Chloe Joarder of Old Loughts and Bancroft's made her England debut over Easter, captaining the side in two games against the Netherlands

Joarder, 15, who is a year 11 pupil and plays for the school's first team, captained England Ladies' Under-16s in two matches against the Netherlands during the Easter weekend.

A member at Old Loughtonians hockey club where she plays for the Ladies' second XI, Joarder said of her call-up: "When I found out I had been selected for England, I felt a great sense of pride in that I had achieved something I always hoped I could; all of my hard work, training, dedication and the many hours on cold, wet and windy hockey pitches had been worth it.

"I’ve always aspired to represent my country in the sport I love, but never once thought that I would also captain my team. When the coach told me the news, I was shocked; it was the proudest day of my life to lead out England."

The games were held at the National Sports Centre in Lilleshall where England fell to two defeats against a strong Dutch side, losing 9-0 on Good Friday and 5-0 on Bank Holiday Monday.

Jo Fryer-Green, head of girls' hockey at Bancroft's said: "Chloe’s recent appointment as captain of the England Under-16 Hockey team is thoroughly deserved. She is an extremely talented and committed player who is a great ambassador to young players. We are very proud of her."

Another Bancroft's and Old Loughts player, Tirion Prole, was also in international action over Easter, representing Wales Under-16's boys in three international fixtures against Switzerland.