David Ames, vice-captain of England and Great Britain’s hockey teams, was at Windermere School recently to put the pupils through their paces.

Ames was in the England team which finished fourth in the 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup and, more recently, played in both play-off legs as Great Britain qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Head of PE Dan Reid said; “We’re absolutely delighted that David could come up to Windermere School to work with the students. We had originally pencilled in a day in September, but due to Great Britain’s Olympic Qualifiers commitments, we were unable to find a suitable date.

"However, despite his exceptionally busy year in which he has played in every international fixture, he’s taken time out from his hectic schedule and delivered a coaching masterclass to our students.”

During the coaching session on the school’s all-weather pitch – a new addition to the school since his last visit – Ames worked with the students to develop their skills in a variety of areas, primarily focused on hitting and goal scoring.

Many of the students commented on how much they had enjoyed the coaching session and how they felt their confidence had grown as a result.

Reid said: “David has always said what a pleasure it is to come up here and how attentive and hard-working our students are, and this visit was no different.

"We are incredibly lucky to have David visit us so regularly – this was his fifth visit to the school – particularly as he has such a busy schedule."