DEAF England basketball player Lucy Buxton has slam-dunked herself a prestigious funding award from the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme, writes Steve Carroll.

The Harrogate teenager plays in the Under-18s England squad and has been awarded TASS funding on the back of an outstanding performance in the European Championships last year.

Profoundly deaf from birth, the 17-year-old has grown up using oral communication and lip-reading.

She also had two major operations on her leg at just two years old, after being diagnosed with pseudo-athrosis, which meant that the fibula in her leg had grown as cartilage instead of bone and required two major surgical operations.

Buxton is waiting to see whether she will be given the chance to play at the European Championships 2010 in Romania, where only 12 of the 18 players will make the cut.

“Basketball is my life and my parents have always supported and encouraged me to be whatever I want to be,” she said. “I’m so pleased that I have been awarded my scholarship, as it means that I can really pursue my dreams. I’ve been working really hard and fingers crossed I will make it to Romania.

“My hearing has never really held me back, and certainly doesn’t now. It can be difficult to cope with at times, particularly on a noisy court, but my hearing team-mates have learned how to signal with hand gestures as well as shouting, which is beneficial for everyone. And my leg – that doesn’t cause me any problems, it’s almost like it never happened.”

The TASS award provides Buxton with access to support and services, through Leeds Metropolitan University’s TASS hub.