DORSET’S under-15 boys and girls’ teams won second and third place respectively in a South West England Regional Inter-County tournament

The boys’ team won matches against Somerset and Gloucestershire and lost to Bristol in a close contest, which was great to watch.

They again faced Bristol in the final and it was another close match. Losing 14-0 in the first quarter, Dorset fought back, drawing level in the final quarter. They then lost out in the last two minutes to Bristol, who won 38-35.

The first ever Dorset County girls’ team beat the South West Under-13s and Gloucester to win a place in the semi-final.

Leading at the end of the second quarter, they narrowly lost to Bristol.

Taking into account their wins and points scored during the day, Dorset finished third in the tournament.

The team of nine players had only trained together two times, making their wins and place in the tournament an excellent result.

Catello Landolfi, coach for both sides said: “We are really delighted with both teams – their results and achievement showed how committed they were in both the training and the tournaments.”

Dorset has three basketball clubs – Dorchester Tigers, Dorset Storm and Weymouth Basketball Club.

The boys' tournament was played at Paignton Community and Sports Academy in Devon, while the girls' tournament was played at Wycliffe College, Stonehouse, in Gloucestershire.