When Mitchell Lawrence found out he had been selected to train for the Australian all abilities cricket squad he thought it was a dream.
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The 21-year-old is no stranger to playing at state and national levels, but to be given an opportunity to fulfill his cricketing goal of donning the green and gold takes everything to the next level.
"I honestly thought it was all a dream. I couldn't believe it," Lawrence said of the selection.
"My goal is to be able to represent my country."
Lawrence's invitation to train with the national team has boosted his confidence as a player, and if successful, he will have the opportunity to wear the green and gold for Australia.
He will commence training in the next few weeks in a satellite set-up which will see athletes from across Australia train at their nearest hubs, at this stage it could be Ballarat if a coach isn't found for Bendigo.
However, he isn't fussed about the possibility of travelling down to Ballarat to train, he's just "over the moon to be involved".
The squad will train towards playing against some of the world's best later this year in South Africa, dependent on the COVID-19 situation remaining stable.
He was selected for the training squad based on top performances with Victoria in the National Cricket Inclusion Championship with the state's team crowned as the Australian champions for the past two years.
Lawrence has been a passionate cricket fan for as long as he can remember. His earliest memory is picking up a ball as a 4-year-old, from there he progressed to playing with Bendigo United Cricket Club just shy of turning 10.
He currently plays with Axe Creek Cricket Club, who he has credited as being one of his biggest supporters during his development as a player.
However, there is one person who means more than anything to Lawrence when it comes to cricket.
His late grandfather John Lawrence is the one who first introduced him to the game.
"Every time I play I think of and do it for him," Lawrence said.
When Lawrence represented Victoria he was able to wear the number 13, in honour of his grandfather who was born on March 13.
"To play for Victoria and to do it with 13 on my back, honestly to me it was the best thing ever."
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