthusiastic retelling. Hannah's also sitting at our table and I try to deflect some of the compliments onto her.

"Hannah was great too," I say.

Hannah smiles at me. "Thanks," she says, "but you really caned Paris."

"We made a good team," I reply.

Hannah grins. "We did, didn't we?"

"I wonder if that means we'll get to bat together tomorrow?" I ask.

Hannah shakes her head. "Unless someone else does what you did this morning, you'll be the one playing for the Brisbane team."

I laugh. "I don't think so." While that's a great thought, there are plenty of good players on the camp, so I won't hold my breath.

Charlie starts another retelling of my innings when a silence comes over the room. I look up. Paris, Shari and Regan are walking the long way around the dining hall, trying to ignore the fact that everyone is watching them. Charlie loses interest pretty quickly and turns back to the table.

"What about that first shot in Paris's last over?" she asks. "I thought you were going to let go of your bat!" And everyone gets back to normal.

I watch Paris over Charlie's head as she gets her lunch and sits down at a table with some of her friends. She doesn't look talkative at all. I mean, I knew fast bowlers could be sensitive sometimes but if she's upset about me getting on top in one over out of her four, she's not as tough as I thought.

"Alice? What did she say?" Dee's question brings me back to earth.

"Huh?"

"Jules," Dee says. "When she ran the drinks out."

I shrug. "She just told us to have fun, that's all."

Charlie doesn't believe me judging by the look on her face, but she doesn't say anything. She goes back to talking about Hannah's and my batting and I look back over to Paris. Their table is distinctly quiet. I feel a bit sorry for Paris, putting so much pressure on herself. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to not enjoy my cricket.

Charlie gets her turn to bat with one of the Brisbane squad girls after lunch, and she gets to face Regan, who is nowhere near as fast as Paris or Shari, and a spinner from the Brisbane squad. I get to field down at fine leg, and thanks to Charlie sweeping — a lot — I get to keep my mind in the game. Charlie's actually not a bad batter. Maybe a middle-order player because she seems to be cautious and steady. She's not a big risk-taker, which surprises me considering she's been so over the top in training.

During the last over of Charlie's innings, the Brisbane player skies a sweep shot and I run in and take a good catch. The rest of the players on the field congratulate me, but Paris stands off to the side with her arms crossed. At the end of the innings, Charlie and I get to have a rest and watch from the sideline. I grab my water bottle and sit down beside my bag. Charlie drops down beside me.

"How cool was that?" she asks. "And I only got out once."

I laugh. "You're so much more patient than me. I would've been trying to hit over the top the whole time. I'd be so knackered if Hannah had made me run as much as you did in your innings."

Charlie takes a drink of water. "Yeah, well, remember what I said? I'm going to be the fittest 'keeper they've ever seen. Besides, we can't all be show ponies."

"Hey," I reply, whacking her on the leg.

"Seriously, Alice. If you don't get in the Brisbane team after the way you batted, something is definitely wrong."

"Paris will get in," I say. "She's one of the best bowlers I've faced. Besides, there are plenty of good players here. It could be anyone. I'm sure they're all full up with big hitters anyway."

"Whatever," Charlie says.

I want to change the subject. "Have you heard how Ethan is yet?"

Charlie shakes her head. "I'll call Dad after dinner to see how the op went."

"I can't believe you're not worried."

"It's not like it's his first broken bone. We're on first name basis with the Amby Creek ambos. The boys are always getting into trouble at home."

I laugh.

Hannah comes over and stands in front of us. "Karen wants to know if you two want a bowl? They want to let some of the tail-enders have a bat and they want to try out some part-timers."

"I'm keen," Charlie says.

"Yeah. Me too," I reply. "Who are we bowling against?"

"Nicki and Shari," Hannah says.

Charlie grins at me. "This is going to be so much fun."