CUMBRIA’S only female Australian Rules athlete played a starring role at an international tournament.

Vanessa Temple, from Kendal, represented England at the Axios Euro Cup in London and helped her team get all the way to the final.

Despite suffering a narrow loss to pre-tournament favourites Ireland, Temple, 24, left the field with her head held high as she won both the Player of the Day Award as well as being named England’s Player of the Tournament – making it onto the tournament all-stars team.

Speaking about her personal achievements, Temple said: “It was very, very good. I couldn’t have asked for it to have gone any better. There were a lot of good tackles and quite a few goals. I was constantly running all over the pitch.”

She only took up the sport after going travelling to Australia in 2009 and within a few weeks she was already winning player of the match awards in the Melbourne League – the toughest Aussie Rules league in the world.

The tournament saw the top 20 teams in Europe go head-to-head with the top two teams from each group playing each other in the final.

Despite losing to Ireland in their group, England’s comfortable victories over Denmark, France and Scotland made sure they booked their place in the grand final.

It proved to be a nail-biting affair at London Irish RFC, asnd Temple reflected at the end of the match.

“We definitely did better than expected," she said. "At half time in the final it was 18 points each. It really could have gone either way.”

In the end experience was the difference between the two sides.

“Ireland have been playing together as a team since 2009,” said Temple, who had the number 31 jersey printed specially for her because that was the number she wore when she first took up the sport in Australia.

“We were new to each other. We only lost by five points which is less than a single goal so we will definitely give them a run for their money in the future.”

Temple is also a star performer for Kendal Wasps RUFC as well as representing Cumbria.

Despite her success in Aussie Rules she is focussed on her duties for Kendal, who currently sit top of the National Challenge North West League.

“It’s good to be back but I have got tournament blues,” she said.

“I’m coming back down to earth.

"Every time there’s an AFL tournament now I’ll be going to that which will be an extra demand but I need to concentrate on Kendal winning the league now.”

Unfortunately for Temple the Axios Euro Cup was held on the same day as the trials for the women’s North of England rugby team.

“It’s a shame that it was on the same day but they said they were going to keep an eye on me for the rest of the season,” said Temple.