IWBF 2023

GB squads announced for the 2023 IWBF European Championships

The GB Men’s and GB Women’s squads have been announced for the fast-approaching 2023 IWBF European Championships.

For the first time, the IWBF European Championships will be hosted at the inaugural European Para Championships, an exciting multi-sport event taking place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The competition begins 11th August and will conclude 19th August.

This event is an important milestone in the road to Paris 2024 for both squads as two Paralympic qualification slots are up for grabs in both the Men’s and Women’s competitions.

The GB Men’s team is unchanged from the squad who competed at the IWBF World Championships 2022 (held in 2023) earlier this year. Bill Johnson and Joey Johnson continue to build momentum as the coaching team for GB Men.

The GB Women’s team sees key changes to their line-up from the Worlds 2022 squad, with Head Coach Miguel Vaquero Maestre leading the charge on preparing the team.

Anastasia Blease receives her first senior international call up. Blease was part of the Loughborough Lightning team that won the 2023 season of the Women’s Premier League. After a period of reflection and a break from the sport, Robyn Love made herself available for selection. Laurie Williams returns to GB Women, having recovered well following the birth of her and partner Robyn’s daughter Alba. 

Players medically unavailable for selection include Amy Conroy, Gaz Choudhry, Abdi Jama, Jude Hamer and Maddie Thompson.

GB Men

#5 – Simon Brown – 2.0

#6 – Kyle Marsh – 2.0

#7 – Terry Bywater – 4.5

#9 – Harry Brown – 2.5

#11 – Phil Pratt – 3.0

#12 – Gregg Warburton – 2.0

#13 – Martin Edwards – 4.0

#14 – Lee Manning – 4.5

#15 – Ben Fox – 3.5

#16 – Jim Palmer – 1.0

#17 – James MacSorley – 2.0

#18 – Lee Fryer – 4.0

GB Women

#4 – Charlotte Moore – 1.0

#5 – Sophie Carrigill – 1.0

#6 – Kayla Bell – 1.5

#7 – Helen Freeman – 4.0

#8 – Laurie Williams – 2.5

#10 – Anastasia Blease – 3.5

#12 – Lucy Robinson – 4.5

#13 – Siobhán Fitzpatrick – 3.0

#14 – Joy Haizelden – 2.5

#15 – Robyn Love – 3.5

#16 – Jade Atkin – 4.5

#17 – Maddie Martin – 3.5

Cheer on the GB Men and GB Women as they compete at the European Championships! We’ll be covering all the action on our dedicated GB Fanzone: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/fan-zone/iwbf-european-championships-2023/

The European Para Championships will be streaming every game on their dedicated website. Find out more about the EPC2023 here: https://europeanparachampionships.com/

Three BWB ITOs selected to represent Great Britain at the European Championships 2023

British Wheelchair Basketball are proud to announce that three International Technical Officials (ITOs) will represent Great Britain at the upcoming European Championships. The prestigious competition takes place at the inaugural European Para Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. 

+ Janine Timms – Games Commissioner 

+ Frances Kremarik – Referee 

+ Christopher Stainton – Referee 

Janine, Frances and Christopher each have vast experience of the game at both domestic and international levels. 

The European Championships will feature eighteen national teams in total – twelve men’s and six women’s teams. The first games get underway on Friday 11th August.

CEO of British Wheelchair Basketball Justine Baynes commented:  

“I am delighted to see that three of our ITOs are going to be in action at the European Championships in Rotterdam. We are proud both to have such a high standard of officiating in this country and to have this recognised on an international level. I look forward to seeing Jan, Frances and Chris in action! ” 

We’ll be covering all the action on our dedicated GB Fanzone: https://britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/fan-zone/iwbf-european-championships-2023/  

The European Para Championships will be streaming every game on their dedicated website. Find out more about the EPC2023 here: https://europeanparachampionships.com/  

The Summer of GB is almost here!

The countdown is nearly complete as the GB Men’s and GB Women’s teams finish their preparations ahead of travelling to the IWBF World Championships 2022!

GB Men competed in the Nations Cup Cologne last weekend, lining out on the court against The Netherlands, South Korea, Japan and Germany. The competition was a key developmental opportunity for the squad ahead of Worlds. Full results and livestreams can be found here: https://www.nations-cup.cologne/spielplan/spielplan-2023/

GB Women this week have hosted Canada for a series of friendlies as they put the finishing touches on their preparations ahead of travelling out. Adele Atkin joins the GB Women line up – the Cardiff Met Archers player has experience of competing for GB having made several appearances as a GB Junior, and will be marking her first senior call up with her inclusion in the Worlds squad. Adele’s call-up comes following a squad change with Maddie Thompson no longer available for selection.

GB Men

#5 – Simon Brown – 2.0

#6 – Kyle Marsh – 2.0

#7 – Terry Bywater – 4.5

#9 – Harry Brown – 2.5

#11 – Phil Pratt – 3.0

#12 – Gregg Warburton – 2.0

#13 – Martin Edwards – 4.0

#14 – Lee Manning – 4.5

#15 – Ben Fox – 3.5

#16 – Jim Palmer – 1.0

#17 – James MacSorley – 2.0

#18 – Lee Fryer – 4.0

GB Women

#4 – Charlotte Moore – 1.0

#5 – Sophie Carrigill – 1.0

#6 – Kayla Bell – 1.5

#7 – Helen Freeman – 4.0

#9 – Jude Hamer – 4.0

#12 – Lucy Robinson – 4.5

#13 – Siobhán Fitzpatrick – 3.0

#14 – Joy Haizelden – 2.5

#16 – Jade Atkin – 4.5

#17 – Maddie Martin – 3.0

#18 – Ellan Fraser – 3.0

#19 – Adele Atkin – 1.0

Originally scheduled for November 2022, the competition gets underway on the 9th June in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 28 of the best men’s and women’s national teams from across the globe will compete in the competition. Fans will be able to follow the action on our dedicated GB fanzone.

Photo credit: Gero Müller-Laschet / Köln 99ers