CORAL Handley has been chosen as captain of the MCC Women's team on their inaugural overseas tour next month to Holland.

Coral, who lives in Naunton village, near Upton-upon-Severn, will lead the team in three matches against the Dutch national side from July 8-14 to help prepare the Dutch team for the European Cup which is due to be held in England in August.

Coral played for England U25 and B Team and captained the Western Counties team for 10 years. She played for local club sides and local women's sides Ross, Malvern and Evesham, and has turned out for the Pershore and Eckington men's teams. She now plays for Gunnersbury WCC, with whom she won the National Knock Out Cup in 2000 and played for the MCC in their first women's match against Surrey U21s in 1999, and has since been accepted as a full playing member of the club. She is a former Worcestershire county hockey player, and played for Herefordshire in the National County Hockey finals for the past three seasons.

Coral said "I was delighted to be invited to be one of the first fourteen women members of the MCC, and then being asked to be captain the first women's overseas tour is a great honour.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge, and even though we haven't got the youngest team on record, it's quality that counts!"