SUPPORTERS of the Borehamwood Crusaders roller blade hockey team are celebrating after their team won the national championship at the weekend.

The team had a nail-biting final against the Hailsham Hornets which ended with an extra time penalty shoot-out.

The Crusaders have now won a place in the European club championships in Givisiez, Switzerland in March next year.

Michelle Spight, 21, of Northfield Road, Borehamwood, a member of the team’s supporters group, has been following the team since she was a year old.

She said: “My brother was in the team at first and I haven’t missed a national championship since I was a baby.

“The team’s done so well and after having a tough few years they’ve come through and really shown how good they are.”

The roller blade hockey team beat off 12 other clubs from around the country in a weekend tournament in Bisley, Surrey, to become champions for the first time in five years.

Team captain Steven Dickinson said: “It’s a brilliant result and when you’ve put so much work in, it makes it that much better.”

The team, which trains in Hatfield, was established in 1992 by a few friends attending the same year at Hertswood School.

One of the founding players, Neil McMahon, 33, who no longer plays, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic and it shows how far the club has come.

“Most of the team members have grown up together and it’s grown into something inclusive for kids and anyone who wants to take part. There’s a real sense of family with the club.”