ASPIRING athletes are celebrating after a series of prestigious county call-ups.
In total, 54 pupils from Barnard Castle School have been selected to play for County Durham in age groups ranging from U12s to U17, with a further two students, Abigail Crowther and Alfie Weber, being selected for the County’s Talent Academy.
Three of the pupils selected for the U12 side, Abigail Marley, Caitlyn McClean and Sasha Patterson, all compete in the U11 age category, making their inclusions all the more impressive.
This figure already eclipses last year’s total of 46 students representing the County from Barney.
Barnard Castle School’s director of sport Rachael Masterman said: “Sport at Barney continues to thrive as pupils benefit from a comprehensive co-curricular programme complemented by regular games lessons each week which they enjoy.
“It is in these environments where our athletes have access to excellent coaching delivered by our sports staff, many of whom are former professionals across a breadth of sports. We often find that many of our pupils excel in multiple sports as a direct result of the opportunities available to them.
“I am delighted for all our athletes selected for County, who display the right attitude, resilience and determination on a daily basis, and I look forward to following their progress and development.”