Story by Rory Poulter

The fact that England's Lionesses are based in Richmond borough – at The Lensbury, Teddington – is proving ideal preparation.

Last night, the team secured a place in the quarter-finals of the Euros with a record 8-0 victory over a highly regarded Norway team.

The Lionesses have been training and staying at The Lensbury, which has become a base for a number of major sporting teams, since the weekend.

England star Fran Kirby, who plays for Chelsea, said: "The Lensbury is not far from my house so I know the area quite well and they have done an amazing job with kitting it out, in terms of making it feel like home and everyone being able to go in the relaxation room, play a bit of table tennis, pool, basketball and things like that."

She said squad members have been into nearby Teddington to relax on recovery days between training and matches.

The team have posted a number of social media video of sessions at the riverside club, which has transformed the rugby pitch into a training ground for the squad surrounded by perimeter branding organised by the tournament organisers UEFA.

South West London is a popular base for teams competing in the Euros with Denmark staying at the award-winning Richmond Hill Hotel and the Germans training at the Grasshoppers rugby club in Osterley.

The Lensbury has 155 rooms in a variety of styles available to the England team. Following a £1.2million investment in 2019, it has high quality fitness equipment, plus two heated indoor pools, and a thermal suite for the players to relax in.

There are tennis courts, squash courts and two UEFA standard pitches for training.

After last night's match at Brighton's AMEX stadium, manager Sarina Wiegman admitted being blown away by the rampant display.

"To be honest I thought, 'What's going on?' Wiegman said.

"You go through the match, you make your plan, you talk to players, and you expect a very competitive match because Norway [have] a good squad and their frontline is really good. We just kept them away from our goal and played the game, and that was really nice to see."