Shropshire Star

Shropshire basketball team full of bounce with balls left over from Commonwealth Games

A non-competitive community basketball team is full of bounce after receiving balls left over from the Commonwealth Games.

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Hezron Ottey, left, with Telford Mayor Raj Mehta and Sam Richardson

Telford Interfaith Community Basketball provides a basketball experience to those who want to either learn the game or play the sport on a non-competitive basis.

Hezron Ottey, of the basketball initiative at Telford and Wrekin Interfaith Council, said: "We are delighted that we won and received almost two dozen basketballs from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth games."

They received the basketballs and shared the good news with members on Monday at the Interfaith Council's building in New Street, Wellington.

Mr Ottey said: "The Telford Interfaith Community Basketball initiative is a non-competitive basketball set-up as we do not compete in leagues or against other basketball teams, we simply provide and facilitate a fun basketball experience to those who want to either learn the game or play non-competitively."

He said the competition was launched by Sport England following the Commonweath Games in Birmingham during the summer.

"Following the Commonwealth Games, Sport England ran a competition whereby organisations can enter a competition to have various equipment donated to the organisation. Given that we are a charity basketball initiative, we submitted our application for the basketball pieces of equipment.

"We also received a plaque stating that the legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games supports our project."