A BURY Grammar School old girl has been congratulated by her alma mater following her “tremendous performance” in the Women’s Ashes Test finale against Australia.

Bury’s Kate Cross, who graduated from Bury Grammar in 2010, blocked the final ball, ensuring the match in Canberra ended in a draw.

Thanks to an attacking declaration from Australian captain Meg Lanning, England had a target of 257 runs to win off 28 to secure a win.

The scene looked set for a certain English victory, until Australia mounted a comeback, forcing England to choose between running the remaining 13 balls or playing defensively, hoping for a draw.

This left bowlers Kate and Sophie Ecclestone clinging on as England’s last hope for a draw.

A school spokesman said: "We are incredibly proud of Kate's continuing success in cricket and joined the nation in watching the recent nail-biting Women’s Ashes Test against Australia.

“Her composure in the final over when facing the final few balls is a testament to her determined and unrelenting approach towards her sport.

“She is a fantastic role model to aspiring young athletes and we feel very privileged to have her as part of the BGS family.

“We will be cheering her and the rest of the squad on in the remaining matches."

One fellow alumni said on Facebook: “Well done Kate, we are incredibly proud of you.”

Kate later said on her BBC podcast No Balls: “"I came off the pitch and I was quite happy because I had done my job."

"Then I saw all my team-mates' faces and it was almost like we lost. It was a complete mix of emotions.

"The dressing room afterwards was really, really quiet. There were a lot of tears.

"It was a game neither team deserved to lose, a draw didn't feel like the right result and both teams could have won.

"We got into a position we could win and in some way that is worse.

"We knew it would have been something special.”

A win for England would have given them their first victory over Australia in the test arena since 2014.