Amy Yates still has to pinch herself at the thought of finding her name in the ACT Meteors' record books.
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Because rarely could she have imagined she would lay claim to the best bowling figures in Meteors history given she arrived in Canberra as a batter.
Alas, the 20-year-old off-spinner's 6-33 taken against South Australia in September etched her into Canberra cricket folklore.
Now Yates and the Meteors will look to salvage something more from their WNCL campaign when they meet Western Australia at Phillip Oval on Tuesday.
It looms as more than a chance for Yates to build on her stellar debut season - it is an opportunity for the Meteors to finish with a bang after their finals hopes were dashed.
"I got pretty lucky in my first couple of games," Yates said.
"There was a lot of nerves and excitement, but I came in and found my role as a spinner.
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"I'm mainly a batter back in Melbourne, but coming here, they turned me into an off-spinner and I don't mind that at all. Now I'm just hoping to pick up a few more wickets.
"I just started bowling well in the nets, and they were like 'maybe she's actually got some talent'. Then they threw me the ball in the first couple of rounds and I went okay.
"I've got a different action, it's not your standard off-spin action. It's a little bit different so that gives me something on the other girls."
The Meteors have dropped four games on the trot and failed to score a bonus point along the way after starting the season with back-to-back wins.
It has left them languishing in sixth on the competition ladder, well behind the pace-setting NSW Breakers.
Now Yates wants the Meteors to make the most of consecutive home games at Phillip Oval to round out the season, which comes to a close against Tasmania on Thursday.
"We're really hungry and want to finish the season on a good note," Yates said.
"We've had a couple of close games we should have won, so we're quite hungry to just bounce back.
"We've been pretty unlucky with a couple of injuries, but that's sport. You're never going to get your best team all the time, so you've got to work through that.
"It gives a good opportunity for the other girls to step up and find their role.
"Hopefully we can make the most of the home ground advantage."
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
