Young basketball players received lots of encouragement from the Great Britain captain as they tried to book a spot in July's Leicester-Shire & Rutland School Games.

Leicester Riders ace Drew Sullivan was at Beauchamp College in Oadby for the Boys' Super-Series finals.

Sullivan said both the Super-Series events and the School Games underline the importance of competitive sport for children in Leicestershire schools.

Sullivan said: "It's hugely important if we want to continue to be competitive at sport as a country at international level.

"The rest of the world are doing it from a very early age and I don't think we should be any different.

"The only sport I played at school was basketball, and I have a lot of fond memories. A lot of my best friends now are the ones I started playing the sport with back then."

The boys' under-14 basketball series, with the girls' under-14 event held 24 hours earlier, launched a series of qualifying events for the School Games, which take place at Leicester Grammar School on July 14.

The Super-Series boys' winners were Lancaster School, with Hastings High second and Longfield High third. Stonehill High earned the Value Sports award.

The girls' winners were Sir Jonathan North Community College, with John Ferneley High second and Castle Rock High third. Thomas Estley took the Value Sports award.

All 10 school sport networks in Leicestershire and Rutland are taking part in the Super-Series events, which also include badminton, indoor cricket, Sportshall athletics, rugby, golf, Kwik-Cricket and New Age Kurling.

Updates of all the events can be found at:

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