Since she first picked up a bat as a five-year-old playing Milo Cricket, Mim Barbara's love of the game has flourished, and so to has her talent.
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One of the region's most promising young female cricketers, the allrounder will in the new year represent ACT/NSW Country at the under-15 national female championships.
Featuring the best emerging talent in the country, Barbara said to be selected to play at the nationals is "a big thing".
"I've been playing cricket since I was very little. It's always been one of my dreams," she said.
Barbara's passion for the game permeates from her father Dave, who she said just "loves cricket" and is both one of her biggest inspirations and advocates.
"I have to give him a lot of credit," she said.
Cricket is very much a shared interest in the Barbara family with older brother Jeremiah also playing.
Last season the three had the chance to play a game together with Mim filling in for South Tamworth's second grade side.
It was a special moment she said, albeit not one of their finest as you would say.
"We all got ducks," she recounted.
After filling in mostly for third grade last season, this season Barbara has been plying her craft in third and fourth grade. (She also plays for Souths in the Tuesday night women's competition).
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She hasn't so far had a lot of opportunities with the bat but has been called on regularly to bowl her left-arm orthodox spin.
"I always bowled a bit funny, always rolled my wrist a bit," Barbara said.
After witnessing Oxley High school-mate Deni Baker's transformation from medium pace to spin and having a couple of people suggest she try it, Barbara was inspired to give it a go and hasn't looked back.
Also batting left-handed, it gives her a bit of a point of difference.
Her dad initially, and then Baker have played a big role in helping her perfect the art, Barbara joking that Baker is like her personal bowling coach, and Lara Graham her batting coach.
The ACT/NSW Country side was finalised following last month's NSW Country Championships where Barbara captained the Central North side, which she said was a big honour, especially being such a young team, and "a lot of fun".
She really led from the front with the bat, top-scoring in their first two games and was pretty happy with how she performed.
"It was a bit tough," she said.
"There were always wickets falling around me."
"I never really had a partner."
She didn't really give herself a lot of opportunities to shine with the ball, only bowling the one spell.
"I hate bowling myself as captain," she explained.
"I only bowled myself then because we were behind the over-rate and I have the shortest run-up."
Barbara would love to go further in the game and is excited about the opportunities ahead as the women's game continues to explode.
The nationals will be held in Canberra in late February/early March.
It will be a testing few weeks, with Barbara going straight from that into the NSW Combined High Schools Championships.
"It will be a big month," she said.
"I'll have to try and stay very mentally focused."
