The Ashtonfield school had three girl and three boy representatives in NSWCIS’ two squads, made up of 14 players, at the national carnival last month.

HVGS sports co-ordinator Tony Burgess said a concerted push towards the sport was paying dividends, with six teams from the school also nominating to play outside of the school curriculum in the Wallsend summer competition.

Several of the players also turn out in other social competitions together and have done so for years.

Burgess said it was a good achievement for the school to boast almost a quarter of representation in the CIS teams and the school’s strong history in the sport continued to flourish.

Teams travelled from as far as Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia for the national 18s event, which was billed as a truly national stage for budding players.

The championships provided the opportunity for players from some of Australia’s emerging states in the sport to experience a high level of competition.

HVGS players Katerina van Kamp, Kathleen Maier and Xannie Hewson tasted victory with the NSWCIS girls team against the Northern Territory (9-4), Sydney Rebels (6-3), Sydney Mets (7-6) and Hunter Hornets (5-4), which saw the team play off in the shield final against Sunshine Coast.

(For more details see today's Maitland Mercury.)