The basketball girls of Greensward College put forward another distinguished performance when their under-15 side finished seventh in the national cup competition.

They travelled to Rochdale, Lancashire, to contest the final stages from the last eight onwards and were satisfied with their final position.

Said Greensward's Tony Mescall: "We won the under-15s on home territory last year, but this is not one of our strongest age groups this season and the girls did remarkably well to make the finals and finish seventh."

The visitors from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, were the eventual champions with Great Baddow High tops from Essex in fourth spot.

Greensward have high hopes of success with both their under-16 and 19 teams, both of whom are through to the last eight nationally.

Top Greensward star Vikki Willmore was a member of the England international team which beat Scotland and is now hopeful of selection for the team for the home international series.

Meanwhile, in the national schools netball championship, sponsored by the Daily Telegraph, Corringham's Gable Hall School finished runners-up in the under-16 to win through to the national final, to be played at Middlesbrough, on March 24.

Gable Hall just qualified by the skin of their teeth.

There was a three-way tie for the semi-final spot with Icknield School, Luton, and Boswells School, Chelmsford. Gable Hall went through with a higher goal average. They went on to beat Moulsham in the semis before losing to Broxbourne in the final.

Hertfordshire's Broxbourne won all three age groups.

By Dick Marshall

Reporter's e-mail: dick.marshall@notes.newsquest.co.uk

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