Carrigill hails British team's bronze medal at European Championships

The British women travelled to the championships in Tenerife in confident mood and aiming for gold but were denied a place in the final by defeat to the Netherlands in the last four.

However, they put the disappointment behind them to claim a 68-37 victory over France in the bronze medal match last Friday.

It was the sixth time the British women have faced the French squad in a bronze medal game at a European Championships and they dominated from the start.

They won all four quarters with an aggressive offensive game and key players Amy Conroy and co-captain Helen Freeman, who netted 27 points, led the way as the top points scorers.

The British team had battled out a hard fought win over the French women at the start of the tournament, narrowly claiming the pool stage win by just four points.

But they grew in confidence during the competition, celebrating a fine pool stage win over Spain and dominating the first half of their semi-final clash with the Netherlands.

After the victory over France, former Wakefield Girls High School student Carrigill tweeted: “Bringing home bronze! Not the result we wanted but still a great achievement.”

Team coach Miles Thompson was also proud of the British team, saying: “The game we played against France was the game we were searching for this tournament. We separated early and we stayed separated through consistent defence.”