Chester’s Custom House Brewers secured a shock title victory as they lifted the Wirral Basketball League title in overtime.
Having reached the Final Four tournament, the Brewers faced a semi-final against Cheshire Vets, a team stacked with experienced former British Basketball League players.
The Vets have exerted a stranglehold on the title in recent years and the Brewers were clear underdogs.
But hard work and uncompromising play, particularly from Paul Kelly, Pete Arden and Leon Adams, saw the Brewers take the fight to their opponents and score a shock 70-49 win.
The win sent the Brewers into the playoff final against Bidston Rockets A. The Brewers started slowly and trailed by 10 at the half, but they rallied and the sides traded baskets at the death before a buzzer-beating two-pointer for the Rockets sent the game into overtime.
The Brewers found one last push and put a run of scores and stops together to finish 98-90 victors and claim the Wirral League Play-off Championship.
Head coach Tom Griffiths said: “If you had said to us at the start of the season we could achieve this no-one would have believed it.
“But we have put together a good group of hard-working players and every player who has been part of the Brewers, since it started in 2012, has played a part in us getting here.”
