VOLLEYBALL: ACTRESS Ann Marie Davies has returned to her first love of volleyball and has proved to be a big hit, writes Christopher Beesley.

Best known for her role as Katrina Evans, owner of the crèche Trina's Tots in the former Channel 4 soap Brookside, Ann Marie is now playing a starring role with Eels' Ladies team.

The Ellesmere Port and Chester-based club's women's side clinched promotion to the National League this year, winning every single match in the process and Ann Marie was one of their most outstanding players.

She said: 'I'm 29 now but 10 years ago I played for England while also being a National League Division One player with Manchester United. With acting taking priority, I was out of the game for a long time but when I moved back to Wirral from London last year, I decided I'd come back and play for fun.

'I couldn't give the dedication needed to play at the top again straight away and wanted to find a club that would allow me to play in a local league. At first it was a bit difficult having to use muscles I'd not used for a long time, but it's like driving a car and I was soon back into the swing of things.'

In her youth, Ann Marie had serious aspirations to play volleyball full-time but the lack of funding in the UK ensured she concentrated on acting as a profession.

She said: 'There's just no money in volleyball in this country. My parents had to pay all the travelling costs and it was quite expensive. I actually enjoyed tennis so perhaps I should have done that? At least you get paid for doing it. I've also done a bit of Thai boxing and, to be honest, I hated volleyball at first because it hurt my arms.

'My old PE teacher Gabby Crolla got me into the sport and as I became good at it, being selected to play for my school, then Wirral, the North West and eventually England, I grew to love volleyball. Promoting the sport in schools is something I'm looking at doing and I'm hoping to do some coaching courses in the Ellesmere Port, Chester and Wirral areas.'

Although Ann Marie has signed for Eels Ladies again next season as they embark on their first National League Division Three campaign, she is unsure just how many matches she will be able to play in.

She said: 'Acting is like a rollercoaster, there are many ups and downs and I really don't know what I'm going to be doing from one month to the next, so we'll just have to wait and see.'