Year 8 team win county title

GRENEWAY School have completed a terrific county double as their Year 8 girls won the Hertfordshire Schools’ U14 Basketball Championship recently – just days after their Year 5/6 team won the inaugural U11 county title last week. The talented Year 8 girls travelled to Queens School near Watford after earning their spot following their victory at the North East Herts championships.

In their group games they ended up playing four back-to-back matches, which would be a test for any team. Their first match saw them defeat Stevenage’s best, Marriotts, in convincing style 32-6 before overcoming Highfield School 14-4.

A 16-15 defeat to Presdales followed but they bounced back well and beat Leventhorpe 16-9 to move into the semi finals.

Hemel Hempstead school (Dacorum) were the opponents and both teams were desperate to progress to the final. Greneway, however, looked the fitter, quicker and more skilful as they raced to a 12-2 lead at the interval. After the break, Greneway continued to dominate all phases of play and ran out deserved 22-8 winners. This superb result meant a place in the final against their group rival Presdales.

Presdales were not prepared for the all-court onslaught that a fired up Greneway team threw at them. Greneway played their best basketball of the whole day and dominated 12-2 at the break.

Smelling victory, the Royston school could have eased off but they continued to work tirelessly for one another and caused Presdales problems all over the court to greet the buzzer as 25-10 victors and Hertfordshire Schools’ U14 champions for the first time in the school’s history.

Greneway will now represent Hertfordshire in the regional finals in March.

Greneway: Stubbs (C), Parcell, Newsome, Chapman, Shannon, Worsey, Derbyshire-Ryall, Pocock.

Coaches: Terry Graves and Rob Dowler