CRICKETER Stephen Pennock, one of the Great Ayton cricket team which won the North Yorkshire & South Durham Premier League title this year, will be playing in Australia this winter while England defend the Ashes.

Recently, Mr Pennock was invited to join the Rowville Hawks, who play in the Melbourne District League. When the invitation came, Mr Pennock, 22, reorganised his home arrangements, gave up his job as a lorry driver with local firm Armstrong Richardsons and, after a family get-together lunch on Sunday, left Heathrow on Monday to fly to Melbourne.

In Great Ayton's triumphant summer, he scored 930 league runs, nearly 300 more than any other amateur player, and was given the NYSD player of the year award. On the final day of the season, when the team was presented with the premiership trophy by president Chris West, he scored 210 not out, a league record for an amateur batsman.

Mr Pennock is a fourth generation Aytonian and comes from a sporting family. His great-grandfather, John Readman was the village bellman before the Second World War when news was spread round the village by the bellman, who wore a distinctive cloak. The bell and an article and photograph of Mr Readman are in Great Ayton library. He was also trainer of the local football team and secretary of the workingmen's club.

One of his sons, also John, Mr Pennock's grandfather, was a leading Great Ayton cricketer from 1945 for many years and was sports secretary of the WMC.

One of his daughters, Kay, is Mr Pennock's mother and three of her bothers, Gary, Philip and the late Keith, were all keen cricketers and played for Great Ayton. Kay is also an expert on cricket matters.

Not to be out done by Mr Pennock's maternal side of the family, his father, Dave, has been a leading first team player for both Guisborough and Great Ayton for many years, and three years ago was captain of the Great Ayton side that won promotion to the NYSD Premier League for the first time in the almost 100-year history of the club.

With such a background, and the fact that he comes from the village where Captain Cook, who discovered Australia, spent his formative years, it is perhaps no surprise that Mr Pennock should end up playing cricket Down Under.

During his stay in Australia, his club will provide him with accommodation and a job to pay for his living expenses.

The Australian season ends in late-March and on completion he hopes to spend about two weeks with his Aunt Carol and her family in Sydney. Carol is his mother's sister and she and her husband, Carl Smith, also an Ayton lad, emigrated to Australia about 20 years ago. Carol, Carl and their ten-year-old daughter, Chloe, have visited Great Ayton several times.

* Other players from the NYSD League are also heading for Australia.

Guisborough bowler Paul Goodchild is joining Mr Pennock in Melbourne, while Ian West of Stokesley is planning to fly out in January. Marton's Dan Conway, Middlesbrough duo Alex and Brett Roberts, and Darlington youngster James Alderson are also preparing for a season Down Under.