Sudbury Hockey Club have secured a place in the East of England Under-14 Girls’ final.

A 1-1 draw was enough as the west Suffolk team progressed to the final for the first time, at Ipswich’s Tuddenham Road ground.

Chloe Redgrove put Sudbury ahead, much to the delight of the travelling hoardes that had come to support them, the centre pivoting and deflecting Katie Crace’s waist-height ball into the corner of the net.

The second half was end-to-end but, with Joise Partridge doing well in attack for the visitors – holding the ball up and relieving the pressure – it came as a bit of a surprise when Ipswich levelled.

The ball ricocheted around the top of the circle before eluding several Sudbury sticks to be swept into the corner past Daisy Gemmel.

Ipswich redoubled their efforts and won another Penalty Corner pushing the tension ever higher. Again Sudbury stood firm, Bex Taylor and captain Molly Redgrove rock solid in the Sudbury defence.

Again and again Sudbury broke upfield with Wright particularly effective, smashing cross after cross into the Ipswich area, but they just couldn’t get the goal that would have ensured the win.

Sudbury progress to the East of England finals on April 6, following their triumph in the Euroluc tournament in Lille last November, and are working hard to become the club’s most successful ever junior team.