BASINGSTOKE under-11 district football team produced a season to rememberer as it exceeded all expectations and took home the Junior Team award.

Not only did the team become the first ever Basingstoke District Schools side at any age group to win the Hampshire League, it also became county champions in the ESFA under-11 Danone Nations Cup.

Having finished runners-up in the regional event, the team qualified for the national finals played at the ground of the Premier League’s Stoke City where they reached the final four.

Their coach Steve Calpin said: “We are ecstatic to win this award being the only football representatives here and we are over the moon. We took 100 players whittled them down to a squad and you never know what is going to happen.

“We played against Southampton, Portsmouth and Aldershot which are areas with a much bigger catchment area then ours, so it was great to win the league for the first time ever and then carry on from regionals to nations.

“It really was a season to remember.”

With no under-12 team at schools levels, they have had to start again this season with a new under-11 side with two players of last year’s winning campaign.

They look set to win the league again and are also chasing a double as they hope to win the Hampshire Cup.

Phil Jeffs, secretary of the team added: “When you hold the trials you never know what you are going to get, but defensively we were so strong we only conceded 10 goals in eight games which is unheard of.”