A SCHOOL is celebrating after having three pupils picked to play for the North of England hockey team.

The selection of goalkeepers Luke Brownlee, 14, and Marianne Morrice, 13, and midfielder Harry Goodall, 14, have helped cement Thirsk School and Sixth Form College's reputation in the sport, following a string of successes in recent years.

John Wharton, the school's head of PE, said the pupils had stood out in trials by displaying their total commitment and willingness to devote a lot of time to practise.

He said as Harry and Luke are both in the first year of GCSEs, it required a lot of dedication to manage playing sport at such a high level, alongside the demands of studying.

Trevor Bosomworth, a coach at Thirsk Hockey Club, for whom the pupils also play, said the trio were part of a talented group of players, and that there were several others who had narrowly missed out on selection.

He said: "It's phenomenal that there are three pupils from one school in the North of England team - no other school can boast that.

"The fact that there are talented players and strong competition breeds more good players.

"For the last five or six years we have had teams winning the Yorkshire League, and that's remarkable for a small place like Thirsk when you're up against places as a big as Sheffield and Hull."