Deanna Cooper is hoping for a double booking as her sporting seasons collide this spring.
The Albion sweeper hopes to tell her cricket coach at Kent that she is unavailable for a match due a promotion play-off.
Cooper always has a busy cross-over period but the Seagulls are looking to prolong their season by remaining top of Premier League southern division and going into a promotion decider.
She told The Argus: “Every year there is a cross-over in March and April time but my coaches are quite understanding.
“I normally finish the football and then do cricket.
“Hopefully we will go all the way to the play-off and I’ll play in that – if selected.
“We are well-placed at the moment in the league with five or six games to go but we know they will all be hard.
“There is a lot riding on it but we can’t let it get to us.
“We’ve got points on the board. And the teams behind us who have games in hand will be looking at that.
“There’s no game this weekend but I am sure (manager) James Marrs will have us in for training or be lining up some sort of match practice. We need that before we go to Forest Green the following week.”
Cooper is a fast-bowling all-rounder for Kent in the elite of women’s county cricket.
She can also be regarded as an all-rounder on the football pitch as an accomplished sweeper who can also contribute goals at the other end.
Her strike in the 7-0 FA Cup defeat of Luton on Sunday was her eighth of the season. She said: “I’m not really a goalscorer. A lot of them have been set-pieces when the ball has basically been put on my head.
“Generally getting goals is not something I look at but we are encouraged to drive forward from the back with the ball if we have space in front of us.
“We have looked at that this season, being positive with the ball.
“I’m really enjoying this season. It has been a bit different. Last year was more a year for getting together and now we are looking to kick on.
“Most of the players were here last season and that has really helped us.”
Jay Blackie, Sophie Perry, Kirsty Barton, Charlotte Gurr, Lisa Fulgence and Hollie Olding all netted against the Hatters, whose goalkeeper was in inspired form before being sent off near the end for comments to the referee.
The Seagulls’ reward is an intriguing home tie against Super League 2 side Oxford on Sunday, February 7.
Oxford finished in mid-table last term and provide exactly the sort of third-round tie Marrs was hoping for. Cooper agrees. She said: “It will be their first game of the season and it’s a good draw for us, although it will be a tough game.
“The 7-0 win was a really good start to 2016.
“We had lots of chances and scored seven which is great for us because in other games we have had chances and not taken them.”
Albion don't have a game tomorrow but go to Forest Green next Sunday.
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