KATHERINE Somerville will attempt to repeat the heroics of Team's GB's Olympic goalkeeper Maddie Hinch after being given the chance to help England win gold at the Under-21s World Cup.

The 19-year-old former Bury Jaguars goalkeeper flew out to Chile with the England squad earlier this week and is expected to be in goal for their opening group game against the hosts today.

The Three Lions face two further tough encounters in Pool C against Australia on Saturday and South Africa on Monday.

However they get on, there will be plenty of supporters back home cheering Somerville's every move.

Viv Makin was her first coach at Bury Jags – the junior arm of Bury Hockey Club – and helped guide her progression from the age of 10.

"Katherine started playing hockey for us as a goalkeeper in our under-11s team and now look at her, playing for England Under-21s," she said.

"It is amazing for a little club like ours, to be able to manage to produce a player capable of reaching international level.

"She is one of those kids where nothing fazes her.

"Katherine was always quiet and unassuming, playing for England has not gone to her head and she deserves all the success and recognition she is now getting."

After finishing her GCSEs at Philips High School in Whitefield, Somerville went on to study at Holy Cross College in Bury before going to the University of Birmingham.

She originally started playing in goal for Radcliffe Girls and then Bury Girls and Ladies' football clubs, before switching sports.

Bury Jags supported and encouraged her development for almost five years before she moved on to top-tier club Brooklands, near Sale, and went on to represent England at every age group from U16s.

Her most recent appearances for the U21s came in a World Cup warm-up tournament in Valencia, Spain, where England played against India and drew 2-2 with Germany.

Makin added: "It would be fantastic if she could go on to replicate the achievement of Maddie Hinch. We had loads of kids come down to the club after what the GB women did, and seeing the amazing saves Maddie made, wanting to be a keeper.

"The gold medal-winning exploits really did us, as a club, a lot of good.

"So heaven knows what the impact would be if one of our own went on to achieve something like that."

If England plot a successful course through their Pool C matches, the knockout stages start with the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

They are followed by the semi-finals on Friday, December 2 and the final on Sunday, December 4.