Sue Heeles admits she has a couple of hard acts to follow after stepping up to be new captain of the successful county ladies team.

After a lengthy barren spell Norfolk have reached the national finals twice in three years, first under Tracey Williamson and then Sammy Martin.

They finished an impressive third at Havant and Waterlooville in 2016 before having to settle for fifth position at a weather-hit event at Royal North Devon in September, when Heeles was vice-captain.

The new leader will officially take over at the NLCGA's annual meeting at Wensum Valley on November 26 and can't wait to get stuck into her new role, even though she has big shoes to fill.

'It is a great honour to captain your county and I am really looking forward to it,' she said.

'We have done really well under Tracey and Sammy and I will be doing my utmost to ensure we keep up the good work.

'Having reached this year's finals it was a shame how it all panned out, with the weather playing havoc with the event. Even though we finished on a high note by winning our last match it was still a disappointing week and has made us even more determined to reach the finals again next year.'

The ultimate target for Heeles and her team is a place at Delamere Forest in Cheshire next autumn, but before that the regional competition has to be negotiated and that is only focus for the new captain at present.

'I am already looking forward to County Week (which is being held at Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands Golf Club in Bedfordshire next year),' said the Royal Norwich member. 'I will be working with Sammy as immediate past captain and together we will make sure we are well prepared for the challenge, with hopefully a few get-togethers in the spring.

'It is a very exciting time for Norfolk ladies golf, with a lot of good youngsters around. It wasn't the most enjoyable of weeks at Royal North Devon but it was great to see how well young Chloe Gibbs played in the difficult conditions.

'We were missing Amelia Williamson and Amy Taylor for that one as they had left for their studies in the United States. I am hoping they will both be available for County Week next year - obviously it would be good for Norfolk if they were in the team.'

One other player who might come into the picture in 2019 is the captain's own daughter Rebecca, who made a big impact as a junior and is now back living in Norfolk after a spell away.