Diggle reach last eight

Left to right: Charlotte Kearney, Isabel Hole, Amelia Shaw, Sam Rixon, Sam Wilson and Danny Laithwaite. Not pictured: Aaron Longley.

DIGGLE Primary School’s pop lacrosse team performed with distinction at the national championships.

One of the four teams to represent the north-west region in the finals at the University of Hertfordshire, they bowed out in the quarter-finals, losing 6-5 against Sandom JMI after taking an early 3-1 lead.

Players and teachers were still delighted with the team’s achievement.

Coached partly by Thomas Jennings, a sport development officer in America who visits local schools on behalf of the Oldham and Werneth club to promote lacrosse, the youngsters boasted a 100-per-cent record in their pool games.

They had wins by 5-4, 6-3 and 7-2 margins to book their place in the knock-out stage.

Sixteen teams from all over England, plus one each from Scotland and Wales took part in the competition.

Diggle qualified for the national championships after finishing runners-up in the area qualifier in March. But they were the only team from the north-west to reach the last eight.