ALICE Clarke will today make history as the first female to represent Accrington Cricket Club’s first team.

The teenager, who was has also last week selected for Lancashire Thunder's 15-strong squad to play in the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy, will make her senior debut as wicket keeper against Rishton in the President’s Cup, replacing the unavailable Matt Wilson in the line-up.

Her father Damian, who played for the club in the later 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and was appointed captain in 2001, said: “I always hoped this would happen.

“She’s worked incredibly hard netting and in games.

“She’s been keeping really well in the seconds so hopefully it won’t be that big a jump for her.

“Over the last couple of years she has progressed through Lancashire so I started to think she has got a chance of playing first team cricket.

“When Snedds (captain Graeme Sneddon) knew that Matt was unavailable he said she’d been playing well in the seconds and deserved a chance so fair play to him for that.”

Alice has received permission from Lancashire Thunder to play at the Property Shop Stadium today.

With the bat, she boasts an average of 24.7 from three innings in the seconds this season.