The backyard beginnings of Young Gun's express pace

Darcie Brown had no choice but to learn to bowl fast. It was the only way she was ever going to get a bat against her big brothers in the backyard.

This season, it was the world’s best batters in the firing line as Brown made her Rebel WBBL debut for the Adelaide Strikers, and the 17-year-old quickly earmarked herself as a player to watch.

The right-armer had former players, commentators and fans buzzing about her express pace, regularly hitting speeds up to 120kph – putting her up there with the quickest in the women’s game.

On Tuesday, Brown was unveiled as the WBBL|06 Rebel Young Gun, awarded to the tournament’s best player under 21.

Selected by the Women’s National Selection Panel, led by national selector Shawn Flegler, Brown was chosen after taking 10 wickets at 22.1, while maintaining an economy rate of 5.52.

Those same numbers saw her named as 12th in the official Team of the Tournament.

However, her selection as Young Gun was not only due to her on-field success, but also for her attitude – both on and off the pitch – and for her tenacity and good sportsmanship.

Whispers about a couple of young fast bowlers who could already outdo the average speeds of adults playing at state level began to emerge in early 2017.

Legendary Australia pace bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick, who had been touring on a fast-bowling talent spotting mission, spoke excitedly of several 13- and 14-year-olds who had been clocked at speeds approaching 100kph.

One of those youngsters was Brown, who grew up in Kapunda, around an hour north of Adelaide.

The teenager is not overly tall – as a keen and talented netballer, she plays in the midcourt – but puts her ability to bowl express pace down to her introduction to backyard cricket.

"My two older brothers and my dad, we’d play cricket and I‘d always get out because my brothers would bowl full pelt at me," Brown told cricket.com.au.

"The only way I could try and get them out was bowling full pelt at them.

"So I’ve tried to bowl as quick as I could since I was younger … but I don’t know where (the pace) has come from really."

Brown became the Strikers' youngest-ever signing at just 16 when she inked a deal with the club ahead of the WBBL|05 season.

She did not feature in last year's tournament but took the opportunity to learn from Australia pace bowlers Megan Schutt and Tahlia McGrath and focused on adding control to her pace.

"I used to bowl quite a few head-high full tosses, but I’ve learnt to control it a lot more," Brown explained.

Friendly and unassuming, Brown does not exude the ‘fierce fast bowler’ aura that is associated with the likes of Katherine Brunt, Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail.

Teammate Tahlia McGrath joked that Brown may have to add a ‘death stare’ to her armory when reflecting on the teenager’s first WBBL season.

"Darcie is an absolute superstar," McGrath said.

"It’s no surprise to all of us how well she’s doing.

"Everyone needs to remember the name because she’s got big things to come.

"She’s not your typical fast bowler, I think Megan Schutt needs to teach her the death stare.

"But she’s a great kid and she’s still learning her craft … she’s something special."

Following each round of WBBL|06, the Women’s National Selection Panel submitted a Young Gun nomination with an overall winner selected from those nominees.

Brown was nominated alongside the Sydney Thunder’s Rachel Trenaman and Phoebe Litchfield, Hobart Hurricanes’ Amy Smith and Melbourne Renegades’ Courtney Webb.

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