PRESTBURY hockey ace Sara-Jo Coakley was the toast of Sheffield after starring for Nottingham University as they collected the prestigious British Universities Sports Association cup.
The England under-21 star dominated the midfield battle at the first ever British University Championships as Nottingham saw off Birmingham’s challenge, 2-1, at Sheffield’s Abbeydale Sports Club.
The 20-year-old geography and business student, who plays club hockey for Bowdon Hightown, now has her eyes firmly focused on England and the international stage after her BUC success.
"It was absolutely awesome to win, especially as it was an impressive team performance," said Coakley (pictured fifth from right on back row) .
"I’m in the England junior teams and have played under-16 and under-18 before. I’ve not even thought about stepping up at all before now but I guess that’s a natural progression.
"I haven’t really thought about what happens now - I’m going to enjoy the win for the time being. I’ll play to the end of the season for my club and then we’ll see.
"It’s a really good feeling to win. It was a close game and we knew we had to play well if we wanted to win."
Loughborough and Birmingham had been expected to land the top prize in Sheffield but Coakley was not surprised that coach Nigel Taylor’s team upset the odds.
"We’ve beaten them in two league games before the final in Sheffield so we maybe had a psychological advantage over them," she added.
"Birmingham and Loughborough are usually the best teams here so it’s nice that Nottingham have picked up a trophy against all odds."
Yorkshire Forward, the region’s development agency, and Sheffield City Council’s Major Sports Events Unit has attracted the championships to the city, with faces of the 2012 Olympics set to pass through its doors.
