Alice Henderson On Debut

Forty-seven

The game is amazing to watch. The Brisbane side keep us to 142 and we only lost five wickets. After losing our openers within the first two overs, Hannah and Dee managed to steady the innings with Hannah scoring 59 before getting caught behind. It was hard to be disappointed at missing my chance though, because Charlie was given the 'keeping gloves for the second part of the innings and was the one who caught Hannah out. Anyone would've thought she'd won the World Cup by the way she celebrated the wicket.

It isn't easy sitting on the side line watching my team play while I run out the drinks, especially when Paris and Shari make me pick up their drink bottles off the ground instead of putting them back into the caddy like everyone else. Seeing how much Charlie is enjoying herself in the Brisbane side is priceless though and makes up for Paris and Shari's bitchiness.

Halfway through the Brisbane batting innings, I sit down beside Charlie, who's due to bat next. She's got a nervous jiggling happening with her legs.

"What if I get out first ball?" she asks.

"At least you'll get to face a ball," I reply.

"I'm serious, Alice. What if I get a duck? I'll be one of those questions asked at trivia nights everywhere. 'Which Amby Creek cricket player scored a duck on debut with the Brisbane Lightning T20 side and was never heard from again?'"

I laugh. "No-one's even going to remember it."

Charlie whacks me on the arm. "Thanks a lot."

"You know what I mean."

Her leg jiggles so much it's making the whole seat vibrate. I slam my hand down on her knee to stop it. She looks at me.

"Have a look who's out there batting," I say. "Do Jules and Stefanie even look like getting out?"

As soon as the words leave my mouth, there's an appeal on the field and a roar from the crowd.

Charlie slaps me on the leg. "Thanks a lot for jinxing me," she says, and stands up. She adjusts her pads and checks her protective equipment. "I think I'm going to throw up."

I laugh. "You'll be fine once you're out there."

She nods and sticks out her fist. I bump it with mine. "Wish me luck," she says.

"Luck," I reply. "Not that you'll need it."

She walks along the inside of the fence until she comes to the gate and pauses. She waits until Jules is about halfway off and then she does a quick stretch and then jogs onto the field. Charlie's family, who are sitting in the stands behind me, goes off. I have no idea whether she can hear them or not, but I hope they don't make her even more nervous.

Jules stops on her way off the field to say something to Charlie, who nods, and continues on to the pitch. She bumps gloves with Stefanie and then takes her place at the striker's end. She faces up to her first ball against Piper, playing a straight drive and getting a single. Charlie's family goes nuts. I'm just glad that no matter what happens in the match now, Charlie's not going to get out first ball, and she's not going to score a duck.

Jules drops down beside me. "Shouldn't you be with your team?"

"Not until drinks," I reply. "Nice innings."

"Thanks," she says. "Pity I couldn't go on with it."

"Thirty-eight's not bad in T20."

"It's not bad, no, but I would've liked to have stuck around a bit longer."

We turn our attention back to the game and watch Stefanie and Charlie turn over the strike. Every time Charlie gets her bat on the ball or gets a run, her family cheers. For a fleeting moment, I realise that it could've been me out there in Charlie's place. I sigh.

"Everything okay?" Jules asks. "You're not regretting your decision?"

"No. I'm glad Charlie's having a great time."

Jules puts her feet up on the fence and crosses her ankles. "It's a really selfless thing you did for her, Alice. I'm sorry it's made you miss out on playing."

I shrug. "There'll be other games."

Jules smiles and nods. "I hope so."

Charlie smacks a straight drive to the boundary right near us, and we clap and cheer. The ball sneaks under the fence and Jules picks it up and tosses it back onto the field. "It's not all fun and games you know," she says.

"What do you mean?"

Jules seems to consider her answer. "When you focus your whole life on one goal, sometimes you can forget other things." She turns to me and I get the feeling there's more to her story than Charlie even knows. "Everyone thinks they want to be a professional athlete, but not many people understand what that takes. There's a lot of sacrifices to make, Alice. Not everyone can make them. And sometimes, just when you think you're on the cusp of something big, everything comes tumbling down."

I'm not sure where she's going with this. "Is that what happened with you?" I ask.

She doesn't answer straight away. Instead, she looks down at the fence, seemingly deciding what to say. Finally, she says, "There's never just one way to achieve a dream, Alice. You just have to keep poking and prodding until you find the right way."

"Why are you telling me all this?" I ask.

"Because I can tell you want this, Alice. I did too, at your age. I just wish someone had told me it's not as easy as it looks from the outside. It takes guts and determination on top of talent."

"Do you think I have what it takes?"

Jules smiles. "It doesn't matter what I think. It only matters what you think." She pats my leg and stands up. "Come find me after the match. I've got someone who wants to meet you." Without further explanation she picks up her helmet and bat and heads over to the rest of her team.

For a long time after she's gone, I think about what she said. Do I want what she's got? Do I think I have what it takes? My stomach explodes in excitement at the thought of playing alongside someone like Jules Livingstone and training under elite coaches. Back home, I never even dreamed it was possible. Now? I think it just might be.