Ely & Chesterton United earn key value accolade at Eurockey Cup Fem15

Ely & Chesterton United exceeded expectations at the Eurockey Cup Fem15 in Spain.

The team of eight girls, aged between 12 and 14, took part in the European rink hockey competition in Lloret de Mar, Catalonia, which was aimed at promoting the values of friendship, respect and passion.

ECU were represented by Dottie Thorogood, Sarah Figredo, Scarlett Courtenay-Barrow, Izzy Jansen-Bhatti, Gemma Cannizzo, Emily Bolt, Nancy Rutty and Lily Rose Chandler, and earned a win and a draw, but were beaten by the top Spanish teams, as they scored nine goals in five matches to finish fifth overall.

Captain Bolt said: “It was a great opportunity for our team to improve, as we played against teams from other countries.

“Hopefully next year we will get another chance and maybe even get in the top three.

“We made many friends in the few days we were there.

“It was nice to hear that everyone else was enjoying the games as much as we were.”

But ECU also won the award for Passion, which was one of Eurockey’s key values, along with Friendship and Respect.

Luis Gomes, ECU’s head coach, said: “Eurockey Fem15 was an amazing experience.

“We had a very good tournament, we were competitive against the best top teams in Spain, we just lost 1-0 against the vice-champion of the tournament.

“We managed to collect four points in total by drawing against a strong Italian team, Pink Hockey Cornedo, and winning against the Spanish team of Vila-Sana.

“In general, a very positive performance for this group of girls, crowned with the Passion award.

“Outside the rink, in the short free time we had, the girls behaved very well and professionally, following all the rules implemented by the management team.

“It was a great opportunity to meet other people and other teams from across Europe, memories that will remain with us forever.

“This competition showed us that we are working in the right direction. We are already planning other trips abroad to give these girls more competitive hockey.

“Unfortunately we need to look elsewhere for more games and more experienced teams.”

ECU hope to participate in Eurockey competitions in the future with both mixed and female-only teams to promote the core values of the tournaments and to provide an opportunity for its players to experience the sport at the highest level.

The competition is an initiative of Eurockey.com and supported by the CERH, the Royal Spanish Roller Skating Federation and the Catalonia Roller Skating Federation.