BERKSHIRE Under 17 Girls are the new South County Champions.

They rose to the top of the pile after a memorable unbeaten season on the pitch.

The girls began the campaign with some impressive performances against Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Sussex, Surrey and Middlesex.

That meant if they could avoid defeat in their final two games against Kent and Oxfordshire they would be crowned champions

The end-of-season finale took place at Oxford University Sports Complex recently.

The pressure was on Tim Cracknell’s Berkshire team, but they rose to the challenge in style.

The opened with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Kent which proved to be enough to guarantee top spot.

Berks then showed the true grit that had taken them to the title by coming from behind and beat Oxfordshire 2-1 in their final fixture, sparking wild celebrations.

In many ways it was victory against the odds for Berks who boast only a handful of affiliated hockey clubs compared to other counties like Surrey, who have 50 clubs.

Head coach Cracknell beamed: “This is amazing achievement. Berkshire is a small hockey county with only eight affiliated clubs.

“This group of girls came together and formed a squad that refuses to be beaten. Their talent, desire, character and team spirit is awesome. I could not have been more proud of them all.”