A PROMISING young cricket player who beat the odds after a serious accident has been recognised for her sporting talent.

Maddie Wood, 12, who plays for Whitehaven Cricket Club, was awarded The Hugh Jones Trophy for the most promising junior player at the club’s recent presentation evening.

The impressive award comes two-and-a-half years after Maddie, of Whitehaven, suffered a severe head injury from a fall while on a school trip in Windermere.

Maddie was rushed to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool where she was put on life support.

Since the accident, Maddie has suffered from post accident stress disorder and also has 60 per cent hearing loss and a leaking heart valve.

But she has not let her health issues hold her back and has continued to shine while playing the sport she loves.

Her mum Charlotte Wood said: “We didn’t think it would be possible. We didn’t think that if she survived she would have the life she has now. We are just very proud.

“She is always going to have health issues. There’s stuff that she can’t do. She used to play tag rugby. But there’s lots of things she can do. They’re the things we focus on when she has a bad day.

“When she plays cricket the first thing she puts on is her helmet because of her head.”

Mrs Wood added that her daughter, who has been playing cricket since she was six, was “absolutely buzzing” to win the award. “They have been great with her. She really loves it. Even when she’s not playing she will go and watch her brother playing.”

Maddie recently became the first girl to ever play for the club in an adult game, when she made an appearance for the club’s third team against Egremont.

The club’s Phil McCormick said: “Maddie is hugely popular with everyone at Whitehaven Cricket Club and is known for her friendly personality which is remarkable considering the injuries and rehabilitation programme she has endured. She is truly an inspirational role model especially for young girls.”