BUDDING lawyers from Calder High School held on to their crown in the Calderdale Magistrates' Court Mock Trial contest.
Pupils from the Mytholmroyd school took on three other schools for the coveted place in the regional finals.
In the local heat of the competition, the school was up against Ryburn Valley High, Sowerby, Rastrick High and Hipperholme and Lightcliffe High, to put forward arguments for the prosecution and defence in a fictional RSPCA case over a defendant accused of causing unnecessary suffering to a rabbit.
The pupils tested their knowledge of the criminal justice system by becoming solicitors, magistrates, witnesses, defendants, clerks and ushers for the mock hearing.
The school will now join teams from across the north for the regional final in April and if lucky will go on to the national final in Nottingham.
Lynne Mackenzie, organiser and magistrate, said: "There have been some excellent competitors that have shown an incredibly high quality of advocacy.
"Each year the level of excellence from the pupils impressed all of us and I would just like to thank everyone that helped in making the event possible."
Anne Todd, English teacher and literacy co-ordinator at the school, coached the pupils.
She said: "This is the best team we have ever coached. This year we were lucky enough to have the support of the seniors who are now in preparation for the Crown Court mock trials.
"We are absolutely thrilled to have won and we are looking forward to go to the regionals and hopefully aim for the nationals."
The competition, run by the Citizenship Foundation and the Magistrates' Association, sees youngsters put their skills to the test by adopting the roles of solicitors, magistrates, witnesses, defendants, legal advisers and ushers to act out a fictional case.
Ruth Roebuck, teaching assistant at Calder High School, said: "The competition has been an outstanding success. It has increased the confidence of so many pupils who were initially so nervous at the thought of performing in front of so many people and now here they are, winning awards as best solicitors."
Prizes and certificates were presented by Judge Peter Benson.