TAUNTON basketball star and Leicester Riders captain, Barry Lamble's final game of professional basketball ended in disappointment after his side were beaten 84-77 in the BBL Play-off final on Sunday.

Last month, Lamble announced that the 2015/16 season would be his last and he will leave the club following a testimonial event on July 9 to celebrate his ten years of service to the club.

The Riders captain's career has seen him lift six pieces of BBL silverware for the club, but Lamble admitted the time had come to retire from the professional game.

He said: “The time has come for me to hang up my boots and move onto pastures new. I’ve had an amazing 10 years in Leicester at a club that will always be close to my heart. I have decided that it is time to finally listen to my body and finish my professional playing career.”

“Every trophy we’ve won are obvious highlights of my time here but my time at the club has been about so much more than just silverware. The long time fans that I would now class as friends, my team mates over the years, some of which I would now class as brothers.

“Thank to everyone involved at the club who has made these 10 years so amazing and special for me, it’s been an epic decade.”

“In the future I look forward to coming to games on the weekend, enjoying a beer and watching the team continue to flourish for years to come.”

The 6’10 British big man from Taunton, didn’t start playing basketball until the age of 14, but Lamble rose through the ranks in the Taunton Tigers academy quite quickly playing regularly in the men’s national league team by the age of 16.

At 17-years-old, he was starting for the Tigers Men’s team and was invited to play for the England Under-20’s in the European championships in Rhodes, Greece.

Barry left Taunton to study at the University of Bath, where he played for the Team Bath Romans National League Division 1 for two years.

Both years at university he represented England Universities as well as playing BUCS for Bath where he came runners up in the National tournament in his 1st year averaging 21.2PPG and 9.5 RPG.