The England selectors have Georgia on their mind..
England Women and Sussex All-Rounder, Georgia Elwiss, speaks exclusively to 'The Sporting Opinion' about her career so far and the future of Women's Cricket.
Name: Georgia Elwiss
Born: 31st May 1991 - Wolverhampton
Playing Role: All-Rounder
Height: 5'8"
Team(s): Sussex & England Women
Education: Wolverhampton Girls' High School
Having recently been selected to join the England Women's squad for the Quadrangular series against Australia, New Zealand and India, Georgia Elwiss has a lot to smile about.
Her cricket career began in the back garden of her Wolverhampton home where she would spend hours a day bowling and batting against her brother at the tender age of seven.
It was then that her grandparents began taking Georgia to sunday morning coaching sessions at Edgbaston where her passion and love for the game began to blossom.
At the age of nine, Elwiss joined Wolverhampton Cricket Club and she has never looked back.
"I mainly played with and against boys when I was younger. I got into the county age group sides for boys and could hold my own and that's when I realised I could make something out of it. I then became Captain of the U13 county girl's side and moved up through the ranks there", she explained.
Elwiss continued to develop and move up the age-groups at her county, Staffordshire, until she finally made the 1st X1 where she played alongside Lucy Pearson.
"I was playing alongside Lucy Pearson who, at the time, was England women's best bower and a hero of mine. It was a very exciting time for me too though as I was able to learn alot from Lucy and the other girls in the squad and that gave me invaluable experience", she continued.
Elwiss' performances were improving with time and it wasn't long before Sussex and England selectors had their eye on the girl from the West Midlands.
Sussex came along first and signed Elwiss, who swiftly slotted into the squad and opened the bowling on a regular basis. Then followed England.
She was initially called up for T20 duty and got a further call-up to the squad during the 50-Over Quadrangular series after an injury to Jenny Gunn.
"I was literally buzzing after my England call up. Nothing really can prepare you for the words, 'We want you to join the England squad'. You couldn't remove the smile off my face! I'd had similar nerves but knew I'd put in a lot of hard work so I was more prepared."
Her drive and determination has enabled Elwiss to begin to compete at the highest level with the likes of Charlotte Edwards, Lydia Greenway and Katherine Brunt and she hopes that both her and women's cricket can enjoy a successful future over the next few years.
"In five years I would like to think that the women's game would have become professional and I hope to be a regular member of the squad putting in match winning performances", she said.
It's obvious that Elwiss has the quality and dedication to become one of the outstanding players of her generation and she has a few words of wisdom for aspiring young cricketers of both sex.
"Just enjoy it, play with a smile on your face, and play hard but fair".
It's hard to argue with that...
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