CWBA began their search for a fourth consecutive Women’s League title with two wins as six teams ended Round 1 unbeaten during the opening weekend of the 2019/20 Women’s League.
Featuring players of all abilities – from GB internationals to players playing in their first Women’s League – 22 fixtures were played across two days of non-stop action at Nottingham Wildcats Arena.
Division 1
In Division 1, CWBA began their season against Vixens and, after only seven points separated the two teams at the halfway stage, last year’s champions pulled away in the final two quarters to start their title defence with a 66-35 win.
Saturday’s victory was followed by another on Sunday with CWBA beating newly-promoted Blackhawks 45-59 to ensure they ended the weekend with a 100 per cent record.
Jude Hamer top-scored in both games for CWBA as she ended Round 1 with 39 points; the joint-highest in Division 1 along with fellow GB player Robyn Love (Angels of the North 1).
Angels of the North are also looking strong this season after back-to-back wins to begin their campaign. Last year’s bronze medallists started with a 62-33 victory over Blackhawks, with Amy Conroy top-scoring with 16 points.
Despite Conroy scoring three three-pointers in Sunday’s match against the Vixens, it was Robyn Love who top-scored against her old team, scoring 25 points to help Angels of the North 1 to a 75-25 win.
Division 2
North Wales Knights and London Titans 1 are the only undefeated teams after Round 1 in what looks set to be a very competitive division.
Knights ended the weekend with three wins from three during a busy schedule for the Welsh-based team. Anastasia Blease starred in their three games, scoring 92 points in total, in their wins over The Bears, Glasgow Rollin’ Rocks and Wakefield Whirlwinds.
Wakefield’s defeat to North Wales Knights on Sunday afternoon was their only loss of the weekend as they won back-to-back games on Saturday against Leicester Cobras and The Bears.
London Titans 1 ended the weekend with a 100 per cent winning record in Division 2, thanks to wins over Leicester Cobras and Angels of the North 2.
Glasgow Rollin’ Rocks were victorious against Angels of the North 2, with Manja Wolfram scoring 35 points in their 26-38 win.
One of the most entertaining games of the weekend came in one of the final games on Sunday with Leicester Cobras edging a thriller against The Bears – with the Cobras winning 42-40.
Division 3
Eastern Blue Stars ended the weekend with two wins – plus a walkover against Plymouth Raiders – as they began their 2019/20 campaign with an opening victory against Scottish Women Warriors.
Their second game was a close encounter with Eastern Blue Stars and London Titans 1 level on 22 points heading into the final quarter. Blue Stars added eight points to their total in the final 10 minutes to ensure they finished Round 1 top of the table in Division 3.
There were two close games involving South West Wales Dragons as they beat South East Sparks 23-29 and Jaguars 36-28; a result which saw Bethany Francis score her first ever competition basket.
London Titans 2 claimed two wins after victories over Scottish Women Warriors and Jaguars, who beat Wakefield Whirlwinds 2 39-30 in the final game on Sunday.
Wakefield Whirlwinds 2 were victorious against South East Sparks and were awarded a walkover against Plymouth Raiders, while South East Sparks beat Scottish Women Warriors at the start of day 2.
Recap the action from Round 1 with our live blog: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/live-blog/
Updated results & league tables can be found on the competition page: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/competition/womens-league-18-19/
