Five GB players will clash at the top of the Spanish League this weekend as the final gameweek of 2019 takes place across Europe.
Terry Bywater’s CD Ilunion face fellow unbeaten side Albacete; a team which features Gaz Choudhry, Lee Manning, Harry Brown and Kyle Marsh.
Both teams head into Saturday’s game in Madrid unbeaten this season with eight wins from eight, and they will both be wanting to extend their winning streak to end 2019 on a high.
Bywater topped the points standings in Spain for the fifth time last weekend with his 29 points taking his tally to 258 points for the season – a league-high from the eight games so far.
Lining-up on the other side of the court this weekend will be four of his GB teammates – all four were part of the European Championships winning side in the summer.
Choudhry, Manning, Brown and Marsh will be targeting a ninth consecutive win when they make the trip north with Choudhry having one of the best points per game averages in Spain this season, while Manning is one of the leading players for total rebounds.
Elsewhere in Spain, Mideba Extremadura will be looking to return to winning ways after defeat to Iberconsa Amfiv last weekend followed back-to-back victories. Mideba – featuring Ben Fox, Abdi Jama, Phil Pratt, Gregg Warburton and George Bates – host CB Las Rozas FDI, who are winless this season.
Amfiv will no doubt be buoyed by last weekend’s victory against Mideba, especially Lewis Edwards, who was the top-scoring British player in that game, scoring 17 points.
Edwards has posted his two-highest scores this season in the last two gameweeks, while Sam Mack will also be hoping Amfiv can secure a third successive win to end the calendar year when they host Bidaideak Bilbao.
Thomas Smith’s Rincon Dental Amivel travel to James MacSorley’s Gran Canaria.
In Germany, Simon Brown and Jim Palmer return to league action after facing each other in the cup last weekend. Brown’s RSV Lahn-Dill progressed through to the cup semi-final after victory over Palmer’s Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden.
Rhine River Rhinos host RBB Munchen Iguanas in gameweek 12 in Germany, while RSV Lahn-Dill welcome Baskets 96 Rahden to their home arena looking to keep the pressure on league leaders RSB Thuringia Bulls.
In Italy, Ian Sagar will travel to his former team Unipolsai Briantea 84 Cantu as Special Bergamo Sport target a return to winning ways.
Last weekend, Bergamo lost to SSD Santa Lucia, with GB’s Martin Edwards top-scoring with 31 points. This week Edwards and his Santa Lucia side travel to league leaders S. Stefano Avis.
Complete fixture list, featuring GB players:
Germany
| RSV Lahn-Dill v Baskets 96 Rahden | Simon Brown |
| Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden v RBB Munchen Iguanas | Jim Palmer |
Italy
| Unipolsai Briantea 84 Cantu v Special Sport Bergamo | Ian Sagar |
| S. Stefano Avis v SSD Santa Lucia | Martin Edwards |
Spain
| CD Ilunion v BSR Amiab Albacete | Terry Bywater (CD Ilunion) Kyle Marsh (Albacete) Gaz Choudhry (Albacete) Harry Brown (Albacete) Lee Manning (Albacete) |
| Mideba Extremadura v CB Las Rozas FDI | Ben Fox George Bates Abdi Jama Phil Pratt Gregg Warburton |
| Bidaideak Bilbao v Iberconsa Amfiv | Lewis Edwards Sam Mack |
| Gran Canaria v Rincon Dental Amivel | James MacSorley (Gran Canaria) Thomas Smith (Amivel) |
