Ripon Grammar School hockey stars have triumphed in a major tournament.
The school’s under 18 girls team were competing against school from all over the north of England and Scotland in the championship in Penrith last week.
They emerged victorious after a thrilling 7s Plate final, which ended in an exciting but nail-biting penalty flicks against independent Glenalmond College, Perth.
RGS faced tough competition from a number of independent schools, including Stonyhurst College, Durham School and Austin Friars, which hosted the event.
Captain Harriet Swiers described their hard-fought Plate final as tense.
She said:
“There were multiple short corners and relentless effort from both sides.
“Despite our determination, the game ended in a nil-nil draw, leading to penalty flicks for the third consecutive year.
“Thanks to Lottie Nicol's and Lexis Ramshay’s outstanding flicks under pressure we secured the Plate victory.”
Coach Siobhan Gilfillan said:
“This team is an absolute dream team - supportive, motivated and highly competitive.
“While winning isn't everything, they compete hard and always fairly.
“It has been a real privilege to see them develop from enthusiastic, fun-loving little Year 7 students to just as enthusiastic fun-loving sixth form students.
“I have loved every minute of our time competing together over the last six-plus years.”
Earlier in the tournament, the team secured impressive wins against Stonyhurst and Durham, followed by a hard-fought 2-1 win against Austin Friars.
Harriet said:
“We kicked off the day with an energetic performance, and excellent way to set the tone.
“Building on our momentum, we then faced Stonyhurst and Durham, with excellent communication and passing through the midfield, we controlled both games, and came away with an impressive 3-0 win and a well-earned 2-1 victory over Durham.
“But going into our final match in the group stage, we faced a tough challenge against a strong Kirkby Stephen side.”
RGS narrowly lost out 2-1 to reach the Plate final.
Harriet added:
“It was a fantastic team effort throughout the tournament, with everyone giving their all in every match.
“A huge thank you to our coach Miss Gilfillan for her support and guidance throughout the day."
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