A group of pupils from Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi travelled to the Sport Wales National Sports Centre in Cardiff on March 3 to compete in the first ever Inclusive Zone Basketball (IZB) tournament to be held in Wales.

The school entered two teams, with 12 pupils making the long journey down to Cardiff to compete against 10 other schools from all over Wales. The fixtures were very competitive but Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi won all four of their group fixtures before progressing to the Semi Finals. Aberteifi beat Ysgol Bro Dinefwr by a comfortable margin in the semi-finals with baskets from Tai Griffiths, Ewan Bodenham and Conrad Thackray. The final saw the team face Welshpool, who boasted two International Wheelchair Basketball players in their team, in what was a highly competitive and very tense final, with Ysgol Aberteifi losing by a single basket.

Nia Jones, schools’ AYP Officer, said: “It was a brilliant day down in Cardiff with all the pupils enjoying their first experience of playing IZB in a competitive environment having had just five weeks of training. All of the pupils played their part in a brilliant tournament, representing the school impeccably, and I was immensely proud to see the team end the day with runners-up medals. A massive thank you must go to Lee, who coaches the club every week, as well as Tai and Ewan, our Young Ambassadors, whose work with Basketball in the school over the last four years has been phenomenal and inspiring."

Two IZB taster sessions were organised for a lunch time and a Year 9 girls group at the end of January; the session proving so popular that a weekly 5x60 IZB club was set up on Tuesdays after school for pupils of all abilities and ages.

The club has been running every Tuesday from 3pm - 4pm in Cardigan Leisure centre since the beginning of February with 15 pupils regularly attending.

IZB is an adaptation of the usual running game, incorporating running and wheelchair players on the court at the same time. The court is split into three zones, with running players playing down the two wings and wheelchair players playing down the middle of the court.

IZBis open to all pupils in Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi and is free.