School’s basketball boys train in Spain

Tonbridge School’s basketball players rubbed shoulders with the professionals during their pre-season tour to Valencia.

As well as playing three matches against high-quality club sides, the school’s first team enjoyed a session with a professional Spanish basketball coach. They were also able to train at L’Alqueria Del Basket, a state-of-the-art, 13-court facility attached to Valencia Basket Club’s La Fonteta arena, which seats 9,000 spectators.

The boys had the opportunity to watch a training session featuring Valencia’s men’s basketball team, and as a bonus went to the Valencia v Girona football match at  Mestalla Stadium.

On the court, the boys found the going tough against Valencia Basket Club and Club Basket Claret, losing their first two matches. But they rallied to win their third and final game 44-36 against Club Basket Sedavi.

Stefan Hargraves, Master in Charge of Basketball, said: “The trip proved a wonderful opportunity to use top-notch training facilities, to learn from the experts and to pit ourselves against strong local clubs. We learned a lot and I’m very proud of how we performed in our matches.”