YOUNG sportswomen have netted a place in their school's history books by winning a place in a national final.

The under-14 netball team from Ripon Grammar School already have the honour of being the first squad to make it through the area, county and regional rounds of the competition as either winners or runners-up.

Now they, along with Leeds Grammar School, will represent Yorkshire in the national finals at Ellesmere Port on March 14.

Tense tournaments that started in September saw the girls first qualify for the county competition as runners-up by one goal to Harrogate Ladies College in the Harrogate and Craven area round.

They went on to win the county round, which took them to the regional finals as the top team in North Yorkshire.

To mark the occasion, Ripon Grammar School Parents' Association bought the girls new netball dresses and shorts for the tournament at Rotherham, in which they came second to Leeds with the top two teams going through to the national finals.

The team comprises: Molly Reed, 14, of Ripon; Katie Reed, 12, of Ripon; Emily Reed, 14, of Ripon; Amy Mackenzie, 14, of Ripon; Lucy Williams, 14, of Wetherby; Sophie Richardson, 14, of Hutton Conyers; Amelia Borchard, 14, of Ripon; and captain Jessica Merrin, 13, of Kirkby Malzeard.