Cumbrian netball star Helen Housby has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.

She is among the nominees to be named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year for 2023.

Housby, from Drumleaning near Wigton, has enjoyed an impressive year for club and country.

She was named player of the tournament and best shooter as England reached the World Cup final.

Before that, she helped New South Wales Swifts reach the Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final in Australia.

The year has seen the 28-year-old Carlisle-born star further cement her reputation as one of the top players in the sport.

She is joined on the shortlist by Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, cricketer Tammy Beaumont, para athlete Hannah Cockroft, equestrian Ros Canter and boxer Chantelle Cameron.

Housby will now hope to join illustrious past winners of the award including Eilish McColgan, Emma Raducanu, Dina Asher-Smith, Jessica Ennis-Hill,  Laura Kenny, Nicole Cooke, Kelly Holmes, Paula Radcliffe, Ellen McArthur, Denise Lewis and Tanni Grey-Thompson.

The awards citation on former Nelson Thomlinson school girl Housby says: "Helen Housby has been at the forefront of England netball.

"In 2018 she shot the sport into the spotlight with a last-gasp winning goal that secured a historic gold medal against Australia. 130,700 people were inspired to play netball or more netball as a result of this moment and five years on, Helen was an influential figure in inspiring the nation at this year’s Netball World Cup.

"Not only did Helen help the England netball team reach their first World Cup final, the 28-year-old was named Player of the Tournament and Best Shooter after scoring 162 goals with 94 per cent goal conversion.

"Before joining up with her team at the World Cup, Helen guided her domestic team, the New South Wales Swifts to the Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final – their third final in four years. In this same season, Helen was named MVP for the Swifts, scored the most super shots (two-point goals) in the league and finished second in the league for Nissan Net Points which measures a player’s contribution to the match."

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