ARRAN Thompson of Colne was a member of the England 'A' women's cricket team which won the European Cup at the first time of asking this week.

Their two-wicket defeat of Ireland in the tournament final in Nykobing Mors, Jutland, Denmark, sealed their success after both sides had won their previous two matches.

England's victory means that the nation's sides have now won each of the five European Cups to date.

Captain Ella Donnison from Nottingham said: "It was a fantastic team performance and the highlight of my career to date."

Coach Jane Powell said: "This is a tremendous achievement and proves that we have some very talented young players."

England 'A' were formed just this year and Monday's game against Holland was only their second match as a team.

In their first tournament game, England 'A' trounced Holland by six wickets, with Ireland beating Denmark by 48 runs at the same time. Then, England A beat Denmark by 141 runs as Ireland defeated Holland by nine wickets.

In the rain-affected final match, England A won the toss and put Ireland in to bat. Ireland scored 108-8 off 50 overs with Dawn Holden from Wellingborough, Northants taking 3-29. England took 47.5 overs to reach 109-8 in reply.

England team: E Donnison (Nottingham); L Harper (Truro); J Hawker (Plymouth); D Holden (Wellingborough); H Lloyd (Neath); B Morgan (Harrow); B Nicholson (Bedale) K Lowe (Nottingham); N Shaw (Leicester); L Spragg (Keighley); A Thompson (Colne); K Wilkins (Bristol); K Winks (Leigh on Mendip).

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