Ben Rhydding’s Sam French and Harrogate Hockey Club’s David Swarbrick were desperately unlucky not to return from Hanover, Germany as Under-16 Four Nations Hockey Tournament champions.

Between them, the two Yorkshire lads scored in every match, with Swarbrick netting a brilliant goal on his international debut when he turned in a waist-high cross against the Germans in a game which England probably deserved to win but unfortunately lost 3-2.

Against the Dutch in the next match, a superb individual run by French turned the match as he rifled an unstoppable shot past the keeper to put England in control.

They went on to lead 4-1 before a nervous last few minutes in which the Dutch clawed the margin back to 4-3.

Needing a draw against the Spanish, whose individual skills were impressive, it was French again who turned the tables with another powerful run and a one-two at the top of the circle before converting to put England ahead.

The final score of 3-1 put them through to the final against old adversaries Germany.

With both French and Swarbrick, whose dynamic running was both tireless and impressive, prominent for the English side, a win looked on the cards.

French was involved in all three goals, the first being a clever drag-flick move which was deflected in, the second a diagonal pass across the circle by French for one of his forwards to deflect home and the third a scrappy short corner which fell to French, who made no mistake and put England 3-2 up with ten minutes to go.

A brilliant run and cross by Swarbrick a minute later almost led to French comverting what would surely have been the winner but, with England seeing one of their defenders hospitalised with a terrible facial injury, the English defence lost concentration on a couple of occ-asions to let the German side in on victory by 4-3.

It was a magnificent final and one from which both the Yorkshire lads could come away from with their heads held high as they were a credit to both their clubs and their country.