Top local female mountain biker Kirree Quayle has been accepted into the national elite category for the 2018 competition season.

The 21-year-old from Baldrine competed successfully in the sport category in 2017, bringing home two team silver medals from the NatWest Island Games in Gotland and two individual fourths.

She was first female home in the prestigious Manx Telecom End to End race and won the Battle of Sky Hill mtb race in the rapidly-growing Cyclefest event.

Normally riders are only allowed to climb one level each year, but upon making her application for a licence to race in 2018 she found that her times qualified her to skip the expert level and go straight to elite.

Jacqui Fletcher was the last local female mountain biker to compete at this level.

She will have to work extremely hard to make her mark in the UK but she is quite determined to do so. Her first major race of the year will be at Sherwood Pines in the East Midlands on March 25.

After that she is very much looking forward to defending her Battle of Sky Hill title and improve on her positions in the Storm the Tower and Gran Fondo sections of Cyclefest on April 21-22.

Kirree has a very busy period ahead of her, completing the third and final year of her degree course in events management and marketing at the University College Isle of Man at the former Nunnery, which she is juggling with her Commonwealth Games internship. She will be travelling to Australia’s Gold Coast at the end of March as part of the Isle of Man CGA management team.

Kirree follows a punishing training schedule expertly compiled by local ex-Commonwealth Games competitor Elliot Baxter.

She requires financial support to travel to the UK on numerous occasions.

If you would like to help her and be associated with a piece of history in the making then please contact Kirree on [email protected]

l Dot Tilbury and friends’ annual variety concert is at Marown school on Saturday, January 27, starting 7.30pm.

Tickets £10 each including country supper which is renowned for its home-baked delights. Phone Dot on 851691 or 480636 to reserve tickets.