AN elite hockey player is to cross sticks with the best in the country after being selected to train with England.
Richmond School and Sixth Form College student Bea Bell has been invited to train with the U16 national squad at its development centre at Lilleshall, Shropshire.
The 16-year-old Year 11 student, of Ellerton, has also secured a prestigious scholarship at Repton School, in Derby, which has produced many of the current England hockey squad.
Bea is already training for the hockey Six Nations, due to be staged in August, and camps in Belgium and Holland.
Following in the footsteps of her mum, who played for Yorkshire, she began playing competitively aged ten.
A first team midfielder with the recently promoted Thirsk Hockey Club, she also trains with the Performance Centre in Doncaster and dreams one day of playing for England at the Olympics.
“Training with the England squad is fantastic but it is still important to remember to enjoy playing,” she said.
“I was truly inspired by England winning gold at Rio and enjoy playing in the North Women’s League, which is to a very high standard.
“I would love to stay at Richmond Sixth Form but have been offered a scholarship at Repton. Its head coach Martin Jones played for England and has four former students in the current squad, so I am considering it carefully.”
Richmond School and Sixth Form College’s head of sport Tony Potter said: “We would be sorry to lose Bea but Repton is an incredible opportunity.
“She shows such strength and leadership on the pitch and is exceptionally strong on the ball. She certainly deserves her place in the England training squad and we are very proud of her achievements.”