LISKEARD School and Community College student and former Caradon Hockey Club player Molly Walsh represented England in The Sainsbury’s 2015 School Games held in Manchester.

Hockey is one of 12 sports played at the Sainsbury’s National School Games. Students compete in an U17 competition, with England, Scotland, Wales and Ulster battling it out. The England side beat Wales 4-1 and Ulster 3-1 in the classification matches to face Scotland in the final, going on to win the gold medal with another convincing 3-1 win.

Molly started playing hockey aged eight, with Caradon, building her experience through the continuously developing junior section of the club. By the age of 13 she was playing senior club hockey and over the next few years progressed from county to regional levels through the England Hockey Single System.

Last year Molly was selected for the National Age Groups (NAGS) Academy where athletes benefit from high-quality technical and tactical coaching led by England Hockey Development Coaches. This involved 15 sessions at the nearest regional centre in Taunton during 2015.

She has also been attending the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) at Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Shropshire.

This is a Government-funded apprenticeship scheme which involves four residential camps designed to measure the athletes ability to plan, apply and evaluate their development in hockey covering a range of modules and leading to NVQ certification. As a result of this dedication, Molly was selected to play for England in the National School Games, bringing home the gold medal.

All this has been done alongside her academic studies at Liskeard School and Community College as well as her part-time jobs as a lifeguard at Lux Park and Looe Bay Holiday Park.