- Home
- » News
- » Yorkshire and the East come top of The Lord’s Taverners National Junior Wheelchair Basketball Championships
Yorkshire and the East come top of The Lord’s Taverners National Junior Wheelchair Basketball Championships
Over 150 young people descended on Stoke Mandeville last weekend to play wheelchair basketball in The Lord’s Taverners National Junior Championship. Played over three days, the competition saw 18 regional squads over two age groups compete to win the title.
In the U19’s Championship the standard was very high and the games tightly contested with a number of matches having to go into over time to separate the teams. The final was between last years U15’S winners Yorkshire and the East Midlands, and with a determined performance Yorkshire overcame the East Midlands to become U19 Champions. Whilst in the U15’s competition the East region beat Northern Ireland in the final to take first place.
Both teams were presented their medals by supporter of the event Peter Harrison along side actor Robert Powell and Sir Trevor Brooking, both of whom support the Lord’s Taverners Sports Disability Appeal which funds the Championships.
The competition provides opportunity for young players across the UK to take part against each other and is an essential part of the development of wheelchair basketball player and every year the standard has got stronger. This year some of the squads included players from the GB Women Senior Squad such as Madeleine Thompson, Fran Ray and Laurie Williams.
There was also recognition for the players who had developed and improved the most, voted by the teams, Scotland’s Steven Ross won the U19’s Most Improved Player and Jim Palmer from London won the accolade of U15’s Most Improved Player.
Tournament organiser and GBWBA Junior Development Officer, Tina Gordon said after the event, “Congratulations to all teams that took part, the weekend was a great success and it was because of them, their parents, coaches and supporters that made it. We saw some excellent basketball played and both winning teams were pushed to the wire in on their way to the finals.”
“We must also thank The Lord’s Taverners without them there would not be a Championships and their support is crucial to the development of the Junior Programme.”
