The girls' hockey players at Kingston Grammar School continue to advance towards national glory on all fronts, writes Nick Bond.
A third team, the U14s, has made it to the national finals, joining the U16s and the U18 indoor side. This is the first time the school has had three girls' teams in the countrywide showpiece.
The U14s won a closely fought round-robin tournament on January 10 against strong opposition.
In their first match, a nervous performance saw them lose 1-0 to Waldegrave School.
The girls bounced back to win a thrilling match against Eastbourne College 3-2 and, with their confidence restored, the team moved up a gear to defeat St Edward's School 2-0 and Bradfield College and Beaconsfield High School 4-0.
In their final match, they needed victory over a very powerful Portsmouth Grammar School side to be sure of winning the tournament.
This was a tense battle, but KGS scraped home by the only goal to take the South of England title and qualify for the national finals on March 2.
The school's head of hockey Denis Buttanshaw said: "The early defeat was a real set-back, but an important wake-up call.
"The girls showed great bouncebackability' and I am very proud of them.
"This looks like being a vintage year for girls' hockey at the school, with three sides in national finals for the first time, and we can't wait to have our go at what would be a unique treble."
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