BISHOP of Hereford's Bluecoat School duo Kate Morgan and Harriet Major have retained their places in the England rounders set-up.

The duo, who were selected in this year's under-14 squad, have seen their dedication rewarded with places in the under-15 squad next year.

During the summer, the pair were members of the England squad which beat under-14 and under-15 sides from Wales and Scotland, home and away.

Kate, age 15, also toured the Isle of Man with the England under-14 side and featured in wins against the island under-14 and under-15 sides and against an under-15 boys' team from Castle Rushen High School.

Selection comes at some cost, however, and requires squad members to make considerable efforts to ensure their places.

"Every other Sunday we have to get Harriet out of bed at 6am and travel to Sheffield for a three-hour training session," explained Harriet's father, Philip Major.

"And the trials themselves are very quality and very pressurised with eight hours of concentration to ensure that they do not miss a catch or a ball."

Fourteen-year-old Harriet, who is also a talented 200m runner and javelin thrower, and Kate also had something else to celebrate after demonstrating their versatility by being picked for the Herefordshire under-16 netball squad.

Harriet has also represented the county in swimming and hockey.