A DOWN Under wonder will be added to the Lindal Moor ranks this summer after they landed one of Australia’s top young women cricketers.

Georgia Hendy will arrive at Pennington Lane as part of a link-up between the Cumbria Cricket Board and the Stan Gilchrist Academy.

The 18-year-old – who has played for the Australia indoors international team at under-16s and under-18s level – is a talented opening bat.

She represents Sandgate Redcliffe in first grade cricket in Queensland and is set to play for one of the Lindal senior sides in the North Lancs and Cumbria League.

Hendy will also represent the new South Lakes Maidens women’s team and help coach both the boys and girls junior sides at Lindal.

South Lakes coach Colin Knight, who is also employed by Cumbria Cricket to develop the women’s and girls game in the county, is delighted to have the young Australian on board.

He said: “We’ve got a contact over in Australia with the Stan Gilchrist Academy and they have had a couple of lasses over here in the past.

“I was asked if we wanted an Australian lass for five months.

“She will play for one of our senior teams at Lindal with a bit of luck, she will play for the Cumbria Women and Girls senior team, she will help us out with coaching for the Maidens and she will play for my women’s team when we have friendlies. We’re generally trying to keep her as busy as we can.

“She will also coach the Lindal junior teams and she will be a great asset for us.

“She opens the batting, she sounds a decent player and when we have talked to her she seems a really nice lass. Fingers crossed it all goes well.”

Hendy, who grew up in Goondiwindi – 200 miles inland from Brisbane – will work alongside Lancashire women’s player Laura Marshall with the successful Maidens set-up.

“We have Laura Marshall who does great work with the Maidens, so they have one role model already, and having two with Georgia will be brilliant,” added Knight.