Adam Bailey

The first ever BUCS Sport Wheelchair Basketball season will get underway this weekend, following the sport’s addition as the first fully inclusive team sport to the BUCS Sport programme. 

Building on the well-established University programme, including the annual University Championships, Wheelchair Basketball joins over 50 sports in the BUCS programme with prestigious BUCS points on offer to university wheelchair basketball teams for the first time.

What is the format of the BUCS Wheelchair Basketball competition?  

Staged in a similar format to BWB’s previous University competition, the annual University Championships, the 10 entered Universities have been split into three pools based on their geographical location – Northern, Midlands and Southern. 

All three teams in each pool will host a round of fixtures during the pool stage with two points awarded for a win and one point for a defeat.

After the pool stage, the competition will then progress to the quarter-finals and semi-finals with each knockout tie played in a home and away format. The two finalists will then go head-to-head in the Final which will be hosted during BUCS Big Wednesday 2021 at University of Nottingham on 22-23 March 2022. 

Which Universities are competing in the inaugural BUCS Sport competition?  

Northern Tier 

Durham University, Liverpool John Moores University, University of Hull 

Midlands Tier 

Loughborough University, University of Worcester, University of Nottingham 

Southern Tier 

Brunel University London, Cardiff Metropolitan University, University of East London, University of Oxford 

Which teams are hosting Round 1?  

Northern Tier 

Saturday 30 October, hosted by University of Hull 

Allam Sport Centre, Hull, HU6 7TS 

Midlands Tier 

Saturday 30 October, hosted by University of Nottingham 

David Ross Sports Centre, Beeston Lane, Lenton Abbey, Nottingham NG7 2RD 

Southern Tier 

Sunday 20 November, hosted by University of East London 

How to follow the action? 

Fixtures, results and league tables can be found on the BUCS Score Centre: 

Northern Tier: https://bucs.playwaze.com/wheelchair-basketball-21-22/s1rtdg8ifk5mph/league-display/kv69x73efb6dqy  

Midlands Tier: https://bucs.playwaze.com/wheelchair-basketball-21-22/s1rtdg8ifk5mph/league-display/rqlrfk7jbtj8qd 

Southern Tier: https://bucs.playwaze.com/wheelchair-basketball-21-22/s1rtdg8ifk5mph/league-display/gqgiolmsc1l5 

Follow British Wheelchair Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep across all of the results. 

British Wheelchair Basketball’s Junior League will return this weekend as Round 1 of the 2021/22 competition gets underway. 

Returning after an 18-month absence due to the pandemic, BWB’s junior competition will feature 10 teams this season with the opening round of fixtures taking place in Pool A and Pool C on 30 October 2021. The three teams in Pool B will begin their competition in November.  

The mixed competition has been the starting point for many GB internationals and sees players aged between 13-18 years-old compete in a mixed league (players must be aged 17 or younger on 31 August 2021 to be eligible to play). 

How does the competition work?

This season’s Junior League season will follow the same format as previous years with teams split into separate pools based on their geographical location. Each team host one round of pool games featuring two opposition teams. 

Two points will be awarded for a win, while one point for a defeat. 

The top-eight teams will then qualify for the annual ‘Elite 8’s’ which will be hosted at Wildcats Arena, Nottingham on Saturday 23 April 2022 in the usual knock-out format.  

The two finalists at the end of the Elite 8s competition will then go head-to-head in the Junior League Final which will be played at the National Championship Finals in May 2022. 

Which teams will compete in 2021/22?  

Pool A 

Mohawks, Scottish Wizards, Wakefield Whirlwinds  

Pool B 

North Wales Knights, South Wales Fletchlings, West Coast Warriors  

Pool C 

Aces WBC, London Titans, Thames Valley Kings, The Bears 

Which teams are hosting Round 1?  

Pool A 

Saturday 30 October, hosted by Mohawks  

Richard Rose Morton Academy, Wigton Road, Carlisle, CA2 6LB 

Pool B 

Sunday 21 November, hosted by South Wales Fletchlings 

Cynffig Comprehensive School, East Ave, Kenfig Hill, Bridgend, CF33 6NP 

Pool C 

Saturday 30 October, hosted by Aces WBC 

Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Guttmann Road, Aylesbury, HP21 9PP 

How can you follow the action? 

Keep up-to-date on the Junior League competition page, including fixtures, results and pool tables: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/competition/junior-league/  

Follow British Wheelchair Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep across all the results. 

It was a high-scoring weekend for GB athletes in Spain with Terry Bywater and Kyle Marsh both scoring 37 points to top the weekend’s points standings in Spain, while there were mixed fortunes for Simon Brown and Jim Palmer in Germany. 

Terry Bywater’s 37 points for CD Ilunion included five three-pointers and eight successful free-throws as the six-time Paralympian was the weekend’s joint top-scorer in Spain, along with Marsh. But Bywater’s high-score didn’t stop Ilunion from recording their first defeat of the season. 

Abdi Jama, Tyler Baines and Peter Cusack were all playing for Ilunion’s opponents Amivel with Jama scoring 12 points, Baines two points and Cusack one point as the GB trio all played their part in Amivel’s 68:66 win against CD Ilunion. 

Gregg Warburton led Ilunion’s final quarter fightback, scoring eight of his 12 points in the final 10 minutes, before one of Bywater’s five three-pointers did draw the scores level in the closing minutes but Amivel scored the extra basket late on to secure the win. 

Kyle Marsh joined Bywater in the league’s top-three for total points scored this season with his total of 37 points helping BSR Amiab Albacete to a 76:91 win over reigning Division de Honor champions Bidaideak Bilbao BSR. 

Lee Manning recorded 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for Albacete with Harry Brown and Ben Fox adding four points each to Albacete’s total as they are now one of only three teams to have won their opening three games. James MacSorley scored two points for Bilbao. 

One of the other teams to maintain their winning start to the season is current league leaders Mideba Extremadura, whose includes the GB trio of Lewis Edwards, Charlotte Moore and Phil Pratt. All three were part of the Mideba side that beat Fundacion Vital Zuzenak 48:74 at the weekend which saw Pratt post his third consecutive double-double. 

Pratt ended the game with 11 points and a league-high 14 assists to top the league’s assists standings, while Moore and Edwards both scored six points. 

Lee Fryer was the top-scorer as Servigest Burgos were victorious over Fundacion Aliados on Sunday. Fryer continued his excellent start to the season, scoring a game-high 26 points and recording a joint game leading six assists in Burgos’ 64:54 win. Callum Doherty scored three points towards Burgos’ total. 

In Germany, Simon Brown helped extend RSV Lahn-Dill’s 100 per cent winning record to four games as he scored six points in Lahn-Dill’s 59:77 away win at BG Baskets Hamburg. Jim Palmer scored four points for Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden as they lost 76:71 against Doneck Dolphins Trier. 

In BWB National League, Thomas Harvey had a productive afternoon, scoring 31 points for Mohawks 2 as they beat North Wales Knights 67:52 in Division 1 North, before being part of the Mohawks first team who won their first game of the season 58:52 against London Titans in the Premier Division (10 points, eight assists, seven rebounds). 

Brooke Mottram scored six points for Mohawks 2 against North Wales Knights, who included Alex Wilson (20 points), Anastasia Blease (eight points) and Sara Millband. 

In France, Finn Tonner’s Red Dragon’s Metz won 77:45 against French champions Hyeres, while Tom Barnes was in action as his Gennevilliers team beat Lille 65:52 in Nationale A. 

Image: AccessiblePhotographyandMedia

Sunday was a day of double celebration for Mohawks who recorded two victories in BWB National League including their first Premier Division win of the season. 

Premier Division 

Mohawks went into the Premier Division game against London Titans off the back of two opening defeats, but their first win arrived on their new home court as they beat London Titans 58:52. There was never more than nine points separating the two sides as both teams battled hard for the win with two points the difference at the halfway stage in favour of Mohawks. 

The hosts did extend their lead to nine points in the third quarter, an advantage that was cut to six points by the time the buzzer went at the end of the third period. It was a lead that was halved heading into the final 60 seconds of the match with Titans player-coach Matt Sealy scoring eight points in the final quarter. 

But a lay-up from Lee Fawcett and three successful free-throws from David Ion late on put the game out of reach of the Titans as the clock ticked down towards the buzzer which gave Mohawks their first victory. Liam Fawcett was the game’s top-scorer, scoring 27 points, while Sealy led the scoring for Titans with 15 points.

Division 1 

Spectators watching inside Middlesbrough College or at home on the Mohawks’ live stream had already been treated to another entertaining game as Mohawks 2 took on North Wales Knights in Division 1 North earlier in the afternoon.

Thomas Harvey scored 31 points as Mohawks won 67:52 despite a third quarter fightback from Knights. The team from North Wales were trailing 37:22 at half-time but fought back in the third quarter to reduce their deficit to seven points with it all to play for in the final quarter. 

But Harvey’s 10 points in the final quarter, along with points from Brooke Mottram, Ciaran Carrigan and Brian Russell sealed back-to-back wins for Mohawks. 

In Division 1 South, Aces Wheelchair Basketball also continued their winning start to the season with their second win from their opening two games. After a close opening two quarters, with Aces leading the newly-named Plymouth Fusion by only four points at the half-way stage, Aces began to pull away in the third quarter, ending the quarter with a 12-point lead. 

The final quarter saw Plymouth close the gap to five points as Aces held firm to win 56:51. Jordan Luce and Oscar Knight led the points scoring for each team, scoring 65 points between them with Luce ending the game with 39 points for Aces and Knight 26 points for Plymouth. 

Division 2 

There was only one Division 2 game over the weekend and it saw Blackhawks record their second win in as many games as they beat London Titans 3 53:29 in Division 2 South. 

Macauley Tomlinson was the game’s top-scorer for Blackhawks, scoring 27 points, as the hosts led throughout. 

Division 3 

There was a busier fixture list in Division 3 including two thrilling one-point games at both Leeds and Folkestone. 

Leeds Rhinos were playing their first game of the season as one of the new teams to join Division 3 this season and they certainly made an impression on their return. It was a close game throughout, but it was North East Warriors who had a six point lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

With Leeds Rhinos closing the gap in the final quarter, North East Warriors had a one-point lead as the game entered the final few seconds of the match before Aqeel Zadi Batool scored late on to claim a one-point victory for Leeds Rhinos. 43:42 was the final score with North East Warriors’ Michael Hutchinson top-scoring with 28 points. 

There was also a one-point game in Division 3 South as Folkestone Arrows beat Windsor Monarchs 36:35. Windsor first came within one point of Folkstone with five minutes to go in the final quarter, before Folkestone responded and restored their three-point lead twice including what turned out to be the match-winning points by Rob Whale. 

Windsor captain Sean Cullen did make it a one-point game again to set-up a tense finale, but Windsor couldn’t find another basket to claim the win. 

Folkestone have now won both of their opening games as have Thames Valley Kings 3 in the same division. Their latest victory came against Aces WBC 2 with Kings winning 26:31.

In Division 3 Central, Stoke Spitfires began their season with a 58:13 victory at home to Hereward Heat. Matt Stan scored 24 points to finish as the game’s top-scorer. 

In the North Division, Calderdale WBC also made a winning start to their season beating new Division 3 team Southport WBC 32:56.

It’s another busy weekend of league fixtures featuring GB athletes across Europe as the club season continues in Spain, Germany, France and the UK.

Fifteen senior and academy athletes have begun their seasons for clubs in Spain’s Division de Honor over the first two weeks and this weekend could see 10 of those athletes going head-to-head across two games in gameweek 3.

Tyler Baines, Peter Cusack and Abdi Jama have started the opening two games for Amivel Reyes Gutierrez and on Saturday (17:00 UK Time) they host a CD Ilunion side featuring Gregg Warburton and Terry Bywater, who scored a combined 51 points last weekend as Ilunion started with back-to-back wins.

Warburton leads the Division de Honor points standings after the opening two gameweeks, while Bywater is in the top-10 for both points and assists. The GB duo, along with their club teammates, will travel from Madrid to Malaga as one of six teams who have won both games so far, while Amivel are still searching for their first league win.

Bidaideak Bilbao BSR versus BSR Amiab Albacete will see two of the league’s unbeaten teams go head-to-head as well as five GB athletes and the top-two teams from last season. James MacSorley is GB’s sole representative in the Bilbao squad, while Harry Brown, Ben Fox, Lee Manning and Kyle Marsh are all likely to feature for Albacete (tip-off: 17:30).

Lewis Edwards, Charlotte Moore and Phil Pratt will be looking to continue their good starts to the season when Mideba Extremadura travel to Fundacion Vital Zuzenak (18:00) with the GB trio all providing key contributions in Mideba’s opening two wins.

All the above games are scheduled for Saturday while Lee Fryer and Callum Doherty will be in action on Sunday when their Servigest Burgos take on Fundacion Aliados (11:00).

Simon Brown and Jim Palmer will both continue their seasons in Germany with Brown’s RSV Lahn-Dill one of only two teams to have a 100 per cent winning record so far this season. Lahn-Dill have won their opening three games and this weekend Brown and his teammates will travel to BG Baskets Hamburg on Sunday (14:00).

Jim Palmer’s Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden lost their first game of the season against league leaders RSB Thuringia Bulls last weekend and on Saturday (15:00) they will be eager to bounce back when they take on Doneck Dolphins Trier.

The only Premier Division fixture in BWB National League looks set to include GB athletes with Jack Perry and Jude Hamer both in action for the London Titans during their opening win a couple of weeks ago.

London Titans travel to Middlesbrough to play Mohawks on Sunday (14:15) with Academy athletes also likely to feature for both teams.

In France, Tom Barnes continues his season for Gennevillers who take on Lille on Saturday, while Fin Tonner’s Red Dragon’s host reigning French champions Hyères.

The league in Italy starts this weekend but Sophie Carrigill and Ian Sagar will have to wait another week before Briantea84 Cantu start their season, as will Oliver Griffith-Salter with Santo Stefano getting their season underway on 31 October.

Billy Bridge will return to action later next month having recently signed for Italian side Dinamo Lab Banco Di Sardegna Sassari.

Spain

Amivel Reyes Gutierrez v CD Ilunion (17:00 – Saturday 23 October)	Tyler Baines (Amivel) Peter Cusack (Amivel) Abdi Jama (Amivel) Terry Bywater (Ilunion) Gregg Warburton (Ilunion)
Bidaideak Bilbao BSR v BSR Amiab Albacete (17:30 – Saturday 23 October)	James MacSorley (Bilbao) Harry Brown (Albacete) Ben Fox (Albacete) Lee Manning (Albacete) Kyle Marsh (Albacete)
Fundacion Vital Zuzenak v Mideba Extremadura (18:00 – Saturday 23 October)	Lewis Edwards Charlotte Moore Phil Pratt
Servigest Burgos v Fundacion Aliados (11:00 – Sunday 24 October)	Callum Doherty Lee Fryer

Germany

Doneck Dolphins Trier v Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden (15:00 – Saturday 23 October)	Jim Palmer
BG Baskets Hamburg v RSV Lahn-Dill (14:00 – Sunday 24 October)	Simon Brown

France

Red Dragon’s Metz v Hyères (16:00 – Saturday 23 October)	Fin Tonner
Hurricane92-Gennevilliers v Lille (17:00 – Saturday 23 October)	Tom Barnes

Gregg Warburton continues to lead the points standings in Spain, while there were also GB senior and academy athletes playing for clubs in Germany, USA, France and BWB National League.

Warburton and Terry Bywater scored a combined total of 51 points to help CD Ilunion secure back-to-back victories in Spain.

Bywater scored a game-high 29 points, including four three-pointers and a 100 per cent success rate from his seven free-throw attempts, along with nine assists and seven rebounds to play a key role in CD Ilunion’s 98:67 win against Servigest Burgos.

Warburton was also influential, scoring 22 points against Burgos to take his total for the opening two games to 56 points as he continues to lead the overall points standings in Division de Honor.

On the opposite side of the court, Lee Fryer and Callum Doherty were both starters for Burgos. Fryer continued his productive start to the season with another double-double; 23 points and a game-high 11 assists were his match stats as Doherty scored four points for Burgos.

There were six GB athletes in action as Mideba Extremadura beat Amivel Reyes Gutierrez 67:45. Phil Pratt recorded the game’s most assists with 10 along with 17 points to end the game with a double-double for the second successive week. Lewis Edwards scored 13 points and Charlotte Moore two points as Mideba began their season with back-to-back wins.

Tyler Baines, Peter Cusack and Abdi Jama all lined-up in the Amivel starting five with Jama and Cusack scoring six and four points, respectively.

Kyle Marsh was the highest scoring British player in Albacete’s 83:37 victory over Fundacion FDI Las Rozas. Marsh scored 21 points and led the game’s assists with 10 as Marsh, Harry Brown, Ben Fox and Lee Manning were all part of Albacete’s winning side.

Fox scored 17 points while Manning collected a joint-game high nine rebounds in addition to his three points during his 19 minutes on court. Harry Brown was utilised off the bench and scored six points when he was introduced into the game.

James MacSorley ended Bidaideak Bilabo BSR’s win against UCAM Murcia BSR with a 100 per cent record for both field-goals and from the free-throw line. This success rate saw MacSorley score five points in Bilbao’s 96:48 victory with Bilbao one of six teams with two wins from the opening two games.

In Germany, Simon Brown scored 10 points as RSV Lahn-Dill returned to RBBL1 action, after no fixture the week before, with an 85:59 win against Hannover United to maintain their 100 per cent winning start to the season.

There was no such joy for Jim Palmer as Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden’s unbeaten start came to an end against last year’s Championship winners RSB Thuringia Bulls (68:85).

Joy Haizelden began her 2021/22 campaign for the University of Alabama with a double header against Memphis Rollin’ Grizzlies. Haizelden was part of the Alabama team that won 67:44 on Friday evening, scoring four points, before, returning to the court less than 15 hours later, scoring seven points and collecting eight rebounds as Alabama won 97:46 on Saturday.

In BWB National League, Kayla Bell, Tom Smith, Sam Mack and Jake Robinson all featured for CWBA as they began their season with back-to-back wins in the Premier Division.

Robinson scored 22 points as CWBA beat The Owls 66:79 to secure two wins from their opening two games. Tom Smith scored nine points and collected seven rebounds, while Mack totalled five assists.

In France, Tom Barnes scored three points as his Gennevilliers side lost 63:55 away at Toulouse in Nationale A.

It was another superb weekend of BWB National League action as teams continued their winning starts to the season, while nine teams got their National League campaigns underway. 

Here’s a round-up of all the weekend’s games… 

Premier Division 

In the Premier Division, CWBA and Thames Valley Kings both secured back-to-back wins, following-up their opening victories with another two points. 

One of the games of the weekend was in Exeter as Thames Valley Kings produced a brilliant second-half comeback to come from 12 points down at half-time to secure a 51:53 victory against Exeter Otters, who had led by 19 points in the second quarter. 

Kings were trailing by eight points within seconds of the start of the final quarter, but five points from top-scorer Liam Barker (19 points) and six points from his brother and Kings captain Reece Barker (17 points) led the Kings fightback to overturn the deficit into a Kings lead with 38 seconds left on the clock. 

Their one-point advantage grew to two with a Tom Tobin free-throw in the final eight seconds as Kings sealed a 51:53 victory to make it two wins from two games as they maintained their perfect start to their debut Premier Division season. 

It was also back-to-back wins for league leaders CWBA as they celebrated a 66:79 victory at The Owls on Saturday. This fixture may not have had the late drama of the Exeter-Thames Valley game, but it was still close for the most part, with The Owls battling hard to ensure CWBA’s lead never grew past 10 points, before CWBA began to pull away in the final quarter to secure the win.   

Liam Hassell scored 32 points for CWBA as he top-scored again, while Lucas Warburton led the scoring for The Owls with 20 points. 

Division 1 

The Division 1 South game between High Rollers and Aces Wheelchair Basketball Club saw both teams play their opening game, and it was Aces who began their season with a win in another fixture that saw the momentum switch between the two sides. 

Aces led 21:9 at the end of the opening quarter before a brilliant second quarter from High Rollers saw the hosts lead 34:32 at the halfway stage. The second-half remained close but Aces edged the final two quarters to start their 2021/22 campaign with a 56:65 win. Jordan Luce scored 32 points for Aces to top the game’s scoring, closely followed by teammate Leanna Adams who totalled 29 points. 

In the same division, The Bears recorded their second win from their opening two games, beating London Titans 2 70:36. A dominant opening quarter provided the catalyst for victory with Darren Peasley and Jacob Robinson both scoring 16 points for The Bears. 

Division 2 

There was also victory for The Bears against London Titans in Division 2 South as the second team of The Bears beat the third team of London Titans 68:26 during The Bears-London Titans double header. Muhammad Aurangzaib Ayub was the game’s top-points scorer, adding 22 points towards The Bears’ total. 

Sussex Bears extended their winning start to the season to three games; their latest triumph coming against Plymouth Fusion 2. Pete Bull top-scored again with 23 points for Sussex, who won 77:35 to maintain their spot as the early pace setters in Division 2 South. 

In the same division, Blackhawks began their season with a 55:27 win against Cardiff Met Archers. Blackhawks established an early lead, but Cardiff fought back at the beginning of the second quarter to reduce the Woking club’s advantage, before the hosts built on their lead and opened-up a match-winning advantage. The top-scorer honours went to Macauley Tomlinson with 23 points. 

Division 3 

There were games in each of the three Division 3 divisions as Mohawks 3, Jaguars 2 and Folkestone Arrows all began their 2021/22 campaigns with victories. 

Mohawks raced into a 28:12 half-time lead against North East Warriors in Division 3 North, but a brilliant fightback by NE Warriors in the third quarter saw just four points separate the teams heading into the last quarter. Mohawks extended their four-point advantage in the fourth quarter to win 50:38. 22 points for Nathaniel Pattinson was the game’s top-score. 

In Division 3 Central, Simon West scored 26 points for Jaguars 2 as they made the perfect start to their season with a 27:47 victory against Hereward Heat. There was also an opening win for Folkestone Arrows in Division 3 South as they beat Sussex Bears 2, 20:43. 

For the latest BWB National League results, fixtures and league tables, please visit https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/competition/national-league/ 

The GB Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team discovered who they will face in the Preliminary Round of the 2021 European Championships today as both the GB Men’s and Women’s teams prepare for another major championships, just a few months after the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The 12 Men’s teams have been split into two groups, while the six teams in the Women’s event will all play each other in a round-robin in the Preliminary Round when the European Championships take place in Madrid, Spain, from 4-12 December.

The 2021 edition will act as a qualification event for the 2022 World Championships, which are scheduled to take place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in November 2022 (exact dates still to be confirmed). The top-five men’s teams and four women’s teams from Madrid will qualify for next year’s World Championships.

Today the draw was made to confirm the Preliminary Round groups for the Men’s competition. As the top-ranked team, Great Britain, who are the defending European champions, were placed in the final pot with Spain and, as hosts Spain were able to decide which group they wanted to be placed in.

With Spain choosing Pool A, Great Britain were placed in Pool B alongside Austria, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

The top-four men’s team from each group will progress through to the quarter-finals and play opponents from Pool A, which consists of Spain, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Switzerland.

In the Women’s event, it’s the same line-up as the six nations which competed at the European Championships in 2019 with Great Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey again competing for this year’s title.

All six teams will play each other in the Preliminary Round with the top-four teams advancing through to the semi-finals and also booking their spot at the 2022 World Championships.

History was made the last time the European Championships were held in 2019 with the GB Men’s team regaining the European title – their seventh European gold, the joint-highest with France – while the GB Women’s team made history of their own, securing silver, their best-ever finish at a European Championships.

Men’s Competition

Group A	Group B
Spain	Great Britain
France	Austria
Germany	Israel
Lithuania	Italy
Poland	Netherlands
Switzerland	Turkey

Women’s Competition

Great Britain

France

Germany

Netherlands

Spain

Turkey