Year 11 pupil Kitty McWhirter has belied her years after being selected for the England Under-18s hockey team, despite only being 16.

Ipswich High School student Kitty, who is also ranked in the UK top 50 in under-16s girls’ tennis, will play for England in friendly matches against Wales, in Cardiff, which started yesterday and end tomorrow.

The teenager has had to impress at Junior Regional Performance level and at a cluster tournament in which she represented the Bury Tigers.

She then had to attend a three-day HiPac assessment camp before being chosen to be the youngest member of the squad and the only year 11 in the line-up.

“I was really surprised to have been selected this early in the season. I had been given the impression that we would be training towards team representation later this year. I’m now feeling the pressure to perform,” said Kitty, who is joined by Ipswich School lower sixth form pupil, Lowri Davies.

“I was really shocked to be picked, so I have now got to score some goals and prove myself so that I will be selected for future matches.” PE Teacher at the school, Sandie Lister, an Olympic bronze medalist in hockey added: “This is such a fantastic, well-deserved achievement for Kitty.

“It is made even more incredible by the fact that she still has two years left to play in this particular age group.

“Kitty has an outstanding natural goal-scoring ability and a talent like hers is very rare to find.

“We wish her the best of luck in her first international.”