A BARROW paddler is heading for the international scene after her skills on the water were recognised.

Steph Dunn has been named in the Great Britain Under-18s canoe polo development squad as she looks to continue her rise in the sport.

The Barrow schoolgirl has made a strong transition from whitewater racing to canoe polo – a sport which involves teams of five players attempting to score in goals suspended two metres above the water.

Matches can be played indoors in swimming pools or outdoors and Dunn is part of the Great Britain squad which will compete in the Welsh Open and again in Belgium later this summer.

Mum Penny Taylor said: “She’s only 14 and the majority of the squad are closer to 18, so this is a big achievement for Steph. The next team up would be the under-21s.

“The tournament is Belgium is a big one and she will be up against players from the rest of the world.”

Dunn travels to Liverpool to train with the development academy and has also travelled to Hatfield to train with the national squad.

It is great progress for someone who has only been canoeing for little more than three years, gaining her first taste on a course run by Duddon Canoe Club and Barrow Sports Council during the school holidays.

The St Bernard’s School pupil is now part of the Friends of Allonby team in Liverpool, a club who concentrate on canoe polo, where she competes in the league.

Taylor added: “She got a taste for canoe polo and she just loved it. It’s quite different from what she used to so – it’s a full contact sport.”