The Women’s Team will travel to Hamburg on the 16th August to play in a warm-up tournament before travelling on to Wetzlar where the opening game will be against the hosts and bronze medallists at the World Championships – Germany.
The Great Britain Men’s team will embark on their final preparation camp this week at Lilleshall National Sport Centre, having just returned from a tour of Australia where there were mixed results, but some great performances. Great Britain player Joe Bestwick said, ‘ We used Australia to push ourselves to our limits, to try out new line-ups and new plays. It was a very successful trip and gave us an ideal platform as we go to the European Championships with our primary goal of qualification for Beijing’.
The chairman of the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association, Joseph Fletcher said, ‘The teams are looking good, the preparations are going well and whilst qualification forBeijing is our first target, we are hoping for medal success from both teams.’
The Women’s team must medal to qualify for next years’ Summer Paralympic Games and despite lottery funding only being made available at the end of last year, coach Garry Peel is confident that the team will perform well. ‘The Visa Paralympic World Cup in May gave us a great insight in to what we need to do at the European Championships, we know we can go out there and win a medal, and that is exactly what we intend to do’, said Gary, sentiments have been echoed by everyone close to the squad.
The selected squads:
|
TEAM COACH: ASSISTANT COACH: TEAM MANAGER PHYSIO MECHANIC |
GREAT BRITAIN MEN MURRAY TRESEDER, Loughborough SINCLAIR THOMAS, Newport -Shrops PAUL FOSTER, Reading IAN BLACKBURN PAUL POLLOCK, Wigan |
|
NUMBER |
PLAYERS NAME |
POINTS |
CLUB TEAM |
LOCATION |
|
4 |
Joe Bestwick |
4.5 |
Rhinos |
Nottingham |
|
5 |
Daniel Highcock |
4.5 |
Vikings |
Liverpool |
|
6 |
Kevin Hayes |
1.0 |
SheffieldSteelers |
Rotherham |
|
7 |
Terry Bywater |
4.5 |
Sharks |
Middlesborough |
|
8 |
Simon Munn |
4.0 |
Rhinos |
Norton Caines, Staffs |
|
9 |
Jon Pollock |
2.5 |
Vikings |
Wigan |
|
10 |
Abdillahi Jama |
1.0 |
LiverpoolGreenbank |
Liverpool |
|
11 |
Matt Byrne |
1.5 |
Rhinos |
Bramcote,Nottingham |
|
12 |
Andy Blake |
2.5 |
MK Aces |
Newport Pagnel,Milton Keynes |
|
13 |
Pete Finbow |
2.0 |
SheffieldSteelers |
Dewsbury |
|
14 |
Colin Price |
2.5 |
SheffieldSteelers |
Sheffield |
|
15 |
Ademola Orogbemi |
2.5 |
LiverpoolGreenbank |
Liverpool |
|
TEAM COACH: ASSISTANT COACH: TEAM MANAGER PHYSIO |
GREAT BRITAIN WOMENS TEAM MR GARRY PEEL, Oldham MR MATTHEW FODEN, Northampton MR STEPHEN DUFF, Lothian EMMA FODEN, Oldham RACHEL SUCKLING, Norfolk |
|
NUMBER |
PLAYERS NAME |
POINTS |
CLUB |
LOCATION |
|
4 |
Caroline MacLean |
2.0 |
Aces |
Haverhill, Suffolk |
|
5 |
Joanne Harper |
1.0 |
SheffieldSteelers |
Sheffield |
|
6 |
Clare Strange |
1.5 |
Aces |
High Wycombe |
|
7 |
Jill Fox |
1.5 |
SheffieldSteelers |
Sheffield |
|
8 |
Ann Wild |
2.0 |
Force |
Ilford, Essex |
|
9 |
Debee Steel |
2.0 |
Knights |
Belfast |
|
10 |
Sally Wager |
3.0 |
Rhinos |
Duston, Northants |
|
11 |
Helen Freeman |
4.0 |
Force |
Watford |
|
12 |
Helen Turner |
4.0 |
Force |
Chobham, Surrey |
|
13 |
Louise Sugden |
2.0 |
Force |
Newbury |
|
14 |
Paula Johnson |
4.5 |
Furness Falcons |
Barrow on Furness |
|
15 |
Caroline Matthews |
4.5 |
Cardiff Celts |
Cardiff |
