Dilly Newton

Former St Bede's Prep and Senior student Dilly Newton is back in the UK bearing gold - having been part of the all-conquering GB U21 Hockey team that took the gold at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney.

Some 1,600 athletes representing 25 nations competed in the event which was set up by the Australian Olympic Committee as part of the legacy of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

The GB team played four matches against Australia, India and USA with 19-year-old Dilly scoring two goals against India from short corners. In the final against Australia the GB team was trailing 1-0 until minutes before the end when they scored an equaliser. Within moments Australia scored again to make it 2-1, then GB equalised with a short corner to take the game into extra-time where GB scored the golden goal.

The team had had two weeks acclimatisation in Australia before the Festival and immediately before Christmas had a training session in Barcelona. The match against the USA was played in a scorching 45 degrees!

Dilly, who lives in Upper Dicker, is in her second year at Bristol University studying Geography.