HOLLIE ARMITAGE will soon be swapping the frozen wastelands of Meltham for the desert delights of Dubai.

For the 15-year-old Honley High School student has been selected for the England Under 19 Ladies cricket squad, and will be heading for the United Arab Emirates next month as one of a 14-strong team representing the MCC.

Hollie, daughter of ex-Meltham stalwart John, has come up through the Meltham junior system, having captained the Under 15 side, and last season was a member of the Under 17 team who reached the final of the Oldfield Cup, where she scored 27, only to finish on the losing side against Lascelles Hall.

She also opened the batting for the Second Elevens in the second half of last season, and for good measure won the club’s catching prize!

However, it was while skippering Yorkshire’s Under 15s in the County Championship semi-final and final that she came to the attention of the national scouts.

After reaching the semis in Dunstable, Hollie cracked an unbeaten 123 against Somerset, and followed that up with an undefeated 66 to help defeat Kent in the final as Yorkshire landed the County Championship.

She was subsequently invited onto the England Women’s Development programme where she is attending four-day training camps at Loughborough.