HOCKEY hotbeds Newbarns and Yarlside once again showed their talents with victory in area finals.

The schools – who represented Furness at the Cumbria School Games this summer – were back on top form on the 3G pitch at Furness College.

Each won through the Furness Academy Quickstick Hockey cluster finals on a chilled afternoon.

Against teams from 10 other Barrow schools, Yarlside qualified two teams and Newbarns one for the Furness area finals in Ulverston.

They joined South Walney Juniors and Holy Family, who won through the Walney and Catholic schools Year 3/4 cluster events on a busy day of action.

A total of 31 teams and 186 pupils competed over the three events, with sides taking part in group stages and elimination matches to determine the victors.

South Walney and Vickerstown each had two sides in the Walney event, while Holy Family, St Pius X, Sacred Heart and St Columba's were involved in the Catholic schools tournament.

The Furness Academy competition featured Yarlside, Newbarns, Barrow Island, Roose, Dane Ghyll, Greengate Juniors, Ormsgill, Victoria Academy, St George's, Chetwynde, St Paul's and St James schools

Games were played in three four-minute periods, with four players from the six-strong squads on the pitch at any one time and rotated on and off the field at the end of each segment of play, overseen by students from Furness College and Ulverston Hockey Club's Chris Regan.

Five pitches were in action at any one time for the Academy cluster competition, with parents and grandparents watching intently from behind the caged walls of the 3G pitch as their children gave their all.

While the spectators were wrapped up well in jumpers, scarves and jackets, players watching their schoolmates or waiting for their side to be called into action were bouncing on their feet, rubbing their hands together or shoving them in their pockets in order to keep warm.

There were no such issues on the field, with the youngsters dashing from one end of the 30m pitch to the other in flashes of vibrant colour, the yellows of Yarlside, greens of Greengate and black and white stripes of Newbarns coming together in a rainbow of action.

In the cold, still afternoon, the sound of sticks clashing as children battled it out for control of the ball cracked through the air, while excited calls to team-mates echoed out.

No quarter was given as players flung themselves to stop balls from crossing the line into and chased down opponents who were homing in on goal.

After coming through four-strong groups, Newbarns and Yarlside emerged as the best teams in the Academy event to advance to the next stage.

They will battle it out for the Furness crown – and the right to represent the borough at the Cumbria School Games in July – at Ulverston Leisure Centre on November 19.

They will be joined by two teams from each of the Dowdales and Ulverston Victoria High School clusters.