KING’S College Girls’ Hockey 1st XI enjoyed their first success of the new season when they were crowned the champions in the annual Sherborne Invitational Tournament last weekend.

In their pool the King’s team played Sherborne, King Edward Bath and Wellington, winning 2-0, 2-0 and 3-0 respectively – Karis Chambers scoring a hat-trick against Wellington.

In the semi-final they met Canford, which was an exciting game that eventually ended in a draw, meaning penalty strokes were needed.

King’s won this 4-3, with goals from Karis Chambers, Beth Barzotelli, Eliza Chippendale and Abi White, while Elise Johnson Rai pulled off some fantastic saves in goal to secure the victory.

In the final against King Edward Southampton, the King’s girls dug deep and it was their grit and determination that brought a 2-1 win, with both goals coming from captain Beth Barzotelli.

Clare Hayes, King’s director of hockey, said: “This was great start to the season and all the girls contributed to this fantastic performance, with Ellie Clist being awarded player of the tournament for her proactive defending.”

Pictured (above): back row (left to right) - Karis Chambers, Eliza Chippendale, Alice Dymond, Harriet Fox, Anna Barzotelli, Freya Wiessler, Jess White, Olivia Campbell, Eliza Chapple, Lucy Macgillivray, Elise Johnson-Rai; front row - Flora Keeling, Abi White, Ana Richards, Beth Barzotelli (Captain), Phoebe Cooper-Simpson, Ellie Clist, Lucy Buckley.

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OLLIE Drummond, who was awarded the Maddie Hinch Hockey Scholarship to King’s College in Taunton in 2017, has just been appointed captain of the UK Lions Under-14 squad.

The Lions team is selected from those who were involved with the Under-13 Boys UK Festival of Hockey that takes place in Nottingham every June, where 10 teams compete from all over the UK.

For the last three years the King’s youngster, who lives locally and plays his hockey for Taunton Vale, has been selected for and represented the South West team.

This summer Ollie captained the team and was named ’Player of the tournament’.

Ollie is also a part of the England Hockey pathway and entering his third year in the Under-15 Performance Centre.

Director of hockey Clare Hayes said: “This is a great achievement for Ollie, who joined us earlier this year on the Maddie Hinch Scholarship.”

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A YEAR 12 pupil at Queen’s College has been selected for the England Under-18 hockey squad.

Tom Stevenson, 16, was part of the winning Wessex Leopards team at the Futures Cup, and took part in his first training session last weekend.

His brother Ben, who left Queen’s in the summer, is also an England international and recently played for the Under-21 side.