A Highfield and Brookham School teacher has returned from Belgium after representing South Africa at the Masters Hockey World Cup, competing on the international stage for the third time.

Maths and sport teacher Su Mattingly, from Grayshott, was part of the South African team competing at the 2026 Masters Hockey World Cup in Brasschaat, near Antwerp, where her country finished eighth.

Su joined Highfield and Brookham last year, bringing her lifelong passion for hockey to the Liphook school.

It was the latest chapter in a lifelong connection with hockey for Su, who began playing at school in South Africa.

After emigrating to the UK in 1999, she continued playing and has spent the past 12 years with Haslemere Hockey Club, where she remains a regular player.

The World Cup in Belgium was Su's third, following her first appearance on home soil in Cape Town in 2022 and a second in Auckland in 2024.

As the masters game continues to grow internationally, competition for places has become increasingly tough.

Su said: “The World Cup is growing at a rapid rate and there are more and more teams competing. As the tournament grows, it becomes more competitive, so it becomes harder to make the team.

“My first World Cup was in Cape Town in 2022 and it was wonderful to experience that at home because lots of friends and family could come and watch.

“Auckland in 2024 was my first ‘away’ World Cup, which was a very different experience and so much fun.

“Belgium was great because it was easy to get to and being in Europe meant there were lots of interesting places to visit on our days off.”

On the pitch, South Africa faced a demanding series of matches. Their tournament began against Scotland, where they scored first before Scotland responded strongly to secure a 4-1 victory.

The team bounced back in their next match with a 1-0 win over Chile before facing a strong New Zealand side. A difficult defeat meant South Africa had to regroup quickly, but they responded with a 2-0 victory over the USA.

Su said: “After the New Zealand game, we had to dig deep, reset and make sure we went into the next match with a good mental attitude. To come back and get a 2-0 win against the USA was a great feeling.

“There were some tough games and moments when we had to show real grit and perseverance and not let our heads drop. You have to be able to pick yourself up and go again.”

South Africa later faced table-topping England on a particularly hot day in Antwerp. Despite a determined performance, they were beaten 2-0, taking them into the play-off for seventh and eighth places.

Their final game brought a second meeting with New Zealand. Although South Africa were unable to reverse the earlier result, the match proved a much closer contest and the team finished the World Cup in eighth place.

For Su, however, masters hockey is about more than results.

She said: “I love playing masters hockey. It has a completely different feel to club hockey because you are playing with like-minded players who are similar to you in age.

“It is always great fun and I’m just grateful and thankful that I can still be competing at this level.”