More than 100 young athletes, with a range of disabilities, competed at Penrith Leisure Centre in a wheelchair basketball tournament.

Clubs from Yorkshire, Teesside and Scotland, as well as the two Carlisle Panther sides, were involved at the first-ever RGK Development and Junior League finals on Sunday.

"The tournament went really well," enthuses Ray McBride, who organised the event along with Lee Fawcett.

"What we did was we had five junior teams [for those under 14] in and five development teams [for those 14 years old and older]. So, there was about 120 people that played altogether, so it was quite a big tournament.

"Some of the young Panthers players have only been with the club for about six months, so it’s a very new team and they came fourth.

"I was quite pleased with that. It was the same for the development players who came fourth, as well, which was good.

"The team from Grampian won the development league and a team from Teesside won the junior league.

"It went really, really well. It was a nice day."

With a total of 10 teams involved, McBride was delighted with the turnout.

He explains: "What we have done is we have formed a separate league from British Wheelchair Basketball for various reasons.

"We are offering competitive sport at a reasonable price and we are involving people with all disabilities now.

"With British Wheelchair Basketball, it’s all lower limb. But, with us, it’s covering physical and mental disabilities.

"With a lot of people there, it was their first time playing basketball. I think, once you give people focus and something to aim for, it gives them some added motivation.

"It was a league structure, so what we are doing next year, we are going one better. Next season, there will be an Under-14s section, a development section and a competitive league which would the equivalent to the National League.

"At tops, we will have about 24 teams next year. The offers will be going out next week but Lee, who I am working with, has had a heck of a response already."

And plans are already in place to hold the competition again in 2020.

“This is not a one-off. This will be going on every year,” he says.

“The intention is RGK are hoping to use this as a prototype to spread it right across Britain.”