Alice Henderson On Debut

Forty-one

We collect the balls and feed them back into the machine. "Whenever I get some time by myself in the nets, I like to test myself out. It's better when no-one's looking," Jules says. She presses some buttons on the back of the machine. "I've set it to random, which means it could be swing, it could be straight, or it could be short, and the pace will vary. Are you up for the challenge?"

I grin. "I think so."

"Good," she says. I follow her back to the batting crease. "We'll take turns." She faces up, presses the fob controller and sets herself. The first ball is a straight one and she hits it straight back down the pitch.

"Nice shot," I say.

"I'm just getting started," she replies.

I take her spot on the crease, waiting for the beep. The ball comes faster than before and a little wider and I almost miss my timing. I get it away okay, but not as well as I want to, and I can feel my footwork is off.

"Take your time," Jules says. "Watch for the ball. That's the beauty of being random. You have to learn to judge the ball as it comes, not as you expect." She faces up and smacks the next one straight back down the pitch and watches as it cannons into the back netting. My turn again and this time Jules says, "Just have fun. No pressure."

I step up to the crease and set myself. This time, I'm ready for it and I can feel how good my shot is by the way the ball zings off my bat.

"Nice one," Jules says. "That's better. Now let's start clearing our front leg out of the way." She steps up to the crease and just as the ball gets to her, she steps wide with her front leg and smashes the ball high into the front netting. "Your turn," she says. "Feel the rhythm of your footwork, Alice, and it'll come off the bat, just the way you want."

I step up again and take guard. I get my leg out of the way but I swing too early. This ball is slower than the others. I hook it to the left and my follow through feels awkward. I have to stop myself from falling over my own feet.

Jules pauses the machine.

"Watch," she says. She goes through the shot in slow motion. "Step and backlift at the same time so when you pull through the shot, your strength comes through your core." She plays a couple more shadow shots and I mirror her, making sure I pay attention to how the shot feels from start to finish.

"The more you do it, the more natural it feels," Jules says. "It's called muscle memory. Keep practicing and your body will just remember how it's done and you'll be working on instinct. Instinct is the key, Alice. Remember that."

"Okay."

Jules steps up to the crease and restarts the machine. This time I really pay attention to the way her body forms the shot. It's one fluid motion, and I can only hope that I'm as good as her one day.

We take turns until the balls run out, Jules correcting me as I go, hitting each delivery harder and harder and egging each other on. I haven't had this much fun in the nets for ages. As we take off our gear and get ready to head back to the dorms, Jules says, "Any time you want any tips let me know. I'm always happy to help."

"Thanks," I reply. We throw our bags over our shoulders and as we walk back toward the dorms, it hits me that Jules is playing for a spot on a team that will have their games televised all over the country. I have the fleeting thought that I could maybe do that one day too.