Raptors had a good night at the Lancashire Sports Awards on Friday as they collecte second place and a highly commended award in the Lancashire Community Club of the Year Award.
The Free Press provided the following sumary: "Rossendale Raptors aim to provide every person in Rossendale with the chance to play, watch or volunteer in their basketball programme.
They run sessions in Haslingden and Rawtenstall and have just started junior sessions in Bacup.
As well as running junior programmes, the club also coach basketball in primary schools and deliver schools tournaments at primary school and secondary school age groups.
The club also run senior men’s and women’s teams including a successful National League team that in 2011/12 won the England Basketball Division Four League and play-off cup competitions.
The club has just had one of the most successful years in its 50-year history.
At a senior level the club entered the National League for the first time.?Not only did they hold their own, but comfortably won the northern division of the league and then beat teams from the south and the midlands in the play-offs to win the national title.
Star player Stephen Gayle was named player of the year for the whole division.
The club also received plaudits from England Basketball for their organisation and matchday atmosphere.
Another major success for the club is the women’s team, who finished fifth in the regional league only months after the club originally organised the ladies session. And the Under 14 team made it through to the final of the Lancashire Cup, narrowly losing to Southlands in the final.
The club has grown significantly in the last 12 months and is now the largest basketball club in Lancashire.
The membership has doubled in the last year, partly due to the additional exposure from the successful National League team as well as the school programme.
They have started a new Under 12s session which now has up to 30 participants"
Picture: Ken Maser collecting the award on behalf of the Club