Craddock in international action against Germany earlier this year

Teenager Charlotte Craddock says she is still coming to terms with becoming the youngest ever member of the Great Britain Olympic women's hockey squad.

The Derbyshire schoolgirl, 17, is one of a 16-strong squad travelling to Beijing for the games in August.

"I'm still in shock about being selected but I'm very excited to be involved," the Repton pupil said.

Repton director of hockey and former GB squad member Martin Jones said: "Charlotte richly deserves her place."

Jones added: "She has been training intensively and is playing incredibly well. We'll all be following her progress in August and wish her well for Beijing."

I owe a lot to all the English Institute of Sport staff at Bisham Abbey who have helped me with my rehab Charlotte Craddock

Craddock's place had looked in doubt when she was forced to leave the GB tour of Australia in February this year with two stress fractures in her lower back.

But the defender, who plays her club hockey for Cannock, has fought her way back to fitness and confirmed her return to form with an impressive display for GB's senior women at the Setanta Trophy in Ireland earlier this month.

Craddock added: "I owe a lot to all the English Institute of Sport staff at Bisham Abbey who have helped me with my rehab."

She took up hockey when she was eight years old and has been playing at international level since the age of 14.

Craddock, who is studying for her A levels, was awarded a hockey scholarship at Repton School where she has just taken AS levels in Economics, Geography and PE.

A programme of training and studies has been drawn up to enable her to maintain both her hockey and academic work.