Former St Ninian’s pupil and long-serving Bacchas player Freya Duchars achieved remarkable success in the UK this week on two levels.

Freya was part of a gold-medal winning England team at the School Games held in Loughborough last weekend.

The event, which has been running for more than a decade, is a tournament set up as part of the 2012 London Olympics legacy drive and features elite junior future superstars in a number of sports.

Before the gold medal had even had a chance to be put in the trophy cabinet, Freya received further news on Monday afternoon that she had been selected for the England under-18s girls training squad.

The achievement is even more notable as Freya was one of 35 selected for the squad from more than 500 players attending two selection events.

Chairman of the Manx hockey development committee Jon Whiting, congratulated Freya on the success and commented that:

’Freya’s success is down to years of hard work and a great attitude to playing the game and a determination to overcome all hurdles put in front of her.’

Whiting also noted that her success, while entirely self-motivated, was also a tribute to those involved in junior coaching at Bacchas and in the island, and the selfless dedication of parents Peter and Elly.