Last weekend saw Stirling’s Peak Sports Village play host to the third RGK Wheelchairs Junior Regional Championships as five Scottish regions (West, East, Tayside & Fife, Grampian and Highlands) from two age groups (U13 and U19) took part in the event. Dylan Cummings was on hand to capture the action, check out his review of the event here.
In the U13s competition it was a chance for the youngsters to develop their wheelchair basketball skills by having fun and enjoying the game by taking every opportunity they had to learn more about the game in a safe environment. It was the West who finished top of the U13s pool after a great day of competition for everyone involved.
In the U19s tournament the West looked to retain their title for the third year running as they took the first victory of the day by beating Central 26-14. The West squad were able to utilise their depth with an impressive roster that included the likes of Scotland U19s; David Beattie, James Beattie, David Hird, Adam Donnachie, Cameron Watson and Logan Kidd.
Tayside & Fife also had a successful start to the day as they beat the combined team of Grampian and Highlands 34-6 through the shooting composure of GB U23 Ben Leitch and Scotland U19 Rhys Colliar who set some good pick and rolls to allow Ben in the key.
East were able to secure a 20-point victory over Central 28-8 as the likes of Scotland U19 Josh Manson assisted by Scotland U15s Finley Erskine and Jason Gilles proved too much for Central to handle.
Arguably the game of the tournament was the first clash between East and Tayside & Fife as Josh Manson and Ben Leitch put each other under pressure to go basket-for-basket but after a couple of back-to-back 3-pointers from Manson it was East who secured the 31-28 victory.
Manson who played in his last regional championships spoke about the event saying: “I thought was very well organised, it gave the younger players some playing experience in a good environment and was good fun for everyone involved. Knowing that it was my last championships made me a bit emotional but I’m looking forward to coaching the team next year.”
After giving the West a run for their money and two heart-breaking losses to the East, Tayside & Fife went on to secured third place by beating Grampian & Highlands.
This meant the final was a battle between East and West. The West began to quickly display their dominance as they had a 19-8 lead at halftime, a lead that East couldn’t quite bring back as the game ended with a 35-22 victory for the West, becoming 3x champions and once again proving what an amazing event the regional championships are.
basketballscotland’s Disability Talent & Pathways Manager, Tina Gordon commented: “The event was another great success for everyone involved in the Wheelchair Basketball community, it was great to see so many young people laughing and having fun in a friendly but competitive environment. basketballscotland would like to thank RGK Wheelchairs, the Lord’s Taverners and The Peak Sports Village for their support in delivering another great event. We look forward to making next years event bigger and better. Congratulations to everyone involved!”
U13s Final Standings:
1st West
2nd Central
3rd Grampian
4th East
5th Tayside & Fife
U19s Final Standings
1st West
2nd East
3rd Tayside & Fife
4th Grampian & Highlands
5th Central
