A REMARKABLE week for The Elms U11 girls hockey team saw them secure two notable tournament victories.

The first was on the grass pitches of Pinewood School, where they defeated The Dragon School, Oxford 2-0 in a hard fought final.

This was followed last weekend with success at the 12th Annual Clifton College Tournament with an impressive field of 24 school, amongst them Millfield, Dean Close and Clifton themselves.

The girls adapted their grass pitch skills to the faster astroturf surface and recorded group victories over St Edwards 2-0, St John's 3-1, Chelten-ham College 3-1, The Oratory 3-0 plus a 0-0 draw against The Downs, Wraxall. With the top three teams in each group going through to the cup competition and the rest into the plate, a 3-0 victory over St Aubyn's was followed by a 0-0 draw with Monkton Combe. This led to a tense sudden death penalty shoot out, with Susannah Hunt scoring the all important goal and goal keeper Annabel Gething-Lewis saving five shots.

The semi-finals again brought the challenge of tournament holders, The Downs, Wraxall but this time with a great show of skill and fitness a 4-1 victory ensued. Ella Cripwell and Lulu Bailey controlled things at the back, while twin sister Mima Bailey linked play well in midfield, captain and top scorer Isabella Cardy also netted a memorable hat-trick.

In the final the girls played Taunton and with the game looking to go into extra time, Flora Paterson, who ran tirelessly all day, deservedly secured a 1-0 victory in the final seconds of normal time.

Elms director of sport Mark Cox said: "This has been a fantastic achievement beyond our expectations. They are a great bunch of girls who work so had and enthusiastically for each other and fully deserve the success the have achieved."