SOPHIE Windle will represent her country in the World Championships in May after coming back from a double injury that would have ended the careers of most athletes.

The High Wycombe netball player will play for England in the Indoor Netball Association World Championships in South Africa in May after making it through two sets of trials.

But it’s taken something special to get there after two terrible injuries when she was at her peak.

She said: “I’d been playing sport for quite a number of years and thought the opportunity to play at that level had passed me by.

“I tore my cartilage when I was at the peak of my powers and it didn’t clear up properly.

“So five minutes into my comeback game I went for a ball and redid my cartilage and also ruptured my medial collatarel ligament and anterior cruciate ligament.

“It was quite nasty and I was out of sport for two or three years.

“I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to play competitive sport again so to get this opportunity now is fantastic.”

Windle went for indoor trials in Bristol just for the experience and was then selected for final trials at Canary Wharf.

She said: “At the back of your mind you’re always hopeful but I didn’t expect anything.

“After the trials we were told there was real competition for places. But then I got an email on Monday saying I’d made it.

“I had to read it two or three times to make sure I was reading in right.

“It was a great surprise.”

Windle is now training with the England indoor netball side every second weekend in an attempt to adapt to the different version of the sport.

She said: “It’s like five-a-side football where the ball never goes out, so the main thing is learning to use the nets.”

Windle will have to find £3,000 to play for her country and is inviting sponsorship.

For details, email windlesophie@googlemail.com