On the weekend of the 4th/5thAugust the Scotland U15s and will travel down to Worcester to compete in the British Wheelchair Basketball Lord’s Taverners National Junior Championships at the University of Worcester Arena.
The U15s unfortunately finished last place last year after a four-point loss to London for to determine 8th/9thplace following major changes from the 2016 squad. The team won gold in 2016 alongside former U15s Ben Leitch and David Hird. They used last year’s tournament to rebuild themselves after the changes to the squad and are ready to get back on the podium.
Head Coach, Niall Ritchie said: “I’m really looking forward to this year’s tournament. We’ve trained well in this cycle and we have an experienced group this year, which features most of last year’s team. We are all pushing for a spot on the podium and that’s a great position to be in.”
Six players from the gold medal-winning squad are still in the team; Charlie Redmond, Blair Marshall, Jason Gillies, Finlay Erskine, Owen Leitch and Sarah McCaffrey alongside four newcomers. McCaffrey played a big role in points scoring for the team in both the 2016 and 2017 competitions. This year will be the final U15s appearance for Jason Giles who has been on the team since 2014.
Games are contested with size 5 basketballs and 8-foot baskets in two 8-minute halves so whoever gains the quick lead has a distinct advantage from the get go.
The U15s are in Pool A alongside North East, North West, West Midlands and South East. The South East are a challenge to overcome as they are the 2017 champions, who Scotland face in their first game of the tournament. However, the rest of the field look to be even as a lot of people from the other regions have moved up to the U19s.
Head Coach: Niall Ritchie (Lothian Phoenix)
Assistant Coach: Conor Smart (Lothian Phoenix)
| Name | Classification | Club |
| Charlie Redmond | 2.0 | Lothian Phoenix |
| Blair Marshall | 2.5 | Dundee Dragons |
| Daniel McLoughlin | 2.5 | Glasgow Rocks |
| Jason Giles | 2.5 | Lothian Phoenix |
| Ronnie Cassels | 2.5 | Glasgow Rocks |
| Ben Flanigan | 3.0 | Lothian Phoenix |
| Shayne McVicar | 3.0 | Dundee Dragons |
| Finlay Erskine | 4.5 | Lothian Phoenix |
| Owen Leitch | 5.0 | Dundee Dragons |
| Sarah McCaffrey | 5.0 | Glasgow Rocks |
U15s Schedule:
4thAugust 12:50pm Scotland v South East
4thAugust 2:50pm Scotland v West Midlands
4thAugust 5:25pm Scotland v North East
4thAugust 8pm Scotland v North West
5thAugust 10am Quarterfinals
5thAugust 12:15 Semi-finals
5thAugust 3:10pm Bronze Medal Game
5thAugust 3:45pm Gold Medal Game
