Honing his skills in Canberra during the off-season has paid dividends for North Canberra Gungahlin batsman George Munsey – he has gained selection in Scotland's preliminary Cricket World Cup squad.
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The next goal for the 21-year-old is to make the cut when the squad is reduced from 24 players to 15 next month.
Until then, Munsey will continue to gain valuable time in the middle for Norths in this weekend's double-header of one-day matches and the Konica Regional Cup Twenty20 finals.
Norths take on Eastlake in the rescheduled round of Gallop Cup matches on Saturday after the first day of last weekend's two-day games was washed out.
They will then back up on Sunday in a Twenty20 semi-final against defending champions Wests/UC at Jamison Oval, with the winner to face either Weston Creek Molonglo or Queanbeyan under lights at Manuka Oval.
Munsey was not involved in Scotland's recent pre-World Cup tour of New Zealand, working his way back to full fitness after a slipped disc in his back ruled him out for six months.
While he knows there is still plenty of work to do between now and the World Cup, he is confident Scotland can shine on the big stage.
"Our squad at the minute is fantastic," Munsey said.
"This is the best we've ever been and we want to prove that.
"We're coming to the World Cup to not just take part but to compete with these bigger teams and show them what we can do on a world stage."
Munsey has scored 412 runs for Norths this season at an average of 27.47, a knock of 130 against ANU in round three the highlight of his summer.
Making the adjustment to Australian conditions has been his biggest challenge but he has enjoyed the experience.
"I'm hitting it really good at the moment, just working hard on game plans because I feel great at the crease," Munsey said.
"It's about getting more time batting in the middle and improving while I'm doing that, because you don't play a lot of two-day cricket back in the UK. It's mostly one-day.
"Two-day cricket gives you the option to bat for periods of time and that's where you learn your trade."
The Twenty20 format is Munsey's speciality as he attempts to get his team off to a flying start and to lay a platform for the middle order.
"That's my main role, looking to score quickly and to dominate bowlers," he said.
"I feel really comfortable doing that and I'm looking forward to the weekend.
"I'm really hoping we can get through the first round, and if we can do that I think we've got a great chance of winning."
SATURDAY: GALLOP CUP: Ginninderra v Weston Creek Molonglo at Kippax 1. North Canberra Gungahlin v Eastlake at Harrison 2. ANU v Queanbeyan at ANU North. Wests/UC v Tuggeranong at Jamison Oval. All games start at 10am.
SUNDAY: KONICA MINOLTA REGIONAL CUP: Semi-finals: Wests/UC v North Canberra Gungahlin at Jamison Oval. Weston Creek Molonglo v Queanbeyan at Stirling Oval. Both games start at 1.30pm. The final will be at Manuka Oval at 7pm.
