Caoimhe Bray is dreading the day she has to choose between cricket and football.
The 15-year-old burst onto Australia’s TV screens on Sunday and became the youngest player ever to feature in the domestic Twenty20 WBBL competition.
She hit the winning runs as the Sydney Sixers beat the Melbourne Renegades. Bray also took a wicket in the victory.
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She celebrated her 15th birthday only last month and recently signed a three-year deal with the Sixers, such is her prodigious talent.
But cricket is not the only sport to notice her burgeoning potential.
Bray is also a goalkeeper for the Young Matildas – Australia’s top junior female representative football team.
Her idol is Ellyse Perry – her now Sixers teammate who famously played both cricket and football for Australia at the age of 16, and is the only person to play at both a FIFA and an ICC World Cup.
Perry – now 33 – played 18 games for the Matildas before giving football away to focus on cricket, where she has etched arguably the greatest resume in the history of the women’s game.
“Ellyse Perry is such a big player… I wouldn’t say I’m at that level but I definitely love people saying ‘you’re like Ellyse Perry’ because she’s such a big role model of mine,” Bray told Nine’s Today on Monday, still on a high from her WBBL debut.
But just like Perry did, Bray knows she will have to make a decision before too long.
“It is a bit hard (playing both cricket and football). It’s a bit easier when soccer and cricket are in different seasons,” she said.
“It’s still working, still playing both, so I’ll try to do that for as long as I can.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, I still don’t know which one I will choose but I know eventually I will have to. But hopefully not too soon.”
The Sixers won the toss at Adelaide Oval and elected to bowl.
It took a while for the first breakthrough with Emma de Broughe dismissed in the eighth over at 1-58.
Soon the Renegades were 2-62 before Bray had her first involvement, dismissing Deandra Dottin for 15 with a yorker.
Bray celebrated with a loud cheer and fist pump.
“Your debut wicket for the Sixers, you get a hug from Ellyse Perry, your idol,” Katey Martin said on Fox Cricket.
“Look at that smile, it says it all.”
Georgia Wareham then took control of the innings for the Renegades, scoring 61 with her side finishing on 178. Ellyse Perry, Sophie Ecclestone and Courtney Sippel all claimed two wickets.
Bray had 1-15 off her one over.
Perry was the star at the top of the order for the Sixers, scoring 81 off 38 balls before she fell at 3-121.
That dismissal sparked a collapse with the Sixers looking shaky at 7-147.
But Bray and Sarah Bryce steadied the situation.
With four runs to win off seven balls, Bray hit Sophie Molineux over cover to win the match for her side.
“Extraordinary stuff, this is the sort of win that really kickstarts your performance,” Callum Ferguson said.
Perry was named player of the match.