Barkers Creek cricketer Tia Davidge is no stranger to tough competition.
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The 15-year-old will head to the National Championships this week with the Victorian Country squad.
This year she will take her participation to the next level as she is the team's vice-captain.
"It will be an interesting competition this year. You never really know what you're going to get from the other states," Davidge said.
"NSW are always tough but I think we're in a good position to knock them off their perch this year as we have a strong team."
In addition to Vic Country, there will also be a metropolitan team in the competition representing Victoria.
Looking back on all she has learnt in recent years as a cricketer, Davidge now has a stronger analytical sense of the game.
"I understand the mental side of the game a lot more, especially in T20s whether you need a single off each ball or to make boundaries at certain times," Davidge said.
"It's all about playing a role.
"It's helped me understand the strategy behind cricket, especially as the captain of my local club where my role involves placing fielders in certain positions."
Davidge shows her strength as a cricketer as a batter and wicketkeeper.
In the lead-up to nationals Davidge has been travelling to Melbourne every Tuesday night to train with the squad at Junction Oval.
"We've been training hard since the middle of last year, it's been a very big build-up to this," she said.
The Under-15 National Championships is an eight-round tournament with teams from across Australia.
The tournament starts on Wednesday February 26 and concludes with the finals matches on Tuesday March 3.
The Vic Country team starts its campaign on Wednesday with a match against Western Australia in the morning, followed by another against Tasmania in the afternoon.
The reigning champions NSW Metro will be sure to put up a strong title defence.
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