Jon
Pollock top-scored with an impressive 18 points as hosts Great Britain
wheelchair basketball team saw off Germany 57-53 in a thrilling match on the
first day of team action at the BT Paralympic World Cup.
Pollock,
who was part of the team that took bronze at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, led
from the front as GB justified their position as world number two and a real contender
for a podium finish at this summer’s Games in London.
Great
Britain, who led throughout the match, in truth deserved the win and while
Pollock admits he felt his side could have scored more, he says the most
important thing was developing fitness levels and understanding within the
team.
Pollock
said: “It was going to be tough. They’ve done their homework and we’ve done
ours. It was a battle of attrition out there. Today we came out on top, which
is a good thing.
“The key
is getting the fitness and getting used to playing together and I think we made
strides in that department today. We would have liked to have scored more,
there’s no doubt, but we won, which is all that matters.
“I'm not
interested in personal points or anything like that, I'm only interested in how
the team did with our objectives. I'm pretty sure we didn’t hit all of our
targets, that’s why they came so close, but we’ve got lots of direction, but
we’re moving in the right direction.”
The BT
Paralympic World Cup is the largest annual international multi-sport
competition in elite disability sport. BT is entering its fourth year as title
sponsor, upholding its strong commitment to disability sport in the UK that
stretches back over twenty years.
Manchester
has committed for the eighth consecutive year to hosting elite international
athletes competing across Wheelchair Basketball, Athletics and Football
7-a-side. In addition, Boccia will once again be represented, with an
international match being staged during the competition.
The 2012
BT Paralympic World Cup will once again be broadcast by Channel 4. For more
information about Channel 4’s Paralympic coverage, visit: www.channel4.com/paralympics.
The BT
Paralympic World Cup is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee
(IPC), the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and supported
by ParalympicsGB, BT and Manchester City Council.
Tickets
for the BT Paralympic World Cup are on sale. For more information visit: www.btparalympicworldcup.com
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