Two Hurstpierpoint College pupils have earned selection for the Under-18 ladies schools football team.
Grace Couchman and Lucy Kings travelled to Reading last Sunday for one of the regular training sessions undertaken by the elite squad and by the close, both had been invited to join the Independent Schools Football Association’s England team for their international against the Australian girls schools’ team this Saturday.
Hurst’s head of sports science and PE Alex Battison, who is the girls’ football coach, said.”Both girls were picked because they combine outstanding talent with the core skills required to compete at a very high level indeed.”
Grace and Lucy admit they are quite nervous but also very excited and proud.
Grace, who is the goal keeper, is described by Lucy as ‘athletic’ and courageous, very good at stopping the ball’ whilst Grace believes her friend’s greatest strength is that she is ‘simply terrific at tackling, quite fearless’.
Under Mr Battison’s guidance, Hurst College have been awarded National Development Centre status for the Independent Schools Football Association for Girls and will host the national girls six-a-side tournament in October. Hurst have been runners up in this for the last two years.
Sussex County FA were given permission to promote the newspaper article dated Thursday 28th January on their website by The Mid Sussex Tines newspaper.