Pupils from Saltburn 1 & St. Peters 1 leap for a jump ball. Both teams would go on to meet each other in the final.

Everything else blurs in to comparrison as this youngster drives to the basket.

Always protect the ball!

Young James Caird from Saltburn 1 played well throughout the whole competition and also produced a real captains performance in the final to be awarded the Player of the Final.

STARS OF THE FUTURE

23/05/2006

Saltburn Primary school displayed a superb performance through several games including the final to win the East Cleveland Active Schools Basketball Tournament. The event took place at St. Peters sports hall on Tuesday 23^rd May and involved 8 primary schools, 12 teams and over 84 children.

Saltburn 1 are crowned The Champions!

The Tournament began with 2 leagues of 6 teams. Each team played 3 games and the winner of each league would play in the final. As the games began it was apparent that the children have had experience of basketball through school and after school clubs as the standard of play was very impressive. There was almost an equal presence of girls and boys participating and with 9 minute games providing plenty of time to show off the skills, the end scores were well into the double figures. Saltburn primary won all their games with scores of 22-2, 23-0 and 16-2 and these scores didn't represent a negative standard of the opposing teams, only an indication of how good the Saltburn 1st team really was. Saltburn 1 would progress to the final as winners of League 1 along with St. Peters who were also unbeaten in League 2.

The final was played with a little more aggression as both teams were not only excited at winning their leagues but also determined to go on and lift the Trophy! Saltburn were first off the mark with a nice lay up from their number 5. St. Peters 1 tried desperately to counter attack but were failing to find the target. This led to more and more ambitious shots as they tried to come back before time ran out. Saltburn on the other hand were happy to pick up the loose balls and find the open player. The good passing and accurate shooting of the Saltburn team was the difference between the 2 sides although the final score was quite a surprise at 10-0. The player of the final was awarded to the winning captain, James Caird who is 10 years old and lives in Saltburn. James played superb defence, made some lovely passes and hit a few good shots

SHINE BRIGHT

Saltburn 1 in posession of the ball as the crowd looks on.

to round off a great personal display. Another great display was shown by Elvion Shabani, 10, from Hummersea school in Loftus. He provided many highlights during the tournament with his incredible skills, including through the legs, cross over, fakes, etc.

There are plans to develop a Game Time central venue academy at the new Freebrough school once it opens which will provide these youngsters and others in East Cleveland with the opportunity to advance with specialised basketball training by professional coaches.

The event, organised by Ailsa Bell from Active Sport, was not only great activity for the yr 5 & 6 pupils playing but also a great spectacle for parents and teachers present. Ailsa was thrilled with the turn out and said "Each team showed passion, skill and dedication but most importantly they also showed good sportsmanship with examples of shaking hands after games and virtually no complaining at refereeing decisions."

Over 84 players from various schools were involved in the Tournament and everyone had a great time.