It’s no secret that East Lancashire is home to some impressive sporting talent.

From cricketing legends, to athletes who represented the country in the Olympics, locals from the region have some seriously impressive sporting accolades behind their name.

While you might have heard about some of these sports pros, did you know that they hailed from East Lancashire?

Here are eight sports stars that were born and raised in a Lancashire town near you.

Jimmy Anderson

(Instagram/jimmya9)

James ‘Jimmy’ Anderson is well known in the cricket world.

The Burnley-born athlete is even regarded as the one of the best swing bowlers in the world right now.

Last summer, he became the first fast bowler to take 600 test wickets in the game’s history.

He made his England debut back in 2002 and the 38-year-old said he doesn’t have any plans to retire in the near future.

Ron Hill

Lancashire Telegraph: Ron Hill (Matthew Ashton/EMPICS)Ron Hill (Matthew Ashton/EMPICS)

You might recognise Ron Hill if you are a fan of athletics.

The Accrington man is regarded as somewhat of a running legend and was even awarded an MBE title for his running achievements.

He ran in the 1964 and 1972 olympics and was also the first Brit to win the Boston Marathon.

He secured marathon gold medals at the European Championships in 1969 and the 1970 Commonwealth Games.

He is also known for starting a 52-year running challenge in 1964 when he ran every single day.

Albert Neilson Hornby

Even if you don’t recognise his face now, Albert Neilson Hornby (also known as ‘Monkey’ Hornby) was regarded as one of the best-known English sportsmen of the 19th century.

Born in 1847, Blackburn-born Hornby made his mark in the world of cricket.

He captained the England team but also dabbled in the world of rugby and captained this sporting team too.

While captain, England famously lost the cricket test match on home soil which gave rise to the Ashes in 1882.

Rachel Brown Finnis

Rachel Brown Finnis (left)-(Photo:Instagram/rach_brown_finnis1)

Rachel is a Burnley-born former footballer.

In her career, she played was goalkeeper for Liverpool and Everton; she has also won 82 caps while playing for the England women’s football team.

She made her first professional football appearance at the age of 15, when she was signed for the Liverpool Ladies.

She was also a member of Team GB’s 2012 Olympic squad.

Sophie Hitchon

(Facebook/Sophie-Hitchon)

This Olympian hails from Burnley.

She is a British hammer thrower and current British record holder of the event with a throw of 74.5 meters.

Hitchon is also the winner of Britain’s first ever hammer Olympic medal.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she won an impressive bronze medal during the hammer throw event.

James Kenyon

Also known as ‘Jim’ Kenyon, this man made his mark as a successful Lancashire cricket player and captain.

In his career, he scored more than 6000 runs and took almost 400 wickets between 1964-1980.

Sadly, the Darwen-born man passed away in 2013

Will Greenwood

(Instagram/willgreenwood)

William Greenwood MBE is a former rugby union player from Blackburn.

He played for Leicester Tigers and Harlequins; he was also a member of England’s world cup winning team back in 2003.

In recent years, he took on The Borne Arctic Challenge where he journeyed to the North Pole in order to raise money for charity.

Jack Simmons

Clayton-le-Moors cricketer, Jack Simmons, is regarded as a cricketing legend in Lancashire.

The former Old Trafford off-spinner was even affectionately nicknamed ‘Flat Jack’ for his unique style of bowling.

He has also made a name for himself in Tasmania, where he was invited to captain the local state side in the early 70s.

Who do you think is the greatest sports star to ever come out of East Lancashire? Let us know in the comments.