Jessica Homer is the MCC's Young Cricket Photographer 2007.

She will photograph a wide range of fixtures at 'the home of cricket', Lord's, including npower Test matches, NatWest one-day internationals and the season's traditional 'curtain-raiser' - MCC v Champion County which begins today.

She was the unanimous choice of a selection panel which included the top cricket photographer Graham Morris, who will act as Jessica's professional mentor after his return from the Cricket World Cup.

Jessica, (28), from County Down, saw the scheme through holdthefrontpage.co.uk, and this is the second time that the successful candidate has come via this route, as previous candidate Anthony Devlin also saw the scheme on this website.

Jessica is a freelance photographer whose work has appeared in a variety of regional daily newspapers including the 'Gloucestershire Echo', when she worked in the West Country, as well as in publications in Northern Ireland, including the 'Belfast Telegraph', where she now lives with her husband.

Originally from Solihull, in the West Midlands, Jessica won the title 'Young Photographer of the Year' in 2001's Banks's Midlands Press Photographer of the Year awards.

She said: "This is a unique scholarship; I'm delighted to have won it. It's a great honour and a tremendous opportunity to take my sports photography to the next level. I can't wait to start working at Lord's and learning from Graham."

MCC secretary and chief executive Keith Bradshaw said: "This scholarship attracts a bigger and better field of candidates every year - so it's a very hard one to win.

“But our panel was unanimous in selecting Jessica as MCC's Young Cricket Photographer 2007. Her portfolio was outstanding, and her potential is obvious. I would like to congratulate Jessica on her appointment. With Graham's guidance over the coming season, I'm sure her career will go from strength to strength."