FORMER YORK Acorn Ladies rugby league star Michelle Handley (pictured) is celebrating after making the final cut for the Great Britain Ladies World Cup squad.

The 33-year-old mother of four from Acomb is one of 24 women named to face their counterparts from Australia and New Zealand and the New Zealand Maori in the prestigious competition which kicks-off in November.

For Handley it marks the end of a year-long slog to make the squad, although she readily admits there is even more hard-work to come if she is to make the starting line-up.

The prop forward was picked for the initial GB training squad more than a year ago.

Since then she has faced a series of gruelling fitness tests and training sessions as she strained every last sinew to make the final 24.

"It is just fantastic to know I have made it because it has been a real struggle this year. The intensity has been unbelievable," she explained.

Her commitment to the cause was evident when midway through last season she left Acorn Ladies to join Wakefield Panthers, who play their rugby in the Premier Division of the Women's League.

"It was a big difference in standard but it was what I needed to do. I thought if I was to make the final squad I needed to make the move up to the Premier League.

"It is such a boost to have been named after all this hard work but I know there is another four months to go of even harder work."

The GB and Ireland squad will play three warm up games before the World Cup kicks-off, with the first friendly encounter taking place against the Wildcats - the best of the rest in Women's rugby league - on Sunday at Featherstone.

The squad also has a weekend at an army base in Harrogate planned for August, which Handley admits will be "physically demanding", before coming together at their tournament training camp in Warrington.

The competition starts with GB taking on Australia in the opening match on November 6 at Wakefield's Belle Vue. The final will be played on November 24, the day before the final of the men's Rugby League World Cup.

Handley's talent for rugby league is hardly surprising - she is the cousin of Paddy Handley, currently starring at scrum half for Northern Ford Premiership club Featherstone Rovers.

The Edmund Wilson Pool in Acomb gave Handley a Gold Card for 18 months to allow her free use of its gymnasium and swimming pool.

Acorn Rugby League Club also gave her the £250 needed to help meet the cost of being involved in the GB set-up.