Eleven teams remain unbeaten in the 2019/20 BWB National League after the final gameweek of 2019 saw five teams continue their winning starts to the season.
Sheffield Steelers 3, Plymouth Raiders 2, Swansea Storm and Wakefield Whirlwinds 1 and 2 all claimed victories in their respective divisions at the weekend to end 2019 on a high.
Premier Division
Three fixtures took place in the Premier Division with NI Knights edging a thriller against London Titans on Saturday. After losing by three points against Exeter Otters last time out, Knights bounced back with a five-point victory over Titans (58-53) to secure their second win of the season.
League leaders Sheffield Steelers ensured they ended the calendar year at the top of the Premier Division table with a 89-36 victory over Tees Valley Titans. Conn Nagle top-scored with 28 points for Steelers.
With the unbeaten Owls not playing, Sheffield Steelers now hold a three-point advantage over The Owls and CWBA, having played two games more than The Owls and one more than CWBA.
CWBA are now level on points with The Owls thanks to a third successive win following a 73-44 win over Exeter Otters. Peter Cusack led the scoring for CWBA with 23 points, whilst Liam Hassell claimed a ‘triple double’ with 22 points, 12 assists and 12 rebounds.
Division 1
Wakefield Whirlwinds extended their winning start to the season to five games in Division 1 North; their latest victory came through a 67-35 win to Manchester Giants Mavericks with Aaron Hirst scoring 28 points.
Glasgow Rollin’ Rocks still remain on top of the table – having played a game more than Wakefield – and the Scottish team secured their fifth win of the season with a 50-81 win away at Sheffield Steelers 2.
Glasgow’s James Beattie (33 points) and Ben Leitch (30 points) scored 63 points between them as they continued their fine form in the National League.
The only game in Division 1 South saw Jaguars end 2019 on a high thanks to a 37-52 win against CWBA 2. Richard Sargent led the scoring for Jaguars with 28 points.
Division 2
It was another successful weekend for Sheffield Steelers 3 who claimed two victories to extend their winning start to the season to four games in Division 2 North.
After a 92-29 win over Glasgow Rocks 2 on Saturday, Sheffield were back in action, less than 24 hours later, recording a 54-34 victory over Tees Valley Titans 2.
The Titans will end 2019 top of the table with their defeat to the Steelers their only blemish this season; although both Sheffield and Lothian Phoenix remain unbeaten, having played fewer games than Titans.
In Division 2 South, league leaders Sussex Bears were victorious over Cardiff Met Archers; with the final score 63-40 to Sussex Bears. John Lawler top-scorer with 25 points for Sussex Bears.
Norwich Lowriders returned to winning ways with a 40-54 triumph against Hampshire Harriers.
Division 3
Wakefield Whirlwinds 2 maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 40-23 win over Manchester Giants Mavericks 2 to end 2019 top of Division 3 North.
Plymouth Raiders 2 and Swansea Storm both extended their 100 per cent winning records with wins in Division 3 Central / South West.
Plymouth Raiders 2’s 26-56 win against CWBA 3 made it four wins from four as they sealed their spot at the top of the table.
Swansea Storm’s third win of the season came courtesy of a 52-25 triumph over Blackhawks 2.
Seven points were the difference as Derby Wheelblazers and Thames Valley Kings 2 went head-to-head into the other Division 3 Central / South West game. Thames Valley Kings were the team celebrating, thanks to a 42-49 win.
The only game in Division 3 South East was at Folkestone Arrows where Sparrows secured their fourth win of the season; triumphing 38-60.
See the full list of fixtures, results and league tables on the BWB National League competition page: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/competition/nl-premier-division-19-20/
