Aiming High! Two Ellesmere students trial for England Hockey

Millie Forster and Harry Lloyd-Brown, both in Year 12 at Ellesmere College, have been selected to trial for England Hockey and will attend the England National Age Group camps over half-term next week.

The pair joined Ellesmere College for the High Performance Hockey Programme which has produced Commonwealth Games and England international hockey players.

It means Harry and Millie are among the young players at the college benefiting from working with nationally renowned hockey coach Simon Taylor, the school's High Performance Hockey Coach, who has a great deal of experience coaching juniors and senior club teams.

Millie said: "It's a great feeling to be selected for the England trial and I will be giving it everything. It's a wonderful opportunity in an excellent programme aimed at helping young players develop. I represented my county at under 14 level and was then chosen to move into the England Hockey Player Pathway programme at the regional Performance Centre. I played there for two years. At club level, I started at Deeside Ramblers, in Tarporley, where I played in the ladies first team at 13 and then moved to Bowden Hockey club for the 2019/20 season. I played predominently for the ladies second team, gaining promotion to the premier division. I also had one appearance for the first team while they were in the Investec National league. Going forward, I am aiming to go to a Division 1 university in America on a field hockey scholarship."

Goalkeeper Harry, who has played for his Chester club's first and second teams, said: "I was selected for the trial after working hard at the Performance Centre throughout the year, at my school and in club hockey. It was both Mr Taylor and my club goalkeeper coach who put me forward for the trials and I am really delighted to have been selected. I've been working hard over the past two years at Manchester Performance Centre, at club and school to be as good as I possibly can and it means a lot to me to be chosen for England trials. The next step for me is to be successful at the trials and further my progress through the England Player Pathway programme. I would like to thank the Ellesmere coaches, especially Mr Taylor, for continuing to push and motivate me to be the best goalkeeper."

The pair are also members of England Hockey's Player Pathway programme aimed at developing young talent.

Simon Taylor at Ellesmere College added: "Millie and Harry have worked hard and fully deserve to be selected for the trials. It is a great opportunity for them, will be a wonderful experience, and another step in learning and developing their talents as hockey players."

For more information visit: Ellesmere College Sport

Main image (l-r): Harry Lloyd-Brown, Simon Taylor, Millie Forster

22nd October 2020  Back to News