Kingston’s Amber Jackson admits it will be the proudest moment of her life if she gets to line-up for Great Britain when the Fastpitch Softball squad head to the European Championships in Valencia this week.

Jackson, who starred with the javelin as a schoolgirl, took up the sport after attending college in New Jersey.

And the 26-year-old, who has yet to feature for Team GB in a major tournament, is struggling to keep a lid on her emotions.

She said: “I cannot wait to get out to Spain.

“I am so proud to have been picked and I have worked so hard for it.

“I have waited a long time to get the chance to represent my country, and to do it in a sport I have learned from scratch in the past couple of years is almost overwhelming.”

Originally from Welwyn Garden City, Jackson finished second in the English schoolgirl javelin competition behind future Olympian Goldie Sayers.

But a switch to foreign shores changed her sporting outlook.

Jackson added: “I used to go and watch the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team play while I was in America and I loved the sport.

“I started watching the college softball team but they were so good I didn’t think about taking it up.

“But when I moved back to Kingston I started playing for the London Raiders.

“There were a few ex-GB players there as coaches and they liked the fact that I could throw the ball hard and far because of my javelin training.

“So I got invited to some Great Britain training camps and things have developed from there.”

Jackson made her GB debut in Holland last month and now has her sights set on Valencia, where a top-three finish could see Britain qualify for the 2010 World Championships in the United States.

The PE teacher at Slough Grammar School added: “It is going to be tough for us as we are ranked fifth in Europe at the moment.

“We are going to have to play our socks off.

“But if there is anybody that can do it it is this group of players, and I am proud to be part of that.”