The basketball festival/community event came back to Thomastown last weekend as the Berkeley Wolves hosted there third outdoor basketball event in the state-of-the-art outdoor amenity in Thomastown.
The last two events held there were a huge success with the entire community coming together with large crowds attending from all over the East and South East of the country. Instead of the hugely popular senior exhibition games previously held, this year the focus was on the younger stars of the future as players from Kilkenny and the South East got a chance to showcase their skills in front of an outdoor crowd.
Russ Ryan said ‘’we could not have asked for better weather, the sun shined all day with the games starting at 11am and finishing up with the main event which was the Youth Exhibition Game. Russ said that the highlight of the day was the exhibition event that was a cracking game of basketball where a youth All Star team select took on the South East Schools Team. With the game well supported by a very enthusiastic crowd, the All Stars select team went on to win in a nail-biting game winning by just two points in a very exciting encounter with the final score 63-64.
In the under 15 tournament held during the day, teams who participated included, New Ross, Sparks, Old Leighlin BC Carlow, the Kilkenny Stars and the Berkeley Wolves. The final ended up being a local derby with the Kilkenny Stars edging past the Berkeley Wolves in another great game of basketball. Russ said that this was a very well supported community event where a number of local volunteers once again came together to put on a great event. With a community barbecue, great tunes being played throughout the day by local DJ Cleveland Mike and a great atmosphere. Special thanks the Thomastown Community Centre and to the main sponsors, Kilkenny County Council, the Thomastown Credit Union the Kilkenny and South East Area Basketball Board and Super Valu for all their support.
