More hockey success for Coopers pupils

Hockey squad heading to finals

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Coopers Company & Coborn School’s under-18 girls booked their place at the National Schools Championship finals with a 4-0 win at Oundle yesterday.

The scoreline remained blank in a hard-fought first half, with Coopers just about in the ascendancy.

A physical Oundle side received a couple of cards before the interval, but the second half was only two minutes old when Emily Defroand fired home from a short corner to break the deadlock.

Coopers doubled their lead soon after as Adele Sammons crossed from the right and Lucy Taylor smashed home a shot from close to the penalty spot.

And another move on the right side saw Defroand and Annie Milroy combine to good effect for Megan Miller to make it 3-0.

Defroand sealed victory with a run in from the 25, ensuring a happy trip back to Upminster, and teacher Helen Biscoe said: “The girls were really up for it.

“The first half was really tight, but we had a big team talk at half-time and Emily went ballistic when she scored the first goal.

“It will be the last competitive hockey action with the school for a lot of the girls and it means the world to them to be there.”

Coopers will now face Millfield (West), Kingston (South) and Kirkham (North) in their four-team group at Cannock next month (March 1-2).

Defroand has made it through to the final England under-18 training squad after trials at Lilleshall and Bisham Abbey.

England play Wales in Cardiff later this month before an 18-strong squad is picked for the Easter Four Nations in Hannover, Germany.