TWO West Devon maidens showed their cricket prowess when they helped Devon to win over Gloucestershire last weekend. Frances Lausen and Clara Nielson both play cricket alongside the boys for Hatherleigh?s youth cricket team. Now they have been selected to join up with the best under-13 girls across Devon ? playing in the first match of the season against the Gloucester side. On a difficult rain-affected wicket, Devon U-13 Girls struggled to 86 all out. In reply, Gloucester began well but Clara in a spell of four wickets for eight runs ? together with a catch ? turned the match. Devon?s winning margin was 22 runs as Gloucesteshire were all out for 64. Frances captained the Devon side well in a tight game, though she only scored five runs. Frances, 12, and Clara, 13, are different styles of cricketer but both have flair with both bat and ball. Frances? father David said his daughter had begun playing cricket at a very early age. ?She got the bug when she was four and a half,? he said. Clara plays for her school team, Shebbear College. At the school Frances attends ?Chumleigh Community College ? there is currently no cricket team, but that may be about to change, as David said the school was planning to develop one. David said Frances had already represented North Devon in both the boys? and girls? teams at an under-12s competition, but he said she was ?very excited? about being picked for the county team. Clara?s mum Jill Nielson said: ?My husband Paul was a keen cricketer and I think she picked it up from him. Her brothers play too, so it?s a cricket mad house really.? Jill said the team trains at Plymouth College and it had been a great experience for Clara to receive training from some top coaches. Jill said Clara ? who began playing the sport aged nine ? had been very pleased to learn she had made the county team along with her friend Frances. ?It is something she has always wanted to do. I think she?d like to play for England one day if she got the chance. She is quite determined.? The Devon under-13s team have six matches during the summer, including games against Hampshire, Sussex and Dorset. Jill played tribute to the backing Hatherleigh cricket club had given the girls. ?They have been absolutely brilliant and encouraged the girls really well. It is quite good for such a small club to get two players in the county team,? she said. Hatherleigh coach Paul Cooper said he was delighted the girls had been chosen to play for Devon. ?We used to take the girls up to play different games in North Devon. And sometimes you?d see the boys on the other team thinking ?They?ve got two lasses in their team. We?ll soon get them out.? But of course, they couldn?t get them out. I could see from an early age that they were very talented cricketers.?