Wednesday, May 23, 2012

GB wheelchair team defeat Germany to take giant leap towards Paralympic World Cup trophy


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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