Winners: Eltham CE Primary won Champion of Champions title
Eltham CE Primary have been celebrating a massive, national victory after their mixed basketball team won the UK Champion of Champions title on Sunday 4 May.
They took the title at the Birmingham Indoor Arena, in front of a crowd of 20,000 people.
The players were led to the court by professional cheerleaders to compete against teams from Newcastle, Birmingham, and Chester, before taking on Sheffield Sharks and winning 10-3 to lift the trophy.
The team also won the Greenwich basketball tournament for the third year running three days before the Birmingham triumph.
Team and coach
The squad that will go down in local sporting history was:
- Georgie Rowell
- Tara Burgess
- Katie Kelly
- Libby Southwell
- Abdul Youssef
- Joshua Awolola
- Dan Pittaway
- Zac Noble
- Joshua Armitage
- Nevin Dasan.
Their coach is the school’s head of PE, Peter Rhodes. He said:
"We travelled up to Birmingham at 4am and had no idea what to expect, but I was amazed how all the players took everything in their stride in front of such a big crowd. They played better than I’ve ever seen them play. The confidence they exuded when they ran on for the final was unbelievable."
Credit to the borough
Councillor John Fahy, Cabinet Member for Culture and Olympics, said:
"What an achievement! My heartiest congratulations go to the team. Eltham CE are proving beyond doubt that success in sport can lead to success in the classroom. They’re a real credit to the borough."
9 May 2008