WITH West Indies great Courtney Walsh only metres away, Howlong schoolgirl Ebony Hoskin stood at the top of her run up.
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The 16-year-old had been invited to bowl to the Windies' Twenty20 women's side at the Sydney Olympic Park nets late last week and all she could think about was landing her first delivery.
As she started to run in, the nerves had well and truly taken over.
Somehow, Hoskin hit a good length to kick-start two hours of bowling to the likes of Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin.
"I was really nervous but after the first two balls I was OK," Hoskin said.
"I was happy with how they came out.
"I felt much better after that."
Windies' bowling coach Walsh was more than happy to pass on some friendly advice while head coach Gus Logie was nearby focusing on the batters.
"Courtney Walsh was really good," she said.
"He said I was bowling well and things like that.
"I bowled to everyone in the West Indies team and got to mix with their bowlers while they were rotating them through the nets.
"It was a lifetime opportunity ... a great experience.
"I was over the moon to be invited."
Hoskin will now turn her attention to representing the NSWCHS Second XI at the All Schools Championships at Maitland from March 16.
She hopes to use the West Indies experience to better her cricket. "I would like to get to that level when I'm older," she said.
"That's just an ambition I have in my life.
"It was good experience bowling to them.
"A few attacked pretty hard but I just tried to use a few variations to see what worked and what didn't."
The West Indies bowed out of the World Cup with one round remaining on Sunday night when they suffered a 46-run loss to England.
Hoskin's season finished at club level late last month when Howlong narrowly missed the Cricket Albury-Wodonga district finals.
She took 23 wickets at 16.2, bowling in the same side as her father, Aaron.
Hoskin is also a promising netballer with the Albury High School student returning to Howlong from Ovens and Murray club Lavington this year.
Meanwhile, Riverina Academy cricket coach Catherine Wood has been selected as one of 27 coaches Australia-wide to become a Cricket Australia ambassador for women's coaching.
The 27 will meet at the MCG this weekend to help design the future of cricket coaching.
Wood has also been invited to the final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.