CHESHIRE Wire picked up their first national title with an 82-71 victory over Sheffield Junior Saints in the under 16s National Cup Final at the Amaechi Centre, Manchester.

It marks a meteoric rise for the club, who in just two years of existence have been national runners up at Under-15 and Under-18 level and have now taken home some silverware.

Sam Wilson achieved 34 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and two steals on 17/24 shooting to pick up MVP honours for Cheshire.

Wire led by 14 at half time, but Sheffield found their range in the third, knocking down six three pointers to outscore their opposition 30-12 and hold a four point lead heading into the final period.

From there, a 14-4 run by Cheshire to open the quarter saw them do enough to close out the win and avenge their only league season loss which was at the hands of the Saints.

“I think both teams turned up knowing it was going to be close. My players showed great maturity and didn’t panic,” said head coach Mike Halpin.

“The club has only been running for two years and now winning the Sureshot Cup shows how well the club is going; this has been helped by a great group of people running things and letting our coaches to just get on with the coaching.”

Louis MacKay added 20 and Max Jones 17 for Cheshire, while Sam Van Oostrum led Sheffield with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, Jacob Cauthorn finished with 16 and 11 rebounds, and Adam Higginbottom 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Cheshire Wire Green showed improvement in their under 13s National League game against Sheffield Junior Saints, despite a 35-89 defeat.

Wire Green started with a much greater enthusiasm and were holding their own against their more capable opponents in the early exchanges of the first quarter.

However, as the first half progressed, Sheffield started to take control of the game and by half-time the hosts were trailing 41-14.

The second half continued much as the first half had ended, and Cheshire Wire Green couldn’t recapture the energy that they had displayed in the first quarter.

Highlights of the game were a return to form for Michael Holce and the ever-consistent performance and contribution of Jacob Rothwell.