Daventry basketball players make 100 mile journey to the Big Smoke and show off skill and determination in tournament

Young basketball players from Daventry headed off to London to take in the sights and compete in a tournament.

Players from The Parker The Parker E-ACT Academy won their match against City Heights from London last Wednesday.

Coach Steve Pearl, a teacher at the academy said it was the first ever basketball event win for Parker.

He said: "The journey took them through Central London where they saw Marble Arch, the River Thames and the London Eye as well as a distant glimpse of the Wembley Arches.

"Two and a half hours later they arrived at City Heights, a school that is very different to their own, largely just concrete with no playground and certainly no green fields."

He said although they won, the players got more from the experience than winning.

Steve added: "It was two groups of young people interacting together for a day away from their books.

"Everyone hugged at the end of each game because that's what is supposed to happen.

"The drive home - M40 rather than M1 - was full of excited young people and even the obligatory stop at a service station was almost bearable"

The other team was Bourne End from Marlow.

The next tournament will take place in Daventry.

Steve added: "The result was nice (the first-ever basketball event win for the Parker Academy) but nowhere near as nice as knowing what was brought to everyone who took part."