Cundall Crowned National Champions

Girls from Cundall Manor School have been crowned national champions after coming out on top in the U13 ISA National Championship at the Olympic Park in London for a second year in a row.

The girls claimed the prestigious trophy at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre which was used in the 2012 Olympics.

The school triumphed against tough opposition from across the country before clinching the title in a tense final against Holme Grange School from Workingham, Berkshire.

A goal after 7 seconds in the final was enough for the North Yorkshire girls to claim the victory and retain the trophy that was won last year by their school friends.

The side, who maintained a clean sheet throughout the tournament, came under sustained pressure from a strong Holme Grange School side in an open and fluent final.

Head of Girls Games at Cundall Manor School, Louise Bessey, said: “I am absolutely thrilled by the performance the girls put in throughout the tournament. To keep a clean sheet across all six games is a great achievement and a special mention deserves to go to Colette, our goalkeeper, who put in such a strong display in the final.”

She added: “You can see that the team truly enjoy competing against some of the best teams nationally. To claim back-to-back wins at such a level is a great accolade for the school and great credit goes to our pupils for their commitment and enthusiasm towards the game you can see they love playing.”

The Cundall side included several county players and are looking to build on their continued success next year.

The team beat London based Northwood College 5-0 in the opening game before overcoming a competitive Ballard side 4-0 in the pool stage. They team finished their pool games with a convincing 5-0 win against LVS Ascot to progress to the knock out stages. En route to the final the North Yorkshire youngsters dug deep to beat Sussex side, Finborough 3-0 in the quarter final before meeting Hampshire’s Alton School in the semi-final, overcoming the team 5-0 with a strong team performance.

Mrs Bessey added: “The girls worked very well as a team throughout the tournament. It was great to see them play such fluid hockey on the big stage.”

The girls picked up their medals in front of a crowd of proud parents and staff who came down from North Yorkshire to support the team.

To find out more about ISA Sport, visit the ISA website: https://www.isaschools.org.uk/

Cundall Manor School will be hosting an Open Morning on Saturday 3 February 2018. Register your interest in attending here: https://www.cundallmanorschool.com/admissions/