HOLLY Lam-Moores is looking forward to the biggest challenge of her handball career.

The Burnley-born player is in the Great Britain squad for the World Championship qualifying tournament that takes place in Holland this week.

And while the GB squad has little chance of progressing to next year’s finals in China, Lam-Moores believes it is just a stepping stone towards the ultimate goal of London 2012.

“Realistically, we don’t stand much chance of winning but this is all part of the process of building towards the Olympics,” said the former Alder Grange High School pupil. “This is by far the biggest challenge for us so far and we are all looking forward to it.”

To put it in to context, Holland were ranked in the top five in the world last year while the Great Britain team — which was only formed two years ago — doesn’t even have a ranking.

“We are all working towards London 2012 but we have to get there somehow and testing ourselves at this sort of level it what it is all about,” added the 18-year-old left winger. “We have played in a few invitational tournaments but nothing as big as this.”

Lam-Moores is part of a quarter of players with East Lancashire connections in the 15-man GB squad that also includes youngter sister Chloe, 16, and Cerys Walker and Kathryn Fudge who are both former Haslingden Handball Club players.

Paige Garvey from Rossendale is also a part of the GB set-up but misses the tournament through injury.

Great Britain have been drawn in the same group as the Czech Republic, Turkey, Lithuania, Greece a host nation Holland.

“We have worked hard preparing for the tournament and have played a number of warm-up games against professional teams in Denmark.”

Lam-Moores, like the majority of the GB squad, is based full time in Denmark where they train in an academy and play for Danish teams.

“The game is massive over here,” said Lam-Moores a left winger who has been capped nine times. “It is as big as football. It’s on TV all the time and big matches are watched by thousands of spectators.”

Lam-Moores, who plays for SK Aarhus Under 18s, first took up the game four years ago when Bill Baille, GB performance coach, visited her school looking to recruit players for Haslingden Handball Club.

“I didn’t really know too much about the sport but decided to give it a go and really enjoyed it,” said Lam-Moores. “Moving to Denmark was a big decision as I had just finished by GCSE. Some of my friends and family wondered if I was doing the right thing.

“But now four years after taking up the sport I am playing for Great Britain in our biggest tournament yet and working towards the Olympics.”