EDUCATION group South West Academies launched its 2012 sports programme with its first basketball competition.

Pupils from SWA's four member schools came together at Merchants' Academy in south Bristol to battle it out on the basketball courts.

Colston's Girls' School won both the junior and senior girls' tournaments, while City Academy won the boys' junior tournament and Bristol Cathedral Choir School narrowly fought off a challenge from their hosts at Merchants' Academy to take the boys' senior title.

South West Academies chief executive Lesley Ann Jones said: "We're keen to promote excellence and competition among all our schools; the sports programme provides opportunities for students to pit themselves against peers from very different schools in different parts of the city."

As well as basketball, the programme covers football, netball, rugby sevens, hockey and athletics. To coincide with Olympics year, an Olympic-themed pentathlon is planned for May, while in July the programme will conclude with a sports celebration evening. In addition to sport, other planned SWA inter-school events include a grand summer concert.

Organiser Paul Reed, head of performing arts at Merchants' Academy, said: "The tournament was a great success, with hard-fought fixtures being played in a competitive but sportsmanlike fashion."