TWO young hockey players made their international debuts for Wales in a three-match showdown with Scotland in Glasgow.

Monmouth School for Girls pupils Mari Paulson and Elin Leppard featured proudly in all three games for Hockey Wales U16s.

Midfielder Mari and goalkeeper Elin helped Wales to 0-0 and 2-2 draws against the Scots team in the opening two matches before the visitors missed out narrowly 2-1 in the final fixture.

The Wales team put in three strong performances that were a big improvement on last autumn’s displays with a similar team iplaying for the Celtic Jaguars n the Futures Cup in St Albans.

The experience was invaluable for Elin, who came on for a half in each game, and for Mari who put in a lot of hard work during the training camps and over the winter months.

Mari, who lives in Monmouth, was a regular member of the Gwent team before switching to Cardiff and Met.

Training will continue for both girls over the next couple of months with the U16 squad vying for places to represent Wales, and playing as the Celtic Jaguars in the Futures Cup in August.