THE Worcester Wolves Women's basketball team has been crowned league champions after the premature end of the season due to coronavirus.

The Wolves were announced as winners of the Women's National League 2 North after Basketball England released details on how all NBL and Junior NBL competitions have been finalised for the 2019/20 season.

Head coach Ryan Emery said: "Over the past five years we have been constantly improving step by step and it has been a privilege to watch this team grow and deliver on their potential.

"To finish 9-2 shows a great deal of consistency and dedication throughout the season by all the players and coaches alike.

"All but one of the players are students at the University of Worcester and it is a phenomenal achievement, they should be very proud of themselves to be able to manage and organise their time to combine their academic studies with playing basketball; they are both huge time commitments.

"Who knows what would have been achieved had the season continued, but at the beginning of the season, we set ourselves the target of winning the league and achieving that is down to the players.

"They bought into everything Kieran (assistant coach) and I were trying to employ and went out and delivered it! I’m super happy.

"I’d like to thank all of the previous players that helped to lay the foundations for this success; everyone at the club who work behind the scenes as well as the management for all of their support throughout the season.

"Finally, I would like to thank the fans that have turned up in their hundreds to support the team every week, your support helped us more than you will ever know. This is a proud moment for everyone associated with the club."

The season end saw the team finish with a 9-2 winning record to clinch the title, whilst also offering a good showing in the National Cup, narrowly being knocked out by in the last-16 by Bristol Flyers in a tightly contested 5 point defeat. Significantly, the Bristol outfit compete in the league above the Wolves.

The season also saw record attendances from fans for the team’s home games at the University Of Worcester St Johns Sports Centre; rivalling the support of many WBBL clubs

Worcester Wolves managing director Mick Donovan is overjoyed following the confirmation of the league title.

He said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be crowned champions of the league. This success comes after a great deal of commitment and sacrifice by the players over recent years.

"Head coach Ryan Emery and his coaching staff have made an excellent contribution in assembling the team and developing a really positive culture."