Bolton School’s Under-15 girls’ water polo team have become national champions for the first time.

Playing some outstanding water polo at the final in Northampton, the girls breezed through the morning’s group stage.

The semi-finals were more of a challenge but the squad rose to the occasion, overcoming Colfe’s School comfortably.

The final proved a tougher affair, with the opposition, Notting Hill and Ealing, scoring a very late goal to make the final score 6-6 at full time.

The resulting penalty shootout was a tense affair. England international, Amelia Crompton, was super-confident ahead of her penalty and she buried it emphatically in the top left-hand corner.

By the end of the shootout, the teams were still evenly-matched and the tension was ratcheted up a notch higher as the contest moved to sudden death.

Lucy Blenkinship, another England international, bravely took on the role of goalkeeper and saved eight penalties in a row, enabling the Bolton girls to become national champions.

Coach Mr Teasdale said: ‘It is an astonishing achievement.

“Five years ago, girls were not playing water polo at Bolton School, so to become national champions in such a short space of time is incredible.”

The U18s and U13s girls’ teams are also going well this year, having been successful in their qualifying rounds for the English Schools’ national finals.

The U18s play their final next week and the U13s, who have been national champions before, compete in May.