FIVE Bradford Bulldogs players made history when they represented Great Britain Under-16s Ball Hockey team at a European tournament in Czechia.

Harrison Booth, Tyler Hall, Tom Mardell, Jacob Midgley and Daragh Spawforth were part of the GB squad to compete in the Alpa European Cup in Pardubice.

Following a warm-up game against a Czech Under-14 team, the GB youngsters then took on two teams from the host nation at their own age group and one from Slovakia.

It was tough going on each occasion for the GB team, suffering defeats while playing outside in sweltering conditions. But the effort was there until the final buzzer before they were beaten 6-3 by Slovakia the third-fourth place play-off.

Kerhie Harrison, chair of the Bulldogs Ball Hockey Club said everyone was extremely proud of the performances put in by the Bradford players, as well as the whole GB team.

“It was great to see our boys representing their country on the big stage, coming up against some very good teams in very hot conditions in Czechia,” she said.

“All of them put in great performances - Tom Mardell got MVP for one of the games and Jacob Midgley got joint-netminder of the tournament - and they have come home with some wonderful experiences and memories that they can hopefully take into future tournaments with GB.

“Hopefully, some of our younger kids playing ball hockey will look at what these boys have achieved and it can inspire them to follow in their footsteps.”

The Bulldogs are keen to hear from youngsters interested in playing Ball Hockey. They train every other Tuesday at Manningham Sports Centre, Bradford. For more information contact: bulldogsihc@gmail.com