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When Courtney Webeck whacks the cricket ball around the family farm on the NSW Mid North coast, Ted the border collie loves to chase after it.
"Ted takes it back to the bowler every time. You don't want to get run out by the dog," Webeck said, laughing.
Webeck loves cricket, despite having only played since November last year.
This year, the 19-year-old was selected as vice-captain in the first Australian women's blind cricket team.
Webeck lives with an eye condition called sclerocornea and describes it as looking through a thick fog.
"I can't see the batter," Webeck said.
"I do a lot of stuff out on the boundary because I'm a fast runner, but if no-one's yelled 'the ball's here', I'm lost until someone tells me."
This month, the team flew to Birmingham in the United Kingdom to compete at the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games.
"It's pretty special," Webeck said.
"I can't wait to see what we can achieve there."
A pathway for female blind cricketers
It has been quite a journey for Webeck and the team.
Until now, the only chance for blind and vision-impaired women to compete at an elite level of cricket had been to compete with men.
Blind cricket is also being played for the first time at the IBSA games, and this is the first time Australia has sent a women's team to an international competition.
Only three countries are participating in the women's blind cricket at the IBSA: Australia, England and India.
The teams play each other twice, with the two sitting at the top of table playing the grand final on August 26.
Taylah Purton, head coach of the Australian women's blind cricket team, has worked with governing body Blind Cricket Australia to get the women's team off the ground.
The 26-year-old seasoned cricketer is honoured to have been given the coaching role.
"For them to be able to play the sport they love and for me to be able to help them is huge. I love it," she said.
Besides Webeck, Purton said, there were two other players to keep an eye on during the games: captain Julie Newman, who has played cricket for over a decade, and 14-year-old Bo Buakhao.
"Bo's got plenty of cricket to go and she's already incredible. She's definitely one to watch," Purton said.
She said the competition in Birmingham would "be challenging".
"I know that India have played a fair bit and the program in India is very well set up to be on the path to being professional cricket."
Australia's first match was on August 19, with mixed results since then.
Growing support
A pathway to professional cricket is the dream for the Australian team.
"If we could get the women's program to a space similar to where the men are at now in the next five to 10 years, that would be absolutely awesome," Purton said.
Ray Moxly is the chair of Blind Cricket Australia and a former member of the Australian men's cricket team.
He is passionate about getting more blind and vision-impaired women involved in the sport.
He said getting the women on the world stage was a step towards getting them access to the full support that Cricket Australia provides the men's team.
"At the end of the day, for sport to be a sport for all, to be properly integrated, there shouldn't be a delineation between the support that's offered for one group over another group," Moxly said.
The women's team does have some support, with Cricket Australia, charity Taverners, and advocacy group Vision Australia providing some funding, alongside other supports like specialist physiotherapists.
In a statement, Cricket Australia said it was committed to working with Blind Cricket Australia to support the growth and development of the women's game across the country.
Vision Australia spokesperson Jordan Ashby is a massive sports fan and is excited about the impact the Matildas' success at the FIFA Women's World Cup has had on women's sport in Australia.
He hopes to see this replicated across blind sport, and particularly blind cricket.
"This is a sport that anybody can play and should play," Ashby said.
It is estimated close to half a million Australians experience blindness and low vision, according to Vision Australia, and Ashby said sport was a key way of building community and support for all affected.
Webeck said being part of the team required a lot of trust in each other.
"There's not many that have the same vision on the team, so we all play to our own strengths," she said.
She believes competing at IBSA is an opportunity to create greater awareness and growth for not just blind cricket, but blind sport in general.
"It would be amazing to bring new people in."
International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games runs from August 14 to 27.
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