THE Waltham Forest Cardinals put a up a brave fight as they were defeated in the final of the Essex Metropolitan Basketball League cup by Gintaras last weekend.

The local side more than held their own against the league champions, and after falling 12 points behind early on, they managed to claw back to 17-15 at the end of the first quarter.

A 100 per cent free throw accuracy from Eric Andrew – whose son Stephron is a rising star among the national ranks – hauled his team in front, but the Gintaras came back strong to secure the game in the third and fourth quarters, with the final score standing at 84-72.