KELVEDON St Mary’s Primary Academy proved they are sharp shooters after finishing third in the ESFA Danone Nations Cup finals.

They were in great form in the England leg of the world’s biggest football tournament for 10-12 year-olds, staged at the home of Premier League side Stoke City FC.

Andrew Faithfull of Kelvedon St Mary’s said: "We are so proud of our school football team; they have worked ever so hard and had such a successful season.

"The crowning glory has undoubtedly been appearing in the national finals and it was an incredible experience playing in a premier league stadium at Stoke City.

"Reaching the semi-final was a fantastic achievement and it just goes to show how far you can go if you work hard, play as a team and believe in yourself.

"Thank you to tournament organisers, sponsors and to our parents, who supported the team so well."

Kelvedon St Mary’s Primary Academy competed in the Schools’ Cup, at the bet365 Stadium.

They had progressed after triumphing earlier in the year in the county knockout rounds and the resulting SouthEast regional final.

The Kelvedon team began the day looking to start as they meant to go on, securing nine points from a possible nine in the group stage to book their place in the knockout rounds.

They faced Victoria College Preparatory School in the semi-finals, with both teams putting on a fantastic show for the gathered support.

Rhodes Avenue eventually came up short, in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out.

Marie Wendling, PR and events manager at Danone, said: “Congratulations to Kelvedon St Mary’s, who had a sensational tournament.

"They played extremely well throughout the numerous rounds and were worthy semi-finalists.

"The local community really got behind the team and the support paid off.

"I have no doubt that this is not the last we’ll see of team Kelvedon St Mary’s.”

A total of 2.5m children worldwide take part in the competition each year, with 3,000 schools competing in the English leg run by the English Schools’ Football Association.

The Danone Nations Cup is a unique FIFA-approved tournament, which has been given the Government’s ‘Inspired by 2012’ seal of approval.

It is an annual highlight in Danone’s ongoing programme of support for healthy lifestyles through education, fun and fairplay, which includes its ‘Eat Like A Champ’ healthy eating initiative.