From club cricket to the MCG - Canberra junior Aaron Ayre had to make a mad dash across Melbourne and walk off the field in a first-grade match in the middle of an over after a dream call ignited his career.
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A dramatic turn of events led to Ayre getting a last-minute call up to Victoria's Sheffield Shield clash against Western Australia on Saturday after wicketkeeper Matthew Wade broke his collarbone during a net session.
The only problem was that former ACT Comets star Ayre was playing for Essendon in a club match an hour away from the MCG and he didn't have a car.
"We actually did a car pool and I was driving next week. Luckily my parents were there and they had a hire car so we turned up to the MCG just after lunch," Ayre said.
"We [Essendon] were in the 23rd over and behind the over rate ... Clint McKay called me to the other end so I ran down, he said: 'Take your gear off, you're going to the MCG'.
"It didn't sink in. I didn't know why he was holding up the game. As I was going off I was looking for someone to tell me what was happening."
Ayre smashed 24 off just 10 balls in his first Sheffield Shield batting appearance and claimed his first catch off Test speedster Peter Siddle.
Wade faces an extended stint on the sideline and Sheffield Shield match referee Bob Stratford had to approve a late change to Victoria's team which allowed one of Ayre's dreams to come true.
Ayre, 23, moved to Melbourne two years ago in a bid to launch his first-class career.
He has been biding his time as a rookie on the Victorian contract list and supplementing his earnings by running personal training sessions.
He made his Big Bash debut last year, but has been patient with former Test wicketkeeper Wade ahead of him in the pecking order.
The last thing he expected when he joined a few of his mates in the car on the way to Essendon's game was to be called on to a bigger stage.
"It all just happened at once. It was the furthest thing from my mind ... I was captaining Essendon and looking to bowl a team out when all of a sudden I was in the car on the way," Ayre said.
"It's a bit of a surreal experience. I've been playing the waiting game and trying to learn as much as I can to improve my cricket. The circumstances are pretty devastating for Wadey ... but unfortunately it's one man's curse is another's blessing.
"I just want to get in there and make the most of my opportunity."
Ayre is the latest Canberra native to get his chance to impress in the first-class arena.
Former teammate Ryan Carters is back in the NSW team and scored a superb 209 against New Zealand in a match for the Cricket Australia XI last month.
But Ayre was unsure whether his move to Melbourne would pay dividends, and vowed at the start of the season to make sure he did everything possible to chase his debut goal.
"I tried to take a bit of the pressure off myself this year and thought if I do all the right things and this was the end of it, at least I've given myself a decent crack and not left any stone unturned.
"Sometimes you need a bit of luck and sometimes not everything goes your way. The coaches said to me just to be ready to take your opportunity when it comes.
"If you wrote the script as a kid, this would be it. It's a pretty exciting time. Luckily for me I work for myself [as a personal trainer] and didn't have any clients."
