A basketball team is celebrating a double-winning season.
Brighton Cougars Women’s team has secured both the Sussex Women’s League title and the Surrey/Sussex Plate, capping off another dominant year.
The community club, based in Brighton, clinched the Plate with a hard-fought 46-37 victory over Tandridge Stealers.
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Francesca Pitcher, team captain, was named Most Valuable Player after finishing as top scorer in the final.
Liz Pitcher, team manager, said: “The players have had another strong season and this is testament to the hard work of our players, but also because of the way the club conducts itself.”
Founded in 1989, the Cougars have now won the Sussex Women’s League for five consecutive years and have regularly lifted the Surrey/Sussex Cup and Plate competitions in recent years.
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Despite a sustained period of success, the club remains focused on growth.
Ms Pitcher said: “We are a very open and nurturing club, always prepared to accept new players and train them.
“We’ve done well to maintain our squad but are always looking for new players, particularly for the women’s and girls teams.”
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The women’s team includes players aged 16 to 60.
Ms Pitcher is keen to emphasise that basketball is accessible to all, regardless of experience.
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She said: “For a number of years we have noticed numbers are down, especially for young girls and women playing basketball in the community.
“Our aim is to encourage girls from the age of 16 upwards to try out basketball.
“It doesn’t mean you have to have knowledge of playing basketball.
“You could be a complete beginner, like our team captain Francesca was.”
Ms Pitcher’s daughter, Francesca, discovered basketball at secondary school and has now played with the Cougars for more than a decade.
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She said: “I started completely from scratch, joining a team where some girls had been playing their whole lives, but it didn’t matter because joining Brighton Cougars Women changed all that for me.
“I’ve been part of this club for over ten years and they’ve helped mould me into the player I am now.”