A SCHOOLGIRL hockey player has won an international call-up.

Emily Hardwick, 16, from Chester, has earned a place on the Wales development squad.

Goalkeeper Emily, a sixth former at Howells School, Denbigh, has played for Wales Schools and has been part of the North Wales squad for the past two years.

Last season she helped Ruthin Ladies win the Welsh Cup – they beat Welshpool 3-0 in the final – and she also plays for Denbigh Ladies and, occasionally, in goal for the Denbigh men’s team as well as for her school.

Emily has been involved with the Welsh Hockey Development Centre for the past three years and trains regularly with them at Wrexham.

She said: “I like the idea of always being able to do something, having lots of different skills and having the necessary fitness to use them.”

All-rounder Emily also coaches and helps out with Denbigh Hockey Club’s youth team who are aged from eight to 14.

She plays netball for Denbigh Ladies and is also a promising athlete and has competed at North Wales level at shot put, discus, javelin and 100 metres and as a heptathlete for Richmond and Zetland Harriers in Yorkshire where her mum is with the Army, based at Catterick.

Emily is studying biology, chemistry, physics and PE at A-level and hopes to do a paramedic degree course at Liverpool John Moores’ University.