Scotland Perform at the National Junior Championships

Scotland under 14 and under 18 sides travelled south of the border at the weekend (3^rd / 4^th August) to compete in the British Wheelchair Basketball National Junior Championships, sponsored by the Lord’s Taverners.  The games were hosted at the University of Worcester and invited players from across the United Kingdom to showcase their skills and test themselves against their peers.

The Scotland under 14 side finished day one 2^nd in their group, winning four matches and losing one to set up a semi-final against their Wales counterparts on day 2.  The youngsters continued their good form, claiming a comprehensive 22-12 victory before falling just short in the gold medal match against the Midlands (22-13) to claim second spot and the silver medal.

In addition to the team achievement, Lothian Phoenix player Ben Flanigan was awarded the U14 most improved player to cap off a wonderful weekend for the young Scots.

Scotland under 14 head coach Conor Smart said post championships, ‘I couldn’t be prouder of the squad.  They gave everything they had in the face of tough opposition.  I’m really pleased to come home with a silver medal and looking forward to returning next year’.

The U18 squad went unbeaten on day 1, claiming 4 victories from a possible 4 including a 2 point match with East Midlands (28-26) to finish top of their pool.  On day 2, they were matched with the South East at the quarter final stage and went down 22-14, ending their journey in the competition.  However the under 18 side galvanised to defeat Northern Ireland 24-18 to set up a 5^th/6^th place play-off match against the East Midlands which they won 27-23 to finish in 5^th place overall.  This result meant that Scotland only lost one match from seven throughout the tournament.

Head coach Jen Scally reflected on the team’s performance, ‘We had a difficult start in the quarter-final.  Whilst tough at the time, it was fantastic to see how the team handles this.  They bounced ack well for the final games.  I’m proud of the character we displayed in adversity’.

Squad lists for both the under 14 and under 18 teams can be found below –

Scotland U14 Squad:

Scotland U18 Squad: