A LLANDUDNO cricketer continues to break down barriers after being given significant responsibility for her hometown club.

Hannah Thornton has been named as the new 2nd XI captain at Llandudno Cricket Club aft6er impressing considerably in the role during the second half of the campaign last summer.

The 22-year-old, who is currently at John Moores University in Liverpool studying Sports Science, is a former Welsh youth international and was part of the national squad that took part in a landmark tour of South Africa at U15 level.

She will now be tasked with leading a talented young squad through a busy summer of competitive fixtures, and Thornton is one of the first female captains operating anywhere in the domestic game.

Thornton, said: “Last summer was quite challenging really due to player unavailability but I really enjoyed captaining the team, and hopefully we can push for promotion this season as we have a lot of players that can play at a higher level.

“The club have been very supportive of me throughout my time here, as a youngster and with my involvement with the Wales squad. I have acquired a lot of experience and there are always going to be older members of the team that are going to support me.”

Thornton also praised the ongoing community initiatives involving female players at The Oval as they look to boost participation levels across all age groups, something she hopes will see an all-girl team formed in the not-too-distant future.

“The projects at Llandudno have definitely been a massive boost for girls looking to take up the sport, and it has received a huge amount of support and hopefully we can start a new girls’ team as a result,” she added.

Llandudno Seconds get their season underway this Saturday when they travel to Halkyn 2nds.