WOODLANDS’ Year 7 girls’ basketball team were edged out by The FitzWimarc School in the final of the Essex Cup.

The young basketball stars were edged out 45-39 by FitzWimarc at Eastwood Academy, who had also beaten them in the group stages of the competition earlier in the year.

Despite the defeat, the result completes a fine turnaround in Woodlands’ fortunes, with no club players and the majority of the girls only picking up a basketball for the first time in September.

Seven of the girls came through the school’s fast-growing Elite Player Development (EPD) programme although Fitz raced away to secure a 12-point half-time advantage, after Ellena Leak had initially put Woodlands in the lead.

Coaches Hayley Clarke and James Gardner spoke plenty of encouraging words at the interval and it seemed to change the momentum of the game back in Woodlands favour.

With some excellent defence from Holly Mathieson and Madi Cole, the Fitz team struggled to settle into the second half before eventually running away with the result in the closing stages.

“We slowly grew into the game but ultimately missed too many lay-ups and shots,” said Jon Bonnett, the school’s head of elite sport and development. “The best team won but we were delighted to reach an Essex Cup final as this was a first in Woodlands history.”

Woodlands did enjoy a victory in the Y9 Essex Cup rugby final, beating Chelmsford’s New Hall School 19-12.

Bonnett added: “It was a fantastic game with some brilliant rugby played by both sides. Our boys really stepped up defensively and didn't allow New Hall an opportunity to score in the second half.”

Woodlands Y7 basketball team: Bunn, Bond, Chase, Milne, Mathieson, Leak, Cole, Glaze, Ludbrook, Gamblin, Sivell, Morris