Young badminton players from Neatherd High School in Dereham are celebrating a silver lining to their first year of competitive play.

The Neatherd Key Stage 3 girls represented Norfolk in Badminton England's schools regional finals and came away with silver medals.

After previously winning the county finals, the team consisting of Jasmine, Evie, Katherine, Jess and Abbey, breezed past Cambridgeshire (Comberton School) 5-0 and then beat Bedfordshire (Cedars School) 4-1.

This took them to a tough final against Essex (Chelmsford High School), an exceptional team with two players on the national circuit, one of which is ranked within the top 100 female players in England.

Despite a spirited fight in all of their games, they lost 5-0.

Coach Faye Le Bon said: 'The Neatherd badminton club has only been running since September so this is a great achievement for a fledgling team.'