British Wheelchair Basketball is delighted to announce the athletes selected to compete at the 2021 School Games National Finals which get underway next Thursday (2 September) at Loughborough University.
Forty-eight athletes from across England, Scotland and Wales will represent their country/region in the 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball competition when the School Games National Finals return next week (2-5 September).
The 2021 edition of the Games will be the first multi-sport event for young athletes following the lifting of lockdown restrictions, and will see more than 1,300 young athletes compete across ten sports at venues across Loughborough University Campus.
Starting with the opening pool stage games on Friday 3 September, there will be three-days of non-stop 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball action on the Loughborough courts, with the 3×3 format being played at the School Games for the first time, along with separate boys’ and girls’ competitions, a change from the mixed competition in recent years.
Always a highlight on the BWB calendar, this multi-sport events aims to spring-board athletes to greater heights in their sporting careers with nearly half of the 24 athletes selected to represent ParalympicsGB at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games competing at the School Games during their junior careers.
This year will once again feature many of the UK’s brightest Wheelchair Basketball young talents including athletes who are part of the GBR Academy and players who have starred for their clubs in BWB Junior League and other domestic competitions. Some athletes will be playing their first competitive game with the competition featuring athletes aged 13 to 18.
Although the competition will be played behind closed doors, the sporting action will be streamed live via the Youth Sport Trust YouTube channel for family, friends and fans of the sport to watch. More information on how to watch can be viewed here.
Today’s announcement follows the recent open selection events with each of the appointed team coaches using the events to select their squads for the National Finals. A full list of the teams, coaches and selected athletes can be found below.
Wales Girls (Coach: Mike Hayes)
Anastasia Blease (3.5), Bethany Francis (1.0), Olivia Phillips (3.5)
England Pink Girls (Coach: Steve Greatorex)
Hayley Cassin (1.5), Ellan Fraser (3.0), Maddison Martin (3.5), Mia Whitwell (4.0)
England Orange Girls (Coach: Sean Cullen)
Elana Brand (5.0), Emily Branthwaite (2.5), Lila Davis (5.0), Lauren Saphir (1.5)
England North Girls (Coach: Steve Greatorex)
Holly Lounds (3.5), Alice McHaffie (4.0), Rhumbizai Leah Mulomo (2.5), Niamh Watson (1.5)
Wales Boys (Coach: Caroline Matthews MBE)
Daniel Berry (3.0), William Bishop (3.0), Kai Frisby (1.5), Callum Williams (4.0), Alex Wilson (3.0),
England South Boys (Coach: Jack Davey)
Liam Barker (3.5), PJ O’Donovan (2.5), Charlie McIntyre (3.0), Daniel Smith (3.5), Abderrahim Taghrest (1.0)
England North Boys (Coach: Josh Gardner)
Lewis Craddock (2.5), Thomas Harvey (3.0), George Hazard (4.5), Liam Hodgson (3.5), Oliver Porter (1.0)
England Green Boys (Coach: Percy Hutchful)
Daniel Adebajo (3.0), George Gray (5.0), Mason Pendergast (1.0), Kamari Parker (5.0)
England Pink Boys (Coach: Any Craddock)
Charlie Adams (2.0), Jack Long (3.5), Jamie Newton (3.0), Matthew Stan (2.5)
Scotland Blue Boys (Coach: Mark Stevenson)
Jack Caird (3.0), Ronnie Cassels (3.0), Finlay Erskine (4.5), Shayne Humphries (3.0), Daniel McLaughlin (1.5)
Scotland White Boys (Coach: Conor Smart)
Ben Flanigan (3.0), Owen Leitch (5.0), David McLaughlin (1.0), Charlie Redmond (2.0), Callum Smith (5.0)
For more information about the School Games, please visit https://www.schoolgamesfinals.org/
