Adam Bailey

It’s set to be another busy weekend featuring GB athletes in club action in Spain and Germany, including second versus third in Germany’s RBBL1 when RSV Lahn-Dill (Simon Brown/Ian Sagar) host Baskets 96 Rahden (Peter Cusack/Jake Robinson/Thomas Smith) on Saturday.

All of this weekend’s six games in Spain will feature British interest, including a head-to-head clash as Terry Bywater and Gregg Warburton’s CD Ilunion host an Iberconsa Amfiv side featuring 2017 U23 World Champions Lewis Edwards and Sam Mack.

Here’s the games to look out for with nine fixtures expected to feature GB athletes across the weekend (all listed as UK times):

Spain – http://bsr.feddf.es/index.php

Mideba Extremadura v FDI Fundacion Las Rozas   (16:00 – Saturday 27 February)	George Bates Billy Bridge Phil Pratt
Bidaideak Bilbao BSR v Amivel (17:30 – Saturday 27 February)	Abdi Jama
CD Ilunion v Iberconsa Amfiv (17:30 – Saturday 27 February)	Terry Bywater (Ilunion) Gregg Warburton (Ilunion) Lewis Edwards (Amfiv) Sam Mack (Amfiv)
BSR Amiab Albacete v Getafe BSR (18:00 – Saturday 27 February)	Harry Brown Gaz Choudhry Ben Fox Lee Manning Kyle Marsh
Fundacion Vital Zuzenak v BSR ACE Gran Canaria (10:00 – Sunday 28 February)	James MacSorley
Fundacion Aliados v Servigest Burgos (11:00 – Sunday 28 February)	Will Bonner Lee Fryer

Germany – https://www.rbbl.de/de/rbbl1/

RBB Munchen Iguanas v RSB Thuringia Bulls   (15:30 – Saturday 27 February)	Helen Freeman
RSV Lahn-Dill v Baskets 96 Rahden (18:30 – Saturday 27 February)	Simon Brown (Lahn-Dill) Ian Sagar (Lahn-Dill) Peter Cusack (Rahden) Jake Robinson (Rahden) Thomas Smith (Rahden)
Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden v Hannover United (14:00 – Saturday 28 February)	Jim Palmer

Gaz Choudhry and Lee Manning both posted game-high totals as five GB players helped BSR Amiab Albacete to victory; one of eight games to feature British interest in Spain and Germany over the weekend. 

Choudhry led the scoring for Albacete, scoring 19 points and recording eight assists in their 45:81 win at Fundacion FDI Las Rozas. Manning continues to be one of the leading players in the league for rebounds, collecting a game-high 12 total rebounds and scoring nine points against Las Rozas. 

Ben Fox secured a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while 12 points for Kyle Marsh and 11 points for Harry Brown saw the five GB players score 67 of Albacete’s 81 points. 

Billy Bridge scored two three-pointers in the final 76 seconds of Mideba Extremadura’s game against league leaders Bidaideak Bilbao BSR, but it wasn’t enough to stop Bilbao claiming a 71:63 win. The two maximums saw Bridge end the game with a points total of 14, while Phil Pratt and George Bates scored 10 and six points, respectively. 

James MacSorley’s BSR ACE Gran Canaria are the closest challengers to Bidaideak Bilbao BSR at the top of the table, with MacSorley helping his side to a 44:64 win over Abdi Jama’s Amivel. MacSorley and Jama both scored two points towards their team’s totals. 

Four British players were involved in a thrilling game in Burgos which saw Servigest Burgos secure an 84:81 win against CD Ilunion in overtime. Will Bonner and Lee Fryer were both on the winning side; Fryer followed-up his best figures of the season to date from the previous weekend with 11 points and a joint game-high eight assists, while Bonner scored six points. 

Terry Bywater and Gregg Warburton were both in action for Ilunion, scoring 10 and six points, respectively. 

Lewis Edwards scored 11 points and recorded a game-high six assists as Edwards and Sam Mack (two points) helped Iberconsa Amfiv to a 73:47 win at home to Fundacion Vital Zuzenak. 

In Germany, Thomas Smith recorded a double-double as Baskets 96 Rahden came within four points of ending RSB Thuringia Bulls’ unbeaten season. Smith scored 12 points and collected 10 rebounds in Rahden’s 76:72 defeat against Helen Freeman’s side, who extended their winning record. 

Rahden face RSV Lahn-Dill this weekend, with Ian Sagar and Simon Brown helping Lahn-Dill to a 51:87 win against BG Baskets Hamburg. Sagar added 11 points to Lahn-Dill’s total. 

Jim Palmer scored two points as Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden were victorious against RBB Munchen Iguanas, 68:63. 

Most Points (GB Players) 

19 – Gaz Choudhry (Spain; Albacete) 

16 – Ben Fox (Spain; Albacete) 

14 – Billy Bridge (Spain; Mideba) 

Most Assists (GB Players) 

8 – Gaz Choudhry (Spain; Albacete); Lee Fryer (Spain; Burgos) 

6 – Lewis Edwards (Spain; Amfiv) 

5 – Terry Bywater (Spain; Ilunion); Ben Fox (Spain; Albacete); Phil Pratt (Spain; Mideba) 

4 – Kyle Marsh (Spain; Albacete) 

Most Total Rebounds (GB Players) 

12 – Lee Manning (Spain; Albacete) 

10 – Ben Fox (Spain; Albacete); Thomas Smith (Germany; Rahden) 

9 – Gaz Choudhry (Spain; Albacete) 

British Wheelchair Basketball is saddened to hear the news of the passing of former Owls and BWB Member Malcolm Jones.

Malcolm joined Oldham Owls, as the club was known then, in the early nineties and was the team manager and a committee member for many years. His background was in the running game and his love of basketball and particularly the wheelchair game always shone through resulting in him accompanying Coach John Stainton to the Atlanta Paralympic Games in 1996 as GB Team Manager, where the men’s team won the silver medal.

Alongside his involvement in the elite side of the sport, Malcolm dedicated his time to the development of juniors in the North West region, attending the Junior Regional Championships as Team Manager for five years in the early 2000s.

Malcolm, also known by those in the wheelchair basketball community as “Jonesy”, was not blessed with good health in his later years but he continued to support the Owls and often watched the club’s home matches.

The club was fortunate to have benefitted from Malcolm’s support for so many years. A popular member of the wider wheelchair basketball community, particularly in Europe when on Owls EuroCup adventures, Malcolm always engaged with players, officials and supporters alike. He will be sadly missed.

The thoughts of everyone at British Wheelchair Basketball are with Malcolm’s family and friends at this incredibly sad time.

Tribute by Dan Johnson, The Owls Head Coach and BWB Board Member

There’s a full fixture list featuring GB athletes in Spain and Germany this weekend with eight games, including three head-to-head clashes, ensuring it’s going to be another busy Saturday of action.

Here’s the fixtures to look out for including a battle between first and third in Germany (RSB Thuringia Bulls v Baskets 96 Rahden) and a visit to the Spanish league leaders for three GB players (Bidaideak Bilbao BSR v Mideba Extremadura) – all listed as UK times:

Spain – http://bsr.feddf.es/index.php

Fundacion FDI Las Rozas v BSR Amiab Albacete   (15:00 – 20 February)	Harry Brown Gaz Choudhry Ben Fox Lee Manning Kyle Marsh
Amivel v BSR ACE Gran Canaria (17:00 – 20 February)	Abdi Jama (Amivel) James MacSorley (Gran Canaria)
Iberconsa Amfiv v Fundacion Vital Zuzenak   (17:00 – 20 February)	Lewis Edwards Sam Mack
Servigest Burgos v CD Ilunion (17:00 – 20 February)	Will Bonner (Burgos) Lee Fryer (Burgos) Terry Bywater (Ilunion) Gregg Warburton (Ilunion)
Bidaideak Bilbao BSR v Mideba Extremadura (17:30 – 20 February)	George Bates Billy Bridge Phil Pratt

Germany – https://www.rbbl.de/de/rbbl1/

Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden v RBB Munchen Iguanas (16:00, UK Time – 20 February)	Jim Palmer
RSB Thuringia Bulls v Baskets 96 Rahden   (17:00, UK Time – 20 February)	Helen Freeman (Thuringia) Peter Cusack (Rahden) Jake Robinson (Rahden) Thomas Smith (Rahden)
BG Baskets Hamburg v RSV Lahn-Dill (17:00 – 20 February)	Simon Brown Ian Sagar

It was a busy weekend of action in Spain and Germany with Gaz Choudhry top-scoring in Spain, while there was double success for four GB players in Germany during a weekend of double headers. 

Spain

World and four-time European champion Gaz Choudhry topped the weekend’s scoring charts in Spain’s Division de Honor, equalling his season’s best total of 27 points, in BSR Amiab Albacete’s 71:81 defeat to league leaders Bidaideak Bilbao BSR. 

All five of Albacete’s British players added points to the team’s total, with Lee Manning collecting a game-high 14 rebounds along with his nine points. Kyle Marsh scored 10 points and provided eight assists, while Harry Brown and Ben Fox added three and two points, respectively. 

It was a successful weekend for Terry Bywater and Gregg Warburton as they helped CD Ilunion move to third in the table, thanks to two wins in as many days. 

Bywater totalled 39 points across the two games, scoring 22 points in Ilunion’s 94:38 victory over Getafe BSR on Saturday before 17 points in their 94:26 win against Fundacion FDI Las Rozas. Game-high assists totals of 11 and 10, respectively, saw Bywater end the weekend with two double-doubles. 

Warburton scored eight points in the Getafe win, before four points on Sunday against Las Rozas. 

George Bates was the game’s joint-highest points scorer as Mideba Extremadura secured a narrow win in a three-point game against Abdi Jama’s Amivel. 

Bates scored 19 points in a 60:57 victory which saw Phil Pratt total 12 points, a game-high 11 assists and nine rebounds, with Billy Bridge adding eight points to Mideba’s total. Abdi Jama scored 12 points for Amivel against his former club. 

Saturday proved to be a double celebration for James MacSorley with the 2018 World champion celebrating his birthday with a 75:45 victory over Iberconsa Amfiv. MacSorley scored four points for Gran Canaria, while Lewis Edwards scored three points for an Amfiv side which also included Sam Mack. 

Lee Fryer recorded his best game figures of the season so far, posting a season’s best 18 points and a game-high 10 assists in Servigest Burgos’ 50:79 away win at Fundacion Vital Zuzenak – the 2017 U23 World champion just missed out on a triple-double, collecting nine rebounds. 

Will Bonner scored three points for Burgos as he also continues his debut season in Spain.

Germany 

It was a busy and successful weekend for most of the GB players in action in Germany. Helen Freeman helped RSB Thuringia Bulls continue their winning season to date, with victories against BG Baskets Hamburg (56:80) and Jim Palmer’s Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden (61:91). 

Freeman scored two points and recorded two assists in the game against Hamburg on Saturday, while Jim Palmer scored four points when the two went head-to-head in Wiesbaden on Sunday. 

There was also double success for Simon Brown and Ian Sagar as RSV Lahn-Dill continue to keep the pressure on the league leaders. 

Sagar scored five points and Brown two in Lahn-Dill’s 62:82 victory in Hannover on Saturday. Less than 24 hours later, Sagar was Lahn-Dill’s top-scorer in their 84:35 win at home to BBC Munsterland, with Brown scoring four points. 

Thomas Smith started both of Baskets 96 Rahden’s weekend away victories, scoring 14 points in their 52:69 victory over BBC Munsterland and 10 points against BG Baskets Hamburg on Sunday (won 71:83). 

Most Points (GB players) 

27 – Gaz Choudhry (Spain; Albacete) 

22 – Terry Bywater (Spain; Ilunion v Getafe) 

19 – George Bates (Spain; Mideba) 

Most Assists (GB players) 

11 – Terry Bywater (Spain; Ilunion v Getafe); Phil Pratt (Spain; Mideba) 

10 – Terry Bywater (Spain; Ilunion v Las Rozas); Lee Fryer (Spain; Burgos) 

7 – Gaz Choudhry (Spain; Albacete) 

Most Rebounds (GB players) 

14 – Lee Manning (Spain; Albacete) 

9 – Terry Bywater (Spain; Ilunion); Lee Fryer (Spain; Burgos); Phil Pratt (Spain; Mideba); Abdi Jama (Spain; Amivel) 

7 – Gaz Choudhry (Spain; Albacete); Thomas Smith (Germany; Rahden v Hamburg) 

British Wheelchair Basketball has joined forces with four leading organisations in its bid to double participation in the sport.

The partnerships will be activated through the Inspire a Generation programme, British Wheelchair Basketball’s ground-breaking new initiative. The programme has been designed to support disabled participants find or return to physical activity, many of whom have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NGB is actively seeking Local and National Delivery Partners to support the successful development of its Inspire a Generation initiative, via inspireageneration.com. These partners and leading charities such as StreetGames, WheelPower, Whizz-Kidz and UK Coaching will be central to the recruitment of Community Activators and the delivery of the Inspire a Generation wheelchair basketball taster sessions in communities across England.

Discussing the new partnerships Lisa Pearce, Chief Executive at British Wheelchair Basketball said:

“It’s a really exciting time for us as a sport and I’m delighted to be joining forcing with StreetGames, WheelPower, Whizz-Kidz and UK Coaching. Utilising their experience and expertise will allow us to collectively deliver a fun and engaging introduction to wheelchair basketball. We’ve developed a brand-new approach for the sport at a local community level, and I am excited for the programme to get underway in the summer.

“We are really keen to collaborate with new sporting and community partners through this initiative and encourage them to reach out to find out how we can work together. Never has there been a more important time to actively look after the physical health of our nation, working as a team with National and Local Delivery Partners I am absolutely certain that we can successfully achieve this ambition.”

UK Coaching Director of Coaching Emma Atkins said:

“Coaches play a positive role in bringing people and communities together through sport and physical activity. As the nation rebuilds, they will be crucial in ensuring their participants are able to return to activity and feel confident in doing so. The Inspire a Generation programme is a fantastic opportunity to utilise these skills and introduce people to the sport whilst creating positive physical activity habits.”

The new initiative, driven by British Wheelchair Basketball and supported by £1.5m of funding from Sport England, is a hugely exciting development for the sport, with an ambition to engage an inactive population through inclusive activity and transition participants into longer-term active lifestyles.

Hannah Crane, Director of People & Partnerships at StreetGames added:

“The Inspire a Generation programme is a hugely exciting opportunity which will give young people the chance to play wheelchair basketball in their local communities. We are excited to work with British Wheelchair Basketball to recruit Community Activators and deliver accessible and positive experiences for young people to find and return to physical activity.”

Martin McElhatton, Chief Executive at WheelPower said:

“It is our ambition to ensure disabled people have opportunities to play sport and lead healthy active lives. Wheelchair basketball is accessible to all, regardless of age or ability and we are delighted to be working with British Wheelchair Basketball on the delivery of the Inspire a Generation programme. It’s been a very challenging year for disabled people but we know that playing sport can enrich lives and we look forward to supporting this exciting programme and linking it to our work with newly paralysed men and women and young disabled people.”

Jo Fashan, Associate Director, Young People’s Services, at Whizz-Kidz said:

“We are excited to be working with British Wheelchair Basketball on their Inspire a Generation programme. Our aim is to ensure young disabled people have the opportunity to live fun, enjoyable lives and there are so many benefits to being active, both physically and mentally. We look forward to rolling out the Inspire a Generation sessions within communities.”

To find out more about the Inspire a Generation programme, or to become a Partner, visit www.inspireageneration.com.

It’s set to be a busy weekend of action for the 23 GB athletes playing for clubs in Spain and Germany with a weekend of double headers in Germany, three head-to-head battles, a top of the table clash for five British players and two games for Terry Bywater and Gregg Warburton in Spain.

Here’s this weekend’s list of fixtures featuring GB players (all listed as UK times):

Spain – http://bsr.feddf.es/index.php

BSR Amiab Albacete v Bidaideak Bilbao BSR (16:00 – 13 February)	Harry Brown Gaz Choudhry Ben Fox Lee Manning Kyle Marsh
Mideba Extremadura v Amivel (16:00 – 13 February)	George Bates (Mideba) Billy Bridge (Mideba) Phil Pratt (Mideba)   Abdi Jama (Amivel)
CD Ilunion v Getafe BSR (17:30 – 13 February)	Terry Bywater Gregg Warburton
BSR ACE Gran Canaria v Iberconsa Amfiv (18:00 – 13 February)	James MacSorley (Gran Canaria) Lewis Edwards (Amfiv) Sam Mack (Amfiv)
Fundacion Vital Zuzenak v Servigest Burgos (18:00 – 13 February)	Will Bonner Lee Fryer
CD Ilunion v Fundacion FDI Las Rozas (16:45 – 14 February)	Terry Bywater Gregg Warburton

Germany – https://www.rbbl.de/de/rbbl1/

BG Baskets Hamburg v RSB Thuringia Bulls (14:00, UK Time – 13 February)	Helen Freeman
BBC Munsterland v Baskets 96 Rahden (14:00, UK Time – 13 February)	Peter Cusack Jake Robinson Thomas Smith
Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden v Doneck Dolphins Tier (16:00 – 13 February)	Jim Palmer
Hannover United v RSV Lahn-Dill (17:00 – 13 January)	Simon Brown Ian Sagar
BG Baskets Hamburg v Baskets 96 Rahden (14:00 – 14 February)	Peter Cusack Jake Robinson Thomas Smith
Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden v RSB Thuringia Bulls (14:00 – 14 February)	Jim Palmer (Wiesbaden) Helen Freeman (Thuringia)
RSV Lahn-Dill v BBC Munsterland (15:00 – 14 February)	Simon Brown Ian Sagar

British Wheelchair Basketball is delighted to welcome Chris Hassell to its Board as a Non-Executive Sports Director, effective from 26^th January 2021.

An active member within the wheelchair basketball community as a player and coach, Chris has been involved in the sport for over 15 years, including as a coach at the UK School Games, and treasurer and trustee at his local club Jaguars.

Wheelchair basketball has become a huge part of Chris’ and his family’s life since his youngest son first took-up the sport at age seven, with his two sons playing in BWB competitions and his wife, Helen a BWB table official.

A qualified teacher and accountant, Chris brings to the BWB Board substantial expertise in governance and transformation, helping large organisations transform their business processes and systems.

Chris has also been involved in the Charity sector working with Boards on improving governance, creating visions and executing new strategies. Passionate about the positive impact sport and activity can have on individuals, Chris is also a Board Member of Active Nottinghamshire.

On his appointment Chris Hassell commented: 

“17 years ago, I met our local wheelchair basketball coach with my then seven-year-old son in Morrisons doing a collection… a week later, after his first training session, he was hooked!  And so were we as a family – our passion for the sport knows no bounds literally as we have played, coached and officiated in all parts of the UK!

“I am so glad to be able to ‘give back’ now as a Sporting Director for BWB – it is a real privilege to represent the Membership on the Board at this exciting time for the sport as we expand our participation base and further develop excellence in our performance pathways.”

To find out more about the BWB Board, visit https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/about/who-we-are/board/