In the opener on our final day of Commonwealth Games 3×3 action, Northern Ireland took the win 10-7 against South Africa in the 5/6th place playoff match. The team has had a journey to be proud of, earning their way to Birmingham 2022 in a dramatic final at the IWBF European qualifier where they won in overtime.
Northern Ireland’s Conn Nagle commented:
“We knew what South Africa would bring to the table as we’ve played them already, so today was just about going out and getting a strong start, putting the game to bed early and show them what we’re all about. We started slowly but we managed to get into a groove to hold them off at the end there, so buzzing to get the win.”
The women’s bronze medal match saw a clash of home nations as England Women took the win 12-10 over Scotland Women in a fiercely competitive game. Both teams featured GB athletes who have played on the international circuit together, as well as in Women’s Premier League, so the crowd was treated to an exciting match-up.
England’s Charlie Moore commented:
“I’m just so proud of our team right now for coming together – I think we’ve done an awesome job throughout this tournament, sticking together as a team. It’s amazing the amount of people who have come out to support us, its really incredible out there.”
Scotland Women finish fourth following their defeat by England, but their resilience and pride has been a motivating and inspiring journey to follow.
Scotland’s Lynsey Speirs commented:
“We stuck together as a team throughout all of this. We have a mix of experience, and we’ve been helping each other and bringing each other on so I couldn’t be prouder of us. I’m so happy to have been able to perform here in front of all the Scotland fans and family, so, although it wasn’t the result we wanted, I couldn’t be happier.”
In the men’s bronze medal match, England Men’s achieved a 21-point game to stop the clock early against Malaysia and secure the bronze in front of a roaring home crowd. England Men had already played against Malaysia in the pool stages, so they had previous experience of the team heading into the match and used this to their advantage.
Tyler Baines commented:
“Wheelchair basketball has never been at the Commonwealth Games before, and to medal on our first time is unbelievable – a dream come true… We got to 21 points with two seconds left on the clock, and that was our aim, that’s what we wanted to do all tournament, and we did it in our final game.”
A huge congratulations to all athletes and team staff who competed in Birmingham 2022. We’d also like to extend a huge well done to all referees and table officials who worked the 3×3 games, as well as BWB members who volunteered at the Games.
