GEORGE Munsey was rewarded last week for a series of outstanding batting displays with a short- term Cricket Scotland contract and a place in the squad for next month's World T20 Qualifier.

While the former accolade represents a significant step on the 22-year-old's journey towards becoming a full-time professional cricketer, it is the Scotland call-up which really excites him.

The hard-hitting opener, who made two 50-over appearances for Scotland against New Zealand A last season with modest results, will take to the international T20 stage for the first time when the Scots face Ireland in a three-match series in Bready this week and Munsey is itching to pit his skills against the most formidable players in Associate cricket.

"The contract is nice because it will see me through the period of the T20 qualifiers and is another step in the right direction for me," he said. "But it's playing the game that really matters and pushing myself to the highest level possible.

"I'm really excited about the Ireland series, firstly because they are rated the best team outside the Test nations and secondly because it is T20 and that's the format that comes to mind when I think of what suits my skills."

Those skills have been to the forefront during several sparkling performances this summer, including a score of 176 while on trial at Notts and 177no in Grange's Eastern Premier win over Carlton last weekend. There have also been match-winning performances for the Highlanders during their successful North Sea Pro Series defence.

Munsey's love of hitting fours and sixes in abundance led to him recording the highest strike-rate in that tournament which features the best of Scottish and Dutch talent, yet it was the business of birdies and eagles that enthused a talented young sportsman whose emergence as a potential cricket star has been circuitous.

Born in Oxford, he moved to Scotland as a 12-year-old to take up a Golf Scholarship at Loretto School in Edinburgh and competed with distinction at home and abroad. A career on the European Tour could have been attainable yet Munsey found himself drawn instead towards cricket and he has no regrets about the tough decision he made two years ago to switch hits.

He is convinced, too, that his ability as a golfer has aided his development as one of the most destructive batsmen in Scottish cricket.

"I was lucky to get the golfing scholarship and everything that went with it. I got to tour the world as a teenager and I had my share of success, winning loads of tournaments and events. But it was while relaxing from golf that I discovered my love of cricket. I used to hit balls with Michael Powell [the former Warwickshire batsman and Loretto cricket coach] and things developed from there.

"Now I'm fully focused on going as far as I can in cricket but it all really came from golf and having good hand-eye co-ordination and a natural free-flowing strike of the ball."

Having fallen for cricket while playing with one former county player and Loretto coach, Munsey is now being mentored by another in the form of Powell's successor at Loretto, John Blain, the former Scotland, Northants and Yorkshire bowler who is Munsey's coach at Grange.

"John has been a fantastic help to me - we work together at Loretto where he is now head of cricket and I do some coaching.

"He has mapped out my entire cricket year for me and has been calling head coaches at counties to set up trials. He is a very methodical coach and it has all been about setting targets and ticking boxes and so far everything has gone to plan.

"The next stage is my T20 international debut this week in what should be a fantastic series as we build towards the world qualifiers.

"We know Ireland are a great side and have achieved a lot but there is no sense of inferiority in our ranks. We feel we can compete not just with Ireland but against major international teams.

"Our side is still developing and we have a lot of really exciting players who give us lots of options in the T20 format.

"For me, I'll be trying to kick-on to the next level and challenging myself to play at the highest standard I can."

That level, according to Blain, is likely to be on the county circuit where not only Notts have shown an interest.

Following next month's Scotland commitments Munsey is likely to head to Northants for another series of trials and Blain said: "George has got a fantastic aggressive approach to batting and it's a style which is starting to appeal to more and more counties. When you match his skills with a great work ethic it has to give him a good chance of making a successful career in the game."

Scotland squad (v Ireland, June 18, 19 and 21, Breedy): Preston Mommsen (Captain), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Matthew Cross, Josh Davey, Con de Lange, Alasdair Evans, Michael Leask, Gavin Main, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt.