BURY’S rising star of hockey, Andy Bull, is the joint winner of the prestigious Higgins Group UK Youth Hockey Award.

The 18-year-old shared the award with fellow Great Britain and England player Harry Martin to cap a fantastic 12 months.

Last year, Bull was picked for England in the elite Champions Trophy Tournament in Germany, and was given his first Great Britain caps in the Four Nations tournament at Nottingham in July.

Bull made the step up from being under-18s captain in last Easter’s Four Nations tournament in Hannover to earn five senior England caps and four GB caps in the summer.

He won a silver medal at the Champions Trophy in August, England’s best finish in this tournament, and was also a travelling reserve for the Commonwealth Games. He is currently at Loughborough University studying sport and exercise science.

“This award is brilliant,” said Bull. “I didn’t expect anything of the sort. It’s a massive privilege. It has been a cracker of a year.

“Looking back I am at quite a different place to where I started. The transition from juniors to seniors has been such a massive experience.

“Getting my first cap, knowing I had made it, absolutely thrilled me. And walking on to the pitch in Germany for the Champions Trophy and getting the silver medal was immense.

“It was all a bit surreal. It is just brilliant to play with all our top guys.

“London 2012 is obviously on the horizon and hopefully there is a lot more after that.”