Women’s Basketball amazing achievement as PSUK Basketball Championships in Exeter!!

The force women’s basketball team competed in the PSUK Basketball Championships in Exeter last weekend against the best police teams in the UK.

The team struggled with player numbers as pregnancy and injuries limited those who could attend. For those that do not know, basketball teams usual have a squad of 12 players for each game and have 5 on the court at one time, but rotate off and on to allow for rest, as it very physically demanding. Northumbria attended the tournament with only 5 players. This meant that the 5 players played every minute of the 5 games over the 2-day event, their performance can only be described as legendary.

The team lead by our GB national players @Kerry Melville 8850  and @Abigail Shields 3354  had a tough group, but had a strong performance defeating Warwickshire 52-20 followed by a further win over West Midlands police 63-31. This saw them qualify and progress to the semi-finals.

In a tough close fought semi-final match which went down to the last possession, Northumbria were defeated last year champions, Police Scotland 62-58.

The final game was a hard-fought match against a strong MET team, who had a squad of 10 players. The game was close throughout but timely baskets from @Kerry Melville 8850  and @Abigail Shields 3354  and stellar rebounding from @Hazel Thompson 1659 in the fourth quarter saw Northumbria win 70-63. This meant Northumbria finished third nationally and were presented with bronze medals. Their performance was described by the referee as “Inspirational” and also  saw @Kerry Melville 8850  selected to the tournaments All Star Starting Five

This was the third year in a row that Northumbria has placed in the top three in the UK finals. Captain @Kerry Melville 8850 said “To beat such a tough MET team with only five players was an amazing achievement. The team should be really proud of themselves. We are already starting our preparation for 2026 and have our eyes on the gold”.

The team is always on the lookout for new players. If you are police staff or a police officer, you would be eligible to play regardless of your level of service.

If you have every played organised basketball, either school or local league, or national league level, no matter how many years ago we would love to hear from you. Or if you are a beginner to basketball, we can help arrange training sessions with a local team for development.  Any enquiries to @Kerry Melville 8850 @Abigail Shields 3354 , or Coach @Thomas Calvert 750