Shocked Macy gets GB call

The Guernsey Softball Association talent will debut at international level this weekend after proving her class in the recent Bristol Rec. Tournament.

That in itself was Cortez’s first step up to national level and Guernsey’s mixed development side held off strong opposition to top the hotly-contested rankings many innings later.

A GB Future Stars talent scout selected the promising multi-sporter off her performance in Bristol and suddenly the 15-year-old St Sampson’s High student was elevated to another stage entirely.

The surname ‘Cortez’ already has some credibility on the grand stage, with father Glen having made his mark at up to European level – paving the way for a yearning Macy’s paced start at the age of eight.

‘I was born into the sport because my dad and my stepmum played and I just gradually got into it,’ she said.

‘I did development from a young age and when I was old enough, I played a league game and then got into the team – and this year, I moved into first division, which is the Hornets team.

‘We went from Hornets to Bristol because we wanted to go into a competition and see how far we’d get and the GB scouts came over because they wanted to scout for players.’

This is all history now and a lack of women in the GB ranks, partly due to a few notable injuries, proved Cortez’s calling and a shining vacancy arose for the Sarnian youngster.

One surprise email from a talent scout later, she will begin her international campaign with near-immediate effect.

‘When my dad told me, I didn’t believe it, I was like “you’re joking with me”,’ she chuckled.

‘Then I saw the email and I was really gobsmacked because, in my opinion, I didn’t have a very good tournament and I’d been injured in the tournament as well, so I wasn’t playing to my full potential.’

• More in Thursday's Guernsey Press.