CHIGWELL School student Beth MacGregor has been called up into the England Women's Cricket squad for the five-match One-Day International series against New Zealand this month.

Beth, 17, is the first player from Essex to be selected for the full England Women's squad and the promotion follows her selection last summer and earlier this year for the England Women's Cricket Academy.

The five matches will be played between the 10th and 20th of July.

In March, Beth went to Bangalore in India with the Academy side where they played matches against local teams, received specialist training in conditions where the next Women’s World Cup is due to be played and took in some Indian Premier League games involving the Royal Challengers.

In early July Beth played for the Academy team in two matches against the England Women’s team and the New Zealand Women’s team at a tournament in Leicestershire.

She played a full part for the Academy team and bowled well against the likes of England captain Charlotte Edwards and New Zealand’s Susie Bates.

Beth has also been chosen as a senior member of a combined England Academy/England U17 team to play matches against Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands in the European Women’s Championship in early August.