Bancroft’s School’s Under-18 hockey team have reached the national finals after winning the east regional finals of the national schools competition at Redbridge Sports Centre last week.

Bancroft’s saw off both Sevenoaks and Parmiter’s Schools with a 3-0 victory over the former, courtesy of a Grace O’Malley-Kumar hat-trick and a much closer affair in the latter in which a solitary strike, again from O’Malley-Kumar, proved to be the difference.

The two victories were enough to see the girls progress to the national finals, but they had their eyes on a clean sweep, with Cranbrook School their final opposition of the day.

O’Malley-Kumar’s fifth goal of the tournament and a further strike from vice-captain Eleanor Channer separated the two sides and gave the Bancroft’s girls a perfect record at the competition.

Bancroft’s coach Jo Fryer-Green praised the efforts of her triumphant team after the tournament.

She said: “This is a fantastic achievement from a very committed and hardworking squad. They have shown incredible focus so far.”