HAVING already taken the under-15 girls' crown, Hockley's Greensward College collected the English Schools Basketball Association under-16 girls' crown to complete a fine double.

And little more than 24 hours later the Greensward team - who had beaten great Essex rivals Great Baddow 45-43 in a thrilling national final - overcame the same opponents 64-56 to collect the Essex Schools' Cup.

In the national final at the Dacorum Sports Centre, Hemel Hempstead, there were no less than 12 members of the hugely-successful Southend Swifts' side in action from the two teams.

Swifts under-16 girls have already completed their own double with the national cup and league title already in their possession.

And they will now be strong favourites for the end of season play-offs.

At Hemel, Greensward led 13-2 after the first quarter and Baddow were 15 down at the interval.

The Chelmsford team closed the gap to 37-25 with one stanza left and, although Greensward were 44-38 ahead at one stage, closed the final deficit to two points.

Hannah Culwick led the individual points haul with 17 for Greensward and their team manager Simon Richardson admitted: "It was a day where the result far outweighed the performance.

"We did look quite jaded as the game moved into the final quarter, but the girls thoroughly deserved to run out winners.

"In the first-half they were outstanding and, when they came under pressure in the second, they stuck together as a team, kept their heads, and held their nerve.

"I've learnt so much from them this year and it's an honour to work with such gifted sportswomen."

In the Essex final at the Boswells School in Chelmsford an epic encounter followed an almost identical pattern to the previous meeting.

Greensward, boosted by the return of Kitty Hall, forged 16-9 ahead after the first quarter and were 35-16 up at the break.

But a stunning Baddow fightback saw them trailing by just two points after the third quarter.

By the end Baddow had levelled at 50-all and the action went into overtime and Greensward won the day 64-56.

The game was a wonderful advert for schools' basketball and was testament to the many hours of coaching the players receive through the Southend Swifts Club.

An exhausted Greensward team coach Chris Butterworth was full of admiration for both teams and said: "What a game. There really didn't deserve to be a loser.

"I'm incredibly proud of the girls for achieving a national and county double in little over a day.

"It was a demonstration of student athletes performing at the top of their games.

"The college are massively indebted to their close ties to the Southend Swifts and are particularly grateful to the continued support from the parents of all the students involved."