TWO Alderley Edge Hockey Club girls' teams rounded off successful seasons with national final appearances at the weekend.

The under 14s earned the privilege of playing at the Olympic Stadium at Lee Valley in London, finishing fifth after beating Clifton Robinsons 3-0 and Southgate 1-0 in their pool games but narrowly losing to eventual title winners Surbiton 1-0.

As the highest placed northern team, they headed back to Cheshire having done themselves and the club proud.

The under 14s B team hosted the Tier 2 North Finals and emerged as champions, having been undefeated all season.

Already crowned North champions, the under 12s took part in the In2Hockey national finals at Beeston in Nottinghamshire. They came away with their heads held high, with draws against Teddington and Yeovil & Sherborne plus losses against the hosts and last year’s champions Sevenoaks.

With just eight teams qualifying for the finals, it was a fantastic achievement for the Edge teams given that opposition comprised some of the country’s most prominent clubs, many of whose senior teams play in the English Premier League.

Meanwhile, the men's over 40s produced a Herculean effort in the masters national finals at Lee Valley against Premier League opposition, Canterbury.

Edge held them to a 3-3 scoreline at the end of full time, only to lose out 13-12 after penalty shuffles.

All teams now go into a summer break before hopefully returning even stronger to capitalise on this year’s results which have seen what is essentially a village club increasingly becoming a force to be reckoned with at national level.