Following trials for Wales’ National Junior Teams, Wales Wheelchair Basketball Association (WWBA) is announcing it’s training squads for the Lord Taverners Junior Championships 2018.
Both trials were attended by a very high calibre of athlete which left the Wales National Coaches (Caroline Matthews and Anna Jackson (U19) and Lee Coulson and James Coyle-King (U15)) with some difficult selection decisions.
Caroline Matthews, Head Coach (U19) explains:
"I'm extremely pleased at the high quality of the athletes that put themselves forward for the trials. The ever-improving standard of the Welsh athletes reflects the hard work of those athletes and also of their clubs and coaches. Well done to everyone involved! I'm really looking forward to working with the Welsh u19 wheelchair basketball squad this summer."
Wales U15 team achieved silver in last year’s National Junior Championships, the first Wales team to ever win a medal at this tournament. U15 Head Coach, Lee Coulson, believes his team are ready for success again in 2018:
" We will be working hard at training over the next two months and hope to build on our success at the Junior Championships in 2017. Congratulations to the players selected"
Wheelchair basketball has grown exponentially in Wales in recent years, with 12 clubs across the country and growing success at British Wheelchair Basketball competitions. Lou Englefield, WWBA Chair addresses the development of the sport,
“With the announcement in December 2017 that wheelchair basketball will debut at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games; it’s an exciting time for the sport in Wales. If Wales were to qualify for CG 2022, some of the young players announced in these junior squads will become athletes to watch out for”
The following players have been chosen for the training squads:
U19
Sara Millband (North Wales Knights), Oliver Griffith-Salter (CWBA), Luke Ravenscroft (North Wales Knights), Nia Evans (North Wales Knights / Rhyl Raptors), Kieran Jones (Conwy Thunder), Ethan Bennett (West Coast Warriors), Sam Law (West Coast Warriors), Jack Morris (Swansea Storm), Daniel May (CWBA), Andreas Alexandrou (North Wales Knights /Anglesey Hawks), Rebecca Ganley (Conwy Thunder), Lewys Greenwood (Pembrokeshire College)
(12 players have been invited to the U19 squad training sessions this summer and the final selection of 10 athletes for the Lord Taverners Junior Championships 2018 will be made by the coaches before the end of June deadline)
U15
Alex Wilson, Captain (Conwy Thunder), Anastasia Blease, Vice Captain (Rhyl Raptors) Callum Williams (Swansea Storm), Ryan Jones (Anglesey Hawks), Tegwen Dudley (West Coast Warriors), William Bishop (Rhyl Raptors), Olivia Philips (Pemborkeshire Hurricanes), Rhys Evitts (Rhyl Raptors), Kai Frisby (West Coast Warriors), Callum Truchon (Anglesey Hawks)
ENDS
For more information about Wales Wheelchair Basketball Association, please email: info@waleswheelchairbasketball.org.uk