After dominating last week’s NSW Primary School Sports Association (PSSA) state cricket carnival at Cobram Barooga, on the NSW and Victorian border, the 11-year-old St Mary’s student was named in the NSW PSSA development squad.

The 24-strong NSW squad will attend a three-day camp in Sydney, in April, before being whittled down to 12.

Those 12 will don the baggy blue of their state at the national championships in Darwin later in the year.

Williams led from the front for Polding, scoring 94 runs at an average of 23.5 opening the batting. She also showed her all-round ability, snaring five wickets at an average of three. Incredibly, this is just Williams’s third year of playing cricket.

“I started when I was nine,” she said.

“I thought I played pretty good, I saved the team a couple of times batting too. I couldn’t believe it [when selectors called out her name].”

Polding opened its account with two wins on day one of the carnival, over Sydney West and Riverina respectively. Williams had two reasonably quiet games, taking 1-2 and knocking up 11 in the first game of the day, before taking 1-2 and scoring just four against Riverina.

After her reasonably slow start to the tournament, the 12-year-old put on a batting master class on day two.

Williams top scored in both games, against traditional powerhouses Hunter, and North West. Williams snared 1-2 against Hunter, before carrying her bat for 36 not out in Polding’s successful chase. She continued her good form with willow in hand in the afternoon, scoring 30 not out and leading her team to a fourth consecutive win.

Polding took on fellow Catholic school rival MacKillop on day three, with a chance of qualifying for the state final.

Williams took 1-3 with the ball, but after she was bowled for a golden duck Polding never recovered, slumping to the loss.

With four wins and one defeat Polding qualified for the semi-finals third in its pool, and took on Sydney North in the fifth and sixth play-off. Williams made 13, and didn’t bowl as Polding suffered its second consecutive loss.

Williams said the tournament, despite the two losses on the final day of play, result was one to be proud of.

“They [Sydney North] were too good for us,” she said.

“We lost, but we were all really happy with sixth.”