HOCKEY players in Richmond are celebrating after winning a national title for the first time.

The mixed side at Richmond School has won the National Sixth Form Hockey Championships after a tense final.

The 14-strong team of sixth form boys and girls travelled to Bedford to compete in the competition.

Team manager and head of PE at Richmond School, Chris Thomson said: "The semi-final was a tough contest against last year's winners, Peter Symonds Sixth Form College. But this did not faze our dynamic team who, through effort, determination and sheer brilliance, won through."

Then in a nail-biting final against Shrewsbury, Richmond battled it out to become worthy champions, securing a 6-2 victory.

The triumphant team was lead by Captain Matthew Hodgson, 19, from Aldbrough-St-John.

He said: "The whole day was really exciting.

It was a hard day and we had to fight during the final because the scoring was so close, but it was a good game."

The winning team was awarded the trophy cup as a proud reminder of their achievements.

Mrs Thomson said: "Gaining recognition as national champions demonstrates the skill and talent of players being developed in the local area. The whole team worked extremely hard to claim this title. They utilised every team member and are just a great set of characters."

Richmond school runs hockey teams for all ages and has been successful at a regional level by winning county cups and at a national level when the boys won the national sixth form hockey championships in December.

"Adding another national championship win to the list can only inspire players to look forward to continuing their success in further competitions this year," Mrs Thomson said.