Laura was hoping for England call-up

Southmoor pupil Laura Hughes was over the moon after she was on the verge of a call-up for England international hockey duty.

Laura, 15, who played for Chester-le-Street Broom in 1995, was one of the country’s top 25 players at the under-16 level.

Laura’s rise to prominence came on the back of Sunderland’s successful hockey development programme.

She had received special coaching from the scheme ever since she was a nine-year-old.