Adam Bailey

After a reduced fixture list last weekend across Europe, 17 GB players are expected to be back in action this week as the top divisions continue in Spain and Germany on Saturday (14^th November). 

All four games going ahead in Spain are likely to feature British interest including a potential British head-to-head when Iberconsa Amfiv take on CD Ilunion on Saturday at 17:00 (UK Time). 

Terry Bywater and Gregg Warburton both helped CD Ilunion to an impressive 15:102 victory over Getafe BSR in their opening fixture and, after their game was postponed last week, they’ll be hoping to pick-up where they left off when they travel to Vigo to play Amfiv, featuring Sam Mack and Lewis Edwards. 

2017 U23 World champions Edwards and Mack were both part of the Amfiv team which ended Ilunion’s unbeaten streak in February before the 2019/20 season came to an end due to the pandemic.

George Bates, Billy Bridge and Phil Pratt will be hoping to help Mideba Extremadura maintain their perfect start to the season so far when they travel to Madrid to face Fundacion FDI Las Rozas. The GB trio have all been influential in Mideba’s two victories so far this season with Pratt posting a weekend-high assists total last weekend.

They’ll be eager to continue their excellent start to the season when they take to the court at 15:00 (UK Time) on Saturday. 

BSR Amiab Albacete – featuring five GB internationals this season – travel to Getafe BSR off the back of the win against Fundacion FDI Las Rozas last weekend which followed their narrow defeat to Bidaideak Bilbao BSR in Albacete’s opening game. 

Kyle Marsh has started the season strongly, leading the league’s points scoring after the opening two gamedays, with Gaz Choudhry top-scoring last weekend with 23 points. Harry Brown, Ben Fox and Lee Manning will also be looking to help Albacete secure back-to-back wins when the game gets underway at 16:30 (UK Time) on Saturday. 

Abdi Jama’s Amivel will be back in action against Bidaideak Bilbao BSR after his side’s game was postponed last weekend. Jama played the full game in Amivel’s opening weekend defeat to his former club Mideba, having moved to Amivel for the 2020/21 season, where he’s joined-up with three-time Paralympian Ade Orogbemi. 

After no games featuring GB players went ahead in Germany last weekend, there will be British interest in the RBBL1 this weekend. 

Helen Freeman’s RSB Thuringia Bulls host Doneck Dolphins Trier on Saturday at 17:00 (UK Time) looking to claim back-to-back wins after Freeman helped The Bulls to victory over ING Skywheelers on her debut for the club two weeks ago.

Also playing at 17:00 on Saturday will be Baskets 96 Rahden, featuring Thomas Smith, Peter Cusack and Jake Robinson, who will be back in action after their opening day win over Jim Palmer’s Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden. This week Rahden travel to Hannover United, who will be playing their first game of the season.

Spain 

Fundacion FDI Las Rozas v Mideba Extremadura (15:00, UK Time)	George Bates Billy Bridge Phil Pratt
Getafe BSR v BSR Amiab Albacete (16:30, UK Time)	Harry Brown Gaz Choudhry Ben Fox Lee Manning Kyle Marsh
Amivel v Bidaideak Bilbao BSR (17:00, UK Time)	Abdi Jama
Amfiv v CD Ilunion (17:00, UK Time)	Lewis Edwards (Amfiv) Sam Mack (Amfiv) Terry Bywater (Ilunion) Gregg Warburton (Ilunion)

Germany 

RSB Thuringia Bulls v Doneck Dolphins Trier (17:00, UK Time)	Helen Freeman
Hannover United v Baskets 96 Rahden (17:00, UK Time)	Peter Cusack Jake Robinson Thomas Smith

We’ve updated our Privacy Notice

Protecting the personal information of our members and system users, and being transparent about how we use your data is very important to us.

British Wheelchair Basketball continually reviews its policies and notices to ensure that we are implementing strong governance across the sport.

This notice is to inform you that we have updated our Privacy Notice.

Please note this is not a full notice review and updates have been made in the following areas:

Areas of change include:

• Social Media – Updates regarding how we process social media data that is either supplied directly by you or via a third party.
• Third party systems – Updates regarding the third-party systems we collect data from and share data too. This might include for the purposes of membership administration or eligibility processing.

Please note that this is not a complete list of the changes made, the updated Privacy Notice can be viewed here.

If you’re a member or system user, you do not need to do anything, the notice will come into immediate effect and is available via both our online system and the BWB website.

British Wheelchair Basketball, the governing body for the sport in the UK, has today announced a four-year partnership with international sportswear brand Kukri Sports.

The agreement will see Kukri design and manufacture a bespoke GB apparel range for the sports national squads, as well as providing a full sport-clothing offering for British Wheelchair Basketball clubs, participants and workforce.

Kukri will join British Wheelchair Basketball on its ambitious journey to double participation and realise professional leagues for the sport in the UK. The partnership comes as wheelchair basketball is included for the first time at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Kukri, who are the kit partner for Team England, will also provide kit for England’s wheelchair basketball team.

The four-year partnership will launch on Monday 16 November, with the hosting of British Wheelchair Basketball’s Virtual Club, powered by Kukri. The Virtual Club will see coaches lead online sessions for British Wheelchair Basketball members to support them to develop their skills within the home environment.

The 60-minute sessions will take place every Monday at 6pm, with the first session hosted by two-time wheelchair basketball Paralympian, Caroline Matthews MBE. Each session will be led by a qualified wheelchair basketball coach and focus on different fundamental skills and techniques, including chair movement, dribbling, passing, receiving, shooting; offence and defence.

Speaking about the announcement, Lisa Pearce, Chief Executive at British Wheelchair Basketball said:

“I’m thrilled to announce our partnership with Kukri. The next four years will be hugely positive for the sport as we look towards the Paralympic and Commonwealth Games and continue to forge ahead in our ambition to bring more participants into the sport and deliver professional leagues across the UK.

“Kukri will be producing bespoke kit designed specifically for British Wheelchair Basketball. Their passion for our sport and dedication to working collaboratively to help us perform at our optimum is hugely exciting.

“With further lockdown restrictions in place, it is essential that our members are able to access opportunities to stay active, whilst they cannot get on court. Our sincere hope is that the virtual club sessions will enable this activity whilst also supporting our participants to feel part of the wider wheelchair basketball community.

“For Kukri to work with us to launch the partnership during such challenging times really demonstrates their commitment to supporting our audience to remain active and stay connected.

“I’m delighted to have Kukri by our side, sharing our vision and values and coming on this journey with us over the next four years.”

British Wheelchair Basketball join an impressive list of partners for Kukri, including Team England, Loughborough Sport and Lancashire Cricket.

Chris Marshall, Sales Director of Kukri added:

“We are delighted to be launching our partnership with British Wheelchair Basketball and excited to be joining them on their journey to increase participation and deliver professional leagues. The valuable skills we have acquired as we head into our third cycle with Team England will enable us to deliver a kit that will inspires as well as performs”

“We have worked closely with our elite partners during these difficult times to help them deliver the tools to help their communities look after their health, both mentally and physically, and we look forward to the launch of the Virtual Club, a hugely important initiative to keep the wheelchair basketball community active and connected with their sport”

Find out more about BWB’s Virtual Club, powered by Kukri, including how to join the virtual club, here: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/bwb-virtual-club-powered-by-kukri/

Gaz Choudhry top-scored while Kyle Marsh continues to lead the total points scored in Spain after seven GB players all helped their club teams to victory in a reduced fixture list across Europe (7^th November). 

With no games featuring GB players going ahead in Germany, all eyes were on the two fixtures in Spain with four GB internationals representing BSR Amiab Albacete in their game v Fundacion FDI Las Rozas and three in Mideba Extremadura’s victory over Bidaideak Bilbao BSR.

In Albacete, Kyle Marsh continued his good start to the season with his 14 points in gameday two ensuring the 30-year-old remained top of the Division de Honor scoring charts after his joint-high total of 34 points last week. 

Marsh also posted a game-high 11 assists in Albacete’s 78:53 win over Fundacion FDI Las Rozas. Gaz Choudhry got Albacete off to a positive start with a three-pointer 46 seconds into the first quarter; one of three  three-pointers Choudhry scored in his total of 23 points, the most of any player across the three games played in Spain last weekend.

Ben Fox scored 11 points with Harry Brown adding a further four points to Albacete’s total. 

World and European Championships winning captain Phil Pratt posted a weekend-high 12 assists as Pratt, Billy Bridge and George Bates were all part of the team that helped Mideba Extremadura secure back-to-back wins. 

Along with the league-high assists, Pratt scored 14 points and recorded nine rebounds in Mideba’s 61:50 victory over Bidaideak Bilbao BSR. Bridge and Bates, scored 10 and eight points, respectively, with Mideba level on points with Fundacion Aliados at the top of Division de Honor. 

Great Britain’s Kyle Marsh ended the opening weekend as the joint-leading points scorer in Spain as 23 GB players returned to competitive action for the first time in over seven months with the return of the top divisions in Spain and Germany. 

Marsh, who has three European titles and a Paralympic bronze medal to his name, scored 34 points as his BSR Amiab Albacete narrowly lost to Bidaideak Bilbao BSR in their opening game in Spain’s Division de Honor. 

The 30-year-old’s points total included two three-pointers and matched the 34 points Bilbao’s Asier Garcia Pereiro scored during his team’s 73:70 victory over Albacete. 

Marsh was one of five GB players to feature for the Spanish club with Lee Manning, Gaz Choudhry, Ben Fox and Harry Brown all representing Albacete this season. Manning scored 10 points, Choudhry nine and Fox eight on his Albacete debut. 

George Bates posted game-high totals in points and rebounds as Bates, Phil Pratt and Billy Bridge helped Mideba Extremadura beat Abdi Jama’s Amivel, 55:64. Bates averaged nearly a point a minute when he was on court, scoring 27 points, while also playing a key role defensively with 11 defensive rebounds included in his total rebound tally of 13. 

Pratt was on court for the full 40 minutes, scoring 10 points and positing nine assists and six rebounds in that time. Bridge added seven points to Mideba’s total on his return to Spain. Jama also played the full game, scoring six points in a close and competitive game against his former club. 

Terry Bywater recorded a league-high 16 assists in CD Ilunion’s 15:102 win over Getafe; in a game which also saw the five-time Paralympian score 18 points, including two three-pointers. Bywater combined well with GB teammate Gregg Warburton, assisting 10 of Warburton’s 17 points, with Warburton also scoring a three-pointer on his debut for the Madrid-based club. 

James MacSorley was victorious in a British head-to-head after his BSR ACE Gran Canaria side beat an Iberconsa Amfiv team, which featured Lewis Edwards and Sam Mack. MacSorley, playing in his first game for 10 months, scored two points for Gran Canaria, with Edwards scoring six and Mack two for Amfiv. 44:74 was the final score.

Lee Fryer scored a three-pointer in his first game since moving abroad for the first time, ending the game with five points and six assists. Fryer and fellow GB Academy athlete Will Bonner both helped Servigest Burgos to a 55:50 opening weekend win over Fundacion Vital Zuzenack. 

In Germany, Simon Brown and Ian Sagar were both part of the RSV Lahn-Dill team who began their season with a 63:92 win over Doneck Dolphins Trier. Sagar scored nine points on his debut after joining Lahn-Dill from Special Sport Bergamo in Italy, while Brown added four points. 

Helen Freeman made her debut for RSB Thüringia Bulls, helping last year’s table toppers to a 109:54 win over ING Skywheelers, finishing the game with two assists. 

Four GB Senior and Academy players were in action as Baskets 96 Rahden beat Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden 60:74. 2017 U23 World champions Peter Cusack and Jake Robinson were both in Rahden’s starting five, scoring 10 and eight points, respectively in their first game in Germany. 

Thomas Smith was also part of the Rahden team, scoring one point and totalling six rebounds in Rahden’s victory over Jim Palmer’s Rhine River Rhinos with Palmer scoring nine points. 

Most Points (GB) 

34 – Kyle Marsh (Albacete; Spain) 

27 – George Bates (Mideba; Spain) 

18 – Terry Bywater (CD Ilunion; Spain) 

Most Assists (GB) 

16 – Terry Bywater (CD Ilunion; Spain) 

9 – Phil Pratt (Mideba; Spain) 

6 – Lee Fryer (Burgos; Spain) 

Most Rebounds (GB) 

13 – George Bates (Mideba; Spain) 

13 – Terry Bywater (CD Ilunion; Spain) 

9 – Lewis Edwards (Amfiv; Spain) 

9 – Peter Cusack (Rahden; Germany) 

British Wheelchair Basketball has today announced the Eighth Annual General Meeting of the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association Ltd will be held on Saturday, 12 December at 12noon.

The meeting will be held virtually with a link shared with attendees ahead of the meeting (please note attendees will need to log-in into the meeting at 11.45am).

2020 AGM Registration

The AGM will provide an overview of the 2019/20 season and this current year. All of the relevant papers will be placed on the British Wheelchair Basketball website in due course and all British Wheelchair Basketball Clubs and Members are invited to attend. Please note that voting and nominations is only available to current BWB members.

• Motions – Motions must be submitted by Monday 23 November at 9am in writing c/o Chief Executive at the British Wheelchair Basketball Head Office.  They may be sent by email to  membership@britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk.
• Special Resolution – There are no special resolutions to be presented at the 2020 AGM.
• Form: Link to Motions Form
• Deadline: Monday 23 November 2020 at 9am

• Nominations to the Executive Committee – There is one Sports Director position open for election at the 2020 AGM. The Recruitment Pack for British Wheelchair Basketball Sports Director can be downloaded here. The Pack includes information explaining the role and responsibilities of a BWB Sports Director, and detail on the specialist skills we are seeking from the nominated candidates these include equality and diversity, club development and finance.  Candidates and Nominators must both be current BWB members. Nominations need to be received at the British Wheelchair Basketball Head Office by Friday 20 November 2020 at 9am.
• Form: Link to Sports Director Pack
• Deadline: Friday 20 November 2020 at 9am.

• Proxy Votes – On written request (email to membership@britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk) Proxy forms will be made available to current members who wish to vote on the business of the meeting.  Please note that your proxy vote must be authenticated and as such we shall send one per person upon request.  Proxy forms must be received back via email to membership@britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk by 4pm on Friday 11 December 2020.  Photocopies of the proxy form will not be accepted as each will have a unique code of issue.
• Deadline: Friday 11 December 2020 at 4pm

British Wheelchair Basketball has teamed-up with official ball partner Molten to provide an exclusive offer for BWB Affiliated Clubs in response to the challenging circumstances they are currently facing during the pandemic.

Continuing their commitment to supporting the domestic game in the UK, Molten is offering BWB Affiliated Clubs £200 in credit on Molten products.

With BWB Sanctioned Activity currently restricted in the UK under BWB’s Return to Play guidance, this new and exclusive offer will allow clubs to purchase equipment specific to their clubs and their requirements.

Clubs will be able to use the discount to purchase balls, hoops or other equipment on Molten’s online store.

Commenting on the announcement of the offer, BWB Participation Director Jo Richards said:

“This is an extremely challenging period for our clubs as they continue to negotiate the pandemic along with the sport’s Return to Play, so we are really pleased to have been able to work with Molten to provide this offer for BWB Affiliated Clubs.

“Whether it’s new balls or other sporting equipment, this offer gives clubs the freedom and financial support to purchase equipment specific to their club and their needs. We’re grateful to Molten for their continued commitment to supporting BWB clubs and the sport’s Return to Play.”

Since being announced as BWB’s official ball partner in 2017, Unicorn Products Ltd have supplied BWB clubs with a selection of Molten balls free-of-charge each season, as well as a 35 per cent discount off its products.

Alex James, Molten UK and Ireland Marketing Manager, said:

“At Molten we’re delighted to be a long-standing partner of BWB. We hope this provides some level of assistance in what is an extremely difficult period, and look forward to the full and safe return of the game we all love.”

Each BWB Affiliated club for the 2020/21 season will receive a discount code from BWB which can be used to redeem the £200 credit offered by Molten on products at https://www.playwiththebest.com/basketball.html

Full details have been sent directly to club contacts. If you would like any further information on this or have any questions, please email membership@britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk or speak to a member of our team on 01509 279900.

You will no doubt have seen that on Saturday, the Prime Minister announced new restrictions for England in order to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. England will go into a four-week national lockdown on Thursday (5 November) until 2 December.

COVID-19 restrictions across the UK that include the suspension of all grassroots sport, has impacted Wales, Northern Ireland, and now England.

We fully support the measures being put in place by Governments to protect the health and wellbeing of the UK.

I do however fully endorse the need for Government to act now to ensure that community clubs (and facilities) are able to weather the storm and emerge resilient post COVID-19. I am certain that sport and physical activity should be part of the solution, but this is only possible if our community facilities and participants are able to navigate the journey with us.

During this pandemic, we have seen inequalities continue to grow as underrepresented groups are disproportionately impacted. It is vitally important that as we transition from COVID-19, funding is ring-fenced to address this inequality (disability, socio economic, ethnically diverse communities, long-term health conditions) and ensure that there is a holistic return to activity for all.

I am so proud of the resilience our community has shown through this difficult year and I am certain we will continue to pull together to support one another through this autumn and winter period.

On Thursday, we will release our next calendar of online sessions and workshops. These resources will be published on a six-week cycle and feature sessions with GB athletes, mental well-being workshops, at-home training and fitness ideas.

It is our priority to keep our community engaged and supported in the coming weeks. Please do let us know what else you would like to see – our doors are always open.

Our community is strong and will get through this together.

#TogetherWeAreBritishWheelchairBasketball

Updated Guidance:

We will continue to update our website in line with the latest Government and home country Government guidance. Please note that this information is correct at the time of publishing (Monday 2 November) – please check restrictions relevant to your local area and always adhere to latest Government and local Government directives. 

England:

Until Wednesday 4 November: Stage 1

From Thursday 5 November: All British Wheelchair Basketball Sanctioned Activity suspended until further notice, with the exception of British Wheelchair Basketball Performance Programme (Elite Sport Training) which will be delivered in accordance with government guidance.

Wales: https://gov.wales/coronavirus

Until 12:01am Monday 9 November: British Wheelchair Basketball Sanctioned Activity suspended, with the exception of British Wheelchair Basketball Performance Programme (Elite Sport Training) which will be delivered in accordance with government guidance.

From 12:01am Monday 9 November: Stage 1 Guidance (please check and adhere to restrictions relevant to your local area and always adhere to latest Government and local Government directives).

Northern Ireland: https://www.northernireland.gov.uk/

Until Friday 13 November: British Wheelchair Basketball Sanctioned Activity suspended, with the exception of British Wheelchair Basketball Performance Programme (Elite Sport Training) which will be delivered in accordance with government guidance.

From Saturday 14 November: Stage 1 Guidance (please check and adhere to restrictions relevant to your local area and always adhere to latest Government and local Government directives).

Scotland:

From Monday 2 November: Stage 1 Guidance (please check and adhere to restrictions relevant to your local area and always adhere to latest Government and local Government directives).