BERKSHIRE Under 15 girls have won the South of England County Hockey Championship, beating seven other counties over a period of four weekends to the title.

The side went into Sunday’s final double-header needing to beat both Sussex and Surrey to be crowned champions, and they completed the job with a brace of 3-1 victories.

Head coach Tim Cracknell said: “The squad performed brilliantly, winning six games, drawing one and losing one.

“This is an amazingly talented bunch of young athletes, they work super hard, never moan, have great team spirit and they know winning isn’t easy.

“It has been a real privilege for me, and our assistant coaches Michael Clark and Bill Edgar, to work with the squad to help them realise their potential.”

He continued: “As a small hockey county, Berkshire rarely win these competitions and it takes real will and skill to do so.

“This group of 30 young ladies came together from schools and clubs across Berkshire and proved to everyone who saw them play that they have bucket loads of will and skill.”

The squad will receive their medals at the Berkshire Hockey Association Awards tonight.