A COMBINATION of early mornings and sheer endeavour has helped a Hale girl qualify to compete at water polo's highest level.

The effort to get Isobel Howe, 20, of Grove Lane, to the pinnacle of success, has been a decade long dream involving mum Joan and her many sporting coaches.

And qualification last month with the Great Britain squad at the European championships in Holland, has left Isobel and her team on the cusp of glory next summer, as they compete in the sport's World Championships in Mexico.

Mum Joan recalls when her daughter first took to the sport

"She started out swimming at Altrincham Leisure Centre with her older sister Jessica, and when she was about 10, we took her to Manchester Aquatics Centre and once she had sampled water polo she became completely hooked."

Playing ahead of her age group, Isobel's burgeoning talent was spotted aged 16, while playing for the North West and she was drafted into the junior ranks of the Great Britain team. She made her international debut in a tri-nations competition last year in Scotland and competed at the European Championships in Istanbul.

According to mum, the Loreto (Hulme) pupil Isobel, who plays as a left hander, has to get stuck in to what is a rough and tumble sport.

"She often has her costume ripped and recently one of the girls ended up with a broken finger trying to deflect one of Isobel's on goal efforts."

And to help her get to where she needs to be Isobel does up to13 sessions a week at Manchester Aquatics and also with Trafford Metro at Sale Leisure Centre and gym workouts at Altrincham Leisure Centre.

Studying a BTech in sport ,Isobel is determined ultimately to catch the eye of an international squad.

Mum adds: "She would really like to go to play abroad and that one day soon she will be picked up by a European squad such as an Italian or Spanish team."