THE King’s College hockey, netball and rugby teams from Taunton expanded their sporting horizons with tours to Barbados and South Africa.

A total of 24 hockey and netball players aged from 16 to 18 toured Barbardos to test their play against opposition from another country and develop the younger players in the squad.

All five of the hockey games were won, with 16 goals scored and none conceded all week.

While the main focus of this trip was to sharpen the players’ hockey and netball skills, there was also some time for rest and recreation.

The girls, sponsored by the Navy, visited many parts of the island to experience local life.

For many the highlight was a cruise on the Catamaran, including snorkelling with sea turtles.

Meanwhile, 25 senior rugby players set off to South Africa with hopes of developing their play.

There were mixed fortunes for the King’s players, who met a wide range of ability levels.

Skills were honed and the tour was considered a great training exercise as well as a lot of fun.

The tour took the players from the Western Cape to Durban and on to Pretoria.

The players spent time relaxing at Mabula Game Park, enjoyed a Springboks versus All Blacks match at Newlands and took part in quad biking, golf, hill walking and swimming.