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PUTTING the hard yards in: Ashton teenager Rachel Hardy
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Hardy performances
2/ 7/2008
ONE local teenager has made her mark in the world of sport with success on the hockey field.
Seventeen-year-old Ashton schoolgirl Rachel Hardy has been chosen for the North of England’s under-21s hockey team, while she will also join her Manchester High School for Girls team for a three-week tour of South Africa, starting on July 18.
Rachel, who skippers the school’s first team, made her debut for the North of England team when they played three matches against Scotland, yielding a 3-0 victory, a 2-2 draw and a 4-1 defeat.
Having done that, Rachel and her schoolmates – including Denton student Tara Wood and fellow Tameside player Jess Pates – then got on their bikes to raise money for the South Africa trip.
The girls had to raise over £3,000 in order for them to be able to make the 5,000-mile journey. With that in mind, Rachel organised a 100-mile ‘bike pedalling’ event for her and three colleagues. That, allied to cake stalls, a quiz night, tombola and a ‘guess the leopard’s name’ competition, has seen the girls inch towards their target.
Rachel admitted that the bike event proved tough going, but hoped the efforts would be worth it.
She said: "We did 100 minutes each. It was a lot of hard work and we did really feel it the next day, but it was worth it. I’ll probably never get the chance to go to South Africa again and I am really looking forward to it."
The three-week stay will see 22 girls visit local schools, the Mabula game reserve, Robben Island, and a traditional village that offers them the chance to experience rural Afican life.
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