A DARLINGTON school has beaten teams from across the Tees Valley to win a coveted title.

Mowden Junior School won the Darlington High 5 Netball Competition before the Easter holidays after finishing runners-up in the competition for the last two years.

The success meant the team qualified for the Tess Valley version of the competition, held at Eston Leisure Centre, last Thursday.

The school played against others from across Teesside.

After all the games had been played, Mowden finished joint top but won overall based on the number of goals the team had scored.

It is the first time a school from Darlington has won the tournament.

Staff member Siobhan Greenwell, who helps run the netball team and who attended with the children, said: "The children played brilliantly and really deserved to win. It's great winning trophies after finishing runners up for so many years.

"They represented their school superbly and we're very proud of them."

Alistair Johnson, deputy headteacher of the Federation of Mowden Schools, said: "We'd like to thank our netball coach, Sarah Lough, who for several years has given up her own time to run netball after school at Mowden.

"Thanks to her expertise, the children have developed some excellent skills and a fantastic understanding of the game.

"Also, none of it would be possible without the School Sports Partnership scheme in Darlington. Without the sports development team, competitions like this wouldn't take place; it's great that they do because the children love representing their school. I'm sure it's something they'll talk about for years to come."