‘Hoops, they’ve done it again’ – female team through to national finals

The female basketball team at Tameside College is off to the Association of College’s (AoC) Sport national championships for the second time.

All seven students, from across various college departments, will now represent the north west region in the competition, which takes place at the University of Nottingham in April 2019.

The team easily won all four of their matches in the north west qualifiers to reach the finals, beating Aquinas College, Holy Cross College, Xaverian College and Blackpool and the Fylde College. This is the second year the team has qualified for the national championships.

The inspiration for of the team’s success is coach and ex-international basketball player, Natalie Charloner who currently plays for Manchester Mystics in the women’s British basketball league.

Luke Podmore, sports development officer for Tameside College, said: “The team is an absolutely resounding success. With the help of Natalie they have become such a strong squad and made it this far through sheer determination and hard work. I can’t wait to see them represent the college and the north west in the AoC Sport national championships. We’re all very proud!”

The AoC Sport national championships is a celebration of competitive sport in colleges, pitting the best students from across the UK against one another in a series of categories including badminton, football, basketball, cross country, golf and many more.

The college’s enrichment programme encourages students to take part in activities alongside their studies.

The students who will be playing in the competition are:

• Caitlin Power-Tarbatt – formerly All Saints RC High School
• Sarah Parker – formerly Copley Academy
• Love Gaye – formerly Wright Robinson High School
• Rachel Balshaw
• Sophie Latchford
• Ina Bianca Marie Supsup
• Chloe Dunn