A flooded pitch forced a flagship children’s hockey competition to be abandoned before the finals yesterday.

More than 300 young people in Waltham Forest participated in a “Mini Games” hockey competition at the Peter May Sports Centre in Wadham Road, Walthamstow.

Hosted by the Waltham Forest Hockey Club, the competition, now in its eighth year, saw 42 teams from 29 different primary schools go head-to-head before heavy rain halted the competition before the quarter-finals could be staged.

The competition will be rescheduled for the first week after half-term.