A QUARTET of girls from Oaklands School have a spring in their step after conquering Yorkshire to qualify for a national basketball final.

The school's Under-14s girls team won the regional section of the 'Sunny D' three on three basketball competition held at Rotherham.

The team of Donna Smith, Bernadette Bell, Sarah Johnson and Debbie Sykes-Waller beat all comers to land the gold medal.

They now go forward to the national final at Nottingham next month where they will take on seven other schools from around the country.

Oaklands other teams also did the school proud in their respective age categories. The Under-14s and Under-16s boys teams both reached the semi-finals before being knocked out.

It was the school's best ever performance in the competition, which has run for the last three years. Their previous best was last year when they reached the quarter-finals.

FOOTBALL

THE York Schools' under-11 League game against Hull on Saturday has been cancelled due to the re-arranged seven-a-side finals, leaving the next fixture away to Bradford on Saturday, March 17.

Players in the seven-a-side squad for this Saturday's North of England Predator finals are asked to meet at the Riverside Farm on the A19 at 9.30am.

York Under 11s squad: Callum Atkinson (St Oswald's School), Will Holmes (Dunnington), Josh Hryciazuk (Copmanthorpe), Charlie Metcalfe (Dunnington), Phil Walters (Carr Junior), Liam Simpson (Westfield), Jamie Williamson (Rufforth), Carl Stewart (Poppleton Road), Dale Hunt (Kingsway).

- Any school interested in either friendlies or the possibility of establishing a girls' league, contact Jennifer Kay at Scarcroft on 01904 653569.

Updated: 13:18 Wednesday, March 07, 2001