Georgia 'Mouse' Iannella represents SA in both soccer and cricket
STANDING at just 135cm, Prospect's Georgia Iannella is known as "Mouse" but the 12-year-old is having a big impact on the soccer and cricket pitches.
STANDING at just 135cm, Prospect's Georgia Iannella is known as "Mouse" and wields a bat more than half her size.
Yet the 12-year-old pocket rocket is having a big impact on the soccer and cricket pitches.
Georgia, a Year 6 student at Rosary School, represented the SAPSASA girls soccer team at the national titles for the second straight season this month and has also been in the SAPSASA girls cricket squad for two years.
Her performances have been recognised by state junior selectors, having played for the SA Skillaroos at a national under-13 soccer tournament at Coffs Harbour in July and trained with an emerging SA Scorpions cricket squad earlier this year.
Last summer the "medium pace" bowler also played senior B-grade cricket for Kensington alongside women up to three times her age, taking five wickets at 17.2 and winning the team's fielding trophy.
Georgia says she is used to being the smallest among her teammates and her height proves no obstacle to her success.
"Sometimes in cricket it's scary because they bowl really fast but sometimes I'm confident," she says.
"Some of the balls are really high and go over my head.
"In soccer I sometimes get pushed around but I cope with that."
Georgia took up cricket six years ago after playing scratch matches against her brother Christian, 14, in their backyard.
It came about 12 months after she had followed him into soccer.
"In the backyard there's rubbish bins for soccer goals and the kids use bins for cricket stumps," mum Louisa says.
"She just loves sport."
Georgia hopes to eventually follow in the footsteps of her sporting hero, Ellyse Perry, who plays both cricket and soccer for Australia.
"I saw her on the news and learnt about what she did to get up to that level," Georgia says of Perry.
"I want to keep playing both sports and play cricket and soccer for Australia like her."