On Friday 4th November 2022 at Rutlish High School, the Merton Borough Year 5/6 3 v 3 Basketball Development Competition took place. Fourteen teams took part with all pupils excited to represent their school and show off their skills. Teams were placed in two pools of seven teams and played a round robin format with 10-minute matches.
Pool A
Poplar ‘A’, Hillcross, Bishop Gilpin ‘A’, Dundonald, St Teresa’s, St John Fisher and St Peter & St Paul were all drawn in this pool. In the first game Poplar played Dundonald and after a tight first half they eventually managed to come away with a 6 point win. St Peter & St Paul started superbly well and finished their opener with a commanding victory. The first game between Bishop Gilpin and St Teresa’s was a tense affair and remained tight all the way to the end with St Teresa’s just snatching victory with a last minute basket to win the game 8-6. Bishop Gilpin came back strongly though and earned victories against St Peter & St Paul and Dundonald in quick succession to keep them in touch with the leaders. St John Fisher were coming close to victories but they were denied by the odd basket in several of their matches and couldn’t quite score at the crucial moments. Hillcross started with a close 6-6 game against St Teresa’s but then came back to show their abundant talents to win all their remaining matches. Dundonald kept battling and secured two wins in the latter stages of the group against St John Fisher and St Peter & St Paul to send them home happy. Meanwhile St Teresa’s were finding their feet and keep pace with Hillcross at the top of the table, where it came to down to the goal difference to separate the top two, Hillcross just managing to take top spot with 3 extra baskets.
- Hillcross
- St Teresa’s
- Bishop Gilpin’A’
- Poplar ‘A’
- Dundonald/St Peter& St Paul
- St John Fisher
Pool B
This group consisted of Cranmer, Liberty, Aragon, Bishop Gilpin ‘B’, Poplar ‘B’ Dundonald ‘B’ and Merton Park. It was Dundonald ‘B’ and Poplar ‘B’ who started the group with an incredibly tight match, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats with some great shooting on show, Poplar ‘B’ sneaking away with a 6-4 win. Cranmer played Bishop Gilpin ‘B’ in their first match and after a close encounter it was Bishop Gilpin who managed to get off to a winning start with a 6-4 victory. Liberty started their campaign very strongly with a convincing display against Aragon, resulting in a 14-6 win. Merton Park and Cranmer played out an amazing match with chances for both teams to score numerous baskets, however the tension was too much and it remained scoreless until the final minutes when Merton Park settled their nerves and scored late to win 2-0. Dundonald kept on fighting to get the baskets scored and points on the board and it paid off with an exciting 6-2 win against Bishop Gilpin. Aragon were playing some great basketball and were really showing their shooting skills, none more so than their games against Dundonald where they secured a 6-0 win. Cranmer were pushing all the way and shrugged off the earlier disappointments to get a couple of battling draws and a big win over Dundonald. Poplar continued to stay close to the top and were in contention throughout the competition, scoring some big wins along the way. It just wasn’t quite enough though as Merton Park dominated the group, winning all six of their matches and taking top spot.
- Merton Park
- Poplar ‘B’
- Liberty
- Bishop Gilpin ‘B’
- Aragon
- Cranmer
- Dundonald ‘B’
Well done to everyone involved, it was a fantastic event with the schools creating an exciting atmosphere throughout the competition. A special mention and well done to Poplar ‘A’ and Dundoanld ‘B’ for being REFSPECT winners. The games were all played in a great spirit and everyone was onboard with the REFSPECT campaign that made it more enjoyable for everyone involved. The MSSP would like to thank the Rutlish High School for hosting and providing the Sport Leaders who officiated each match superbly! Finally, a big thank you to the teachers and staff for bringing each school to the event.