A SCHOOL in Oxford is reaping the rewards of regular basketball training as it cements its place as the best in the county.
Cheney School in Headington has reached all nine county finals available, winning six, with one still to play.
Those finals included the school’s Under 13 boys A side coming up against the B team.
There are 10 basketball leagues in Oxfordshire – five for boys and five for girls in the Under 13, Under 14, Under 15, Under 16 and Under 19 age groups.
Cheney has a side in nine of the leagues, as well as five B teams scattered across the divisions.
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PE teacher Alasdair Harley coaches all the teams, training each year group every morning, as well as helping students going for their referee badge.
He said: “Basketball was introduced at Cheney 10 to 15 years ago, so we have a well established coaching team.
“The game changer was when outside hoops were introduced seven or eight years ago.
“Everyone wanted to play, with the older pupils teaching the younger players.”
The school’s headteacher, Rob Pavey, added: “I’m amazingly proud of the strength and depth of our basketball teams supported by our dedicated PE staff and coaches. This is a fantastic achievement.”
With so many teams across the county leagues, Cheney endures a challenging fixture list.
So far, 62 games have been played, with the school winning 52 of those.
The A squads have remarkably won 44 of their 46 matches, meanwhile the B sides have won eight of their 16 games.
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