Cobden's Jessica Walsh stars in day two of Western Victoria Girls Shield

The medium pacer finished with figures of 7-8 from four overs, including her first hat-trick, in Warrnambool's under 16 win against Ballarat on Wednesday.

"I did not think it would go as well as that," Walsh said of her own performance in the seven-run win. "It was really great to have all my teammates around me."

With Warrnambool defending 102, Walsh, 16, cited early nerves when opening the bowling but quickly found her line and length to snare the first three wickets of the game.

Taking coach Jacoba Mungean's advice to "bowl at their toes", Walsh dismissed each of her targets either bowled or leg before wicket. A hat-trick late in the innings was icing on the cake for the Mercy Regional College student.

"I just didn't want to bowl a wide," she said of the rare feat. "It was crazy."

Walsh, who is the leading wicket-taker in Warrnambool and District Cricket Association's women's competition and second in the 17 and unders, thanked her father Leigh for his help with her training.

"He's been training me pretty hard to hopefully get that many wickets," she said.

Walsh, who plays netball for Hampden league club Cobden, also impressed with the bat making 15 against Ballarat.

She put on a 65-run partnership with Scarlett O'Donnell (34 not out), before leading the scoring with another 15 runs in a five-wicket loss to Castlemaine.

Walsh said her team, which has a 2-2 record with one game remaining, would try its best to get a shot at the final on Thursday.

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