Netball Dreams Page 3

  But I didn’t want Angie to feel bad. ‘Hey Angie!’ I called. ‘Aim at the bib! Not the person’s face.’

  For a moment, she looked at me, confused and a bit annoyed. Our eyes met and I smiled cheekily.

  Then Angie smiled. Suddenly she realised what I was doing. The worst player telling the best player what to do? How silly!

  But it worked.

  Angie relaxed after that. The whole team did. We started calling more, and laughing at ourselves even when things went wrong.

  When it was all over, I felt light and happy and proud. Not because of the score, but because I had found my place in the team again.

  We lost the grand final by seven goals. But we had done it together, and I had helped the team.

  That game was my favourite of all.

  I leant out a plucked a blade of grass. Then I split it in half with my thumbnail.

  It was the last day of P.E. for the term. We sat on the oval while Mr Dwyer explained the rules of tunnel ball.

  But I was only half-listening. No more netball. And no more Dream Team! I felt a bit sad.

  In a dream, I pulled at another blade of grass. But Becky shook my arm.

  ‘Alex!’ she said, pointing to Mr Dwyer.

  Mr Dwyer was looking at me with raised eyebrows. ‘Awesome Alex!’ he said. ‘You’re one of the tunnel ball captains.’

  I gulped and stood up. Me, a captain? This was something new. For once I didn’t have to worry about being last person picked.

  The other captains started choosing their teams. I scanned the faces in front of me. Who should I choose?

  Of course, I started with everyone on the Dream Team. Just to make him squirm, I left Callum until last. When I called his name, he wiped his forehead and said, ‘Phew!’ in a jokey way.

  But I still had three more choices. Who next? Lots of faces looked up at me. Some kids were sitting straight and hopeful. Others were staring at the ground, looking bored. One boy was scratching a mozzie bite on his arm.

  Then I saw another face. He was sitting up the back, ready to wait until the end.

  ‘Tony!’ I called out.

  Slowly, Tony stood up. He looked surprised to have been chosen so soon. As Tony walked over to us, I glanced back at the gang. Would they be upset that I chose someone so bad at sport?

  But Brad and the girls were smiling. Mickey was giving Tony the thumbs-up. Best of all, Tony was beaming.

  ‘I’m not so bad at tunnel ball,’ he said, grinning.

  And he was right. Tony actually wasn’t the worst on our team. To my surprise, Callum was!

  In tunnel ball, the team stands in a long line and forms a tunnel. Everyone has to lean down and push the ball through their legs.

  But Callum’s really tall. He had trouble folding his long body and reaching way down to the ground. His big feet kept getting in the way, too.

  At one point Callum lost his balance and fell backwards onto Mickey. As they fell, they pushed everyone behind them over, like dominoes.

  ‘Argh!’ Poor Becky was squished at the end.

  ‘Up you get!’ called Mr Dwyer.

  But everyone had the giggles. Claire was laughing so much that she fell down and knocked us over again. I think she did it on purpose.

  It was pretty silly, but loads of fun.

  By now, the other teams had finished and were shaking their heads at us – a laughing, groaning line of bodies.

  We had no chance of winning now! I rolled out from under Angie and stood in front of my team. ‘Right! Good warm-up, everyone,’ I called. ‘Now let’s play the game.’

  My team stood up straight, with beaming faces and weak giggly legs.

  Mr Dwyer smiled at me and winked. He seemed proud of me as captain.

  I smiled back. I was proud of myself. And I was proud of my team, too.

  Netball Dreams

  first published in 2007

  this edition published in 2013 by

  Hardie Grant Egmont

  Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church Street

  Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia

  www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au

  This ebook is also available as a print edition in all good bookstores.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

  A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia

  9781743580899

  Text copyright © 2007 Thalia Kalkipsakis

  Illustration and design copyright © 2013 Hardie Grant Egmont

  Illustration by Aki Fukuoka

  Design by Michelle Mackintosh

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