A WARRINGTON player was instrumental in leading Manchester Magic’s under 18s to national championships success.

Patrick Whelan, from Culcheth, helped Magic achieve back-to-back under 18s titles with an 84-71 win against hometown club Cheshire Wire in the final.

Whelan also made it successive ‘most valuable player’ awards, after finishing with 18 points.

His haul was made up of six rebounds and six assists, while attaining four out of six from beyond the arc and knocking down every long-range bomb at key moments in the game.

Wire kept it tight but a Magic side featuring seven players from various national team programmes poroved too strong.

Whelan is looking to follow elder brother Jordan on a basketball scholarship in Kansas, USA.