The Northern Ireland Junior Wheelchair Basketball squad travelled to Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury for the Lords Taverners National Junior Championships. It was an early start for the young team and even at 5am at Belfast International Airport the excitement of the weekend ahead was building up.

On Friday afternoon the Northern Ireland young guns lined up against East Midlands. Team NI started off the brighter of the two with Dane Browne scoring some nice baskets to take an early lead. The game was well contested and Northern Ireland’s lead was being clawed back as the East Midlands team was awarded 4 dubious individual penalty points. Conn Nagle and Padraic Farrell were introduced at the break to tighten up the defense. As the game reached the end NI failed to covert a host of good chances and in the dying seconds the East Midlands team was awarded another penalty point to force the game into overtime. Still in shock Northern Ireland conceded a cheep basket and East Midlands ran down the clock to steal the win, final score Northern Ireland 10 - 12 East Midlands.

First game on Saturday Northern Ireland faced South East England and reeling from their defeat the guys were determined to brush aside the jetlag of the previous day. It was a tight encounter as both teams were trading baskets end to end. The game remained close to the final stages and a defensive error let the opposition into the key to shoot for a 1 point lead. The game looked all over as the final seconds ticked by but good pressure from Northern Ireland forced South East to concede possession. With only 4 seconds on the clock Northern Ireland looked for a final shot. From the side line the ball was released by Luke Marshall to Cameron Campbell who lined up and took the shot, with the ball in mid-air like slow motion it was jaw dropping stuff as the ball dropped through the hoop for 3 points and Northern Ireland’s first win. The stadium erupted in applause as everyone witnessed the shot of the tournament. Final Score Northern Ireland 16 - 14 South East England.

The confidence was now flowing through the camp as Northern Ireland faced Wales in the second pool game of the day. Northern Ireland had now found form as Jack Agnew and Conor Browne stacked up the points to give a 12 point lead at the break. With a tight defense the Welsh were unable to create many meaningful openings as Northern Ireland ran out comfortable winners. Final Score Northern Ireland 28 - 7 Wales.



Northern Ireland faced West Midlands in the quarter final stage and the opposition’s height advantage was causing problems for Northern Ireland in both defense and attack. The guys carried on with the hard work ethic and after the break took the lead with some eye catching shooting from Conor Browne. Point guard Eoin Nagle was now controlling the play and set up the final two baskets to kill off the game. Final Score Northern Ireland 18-13 West Midlands.

In the semi-final Northern Ireland were against Yorkshire who had winning aspirations themselves. The Yorkshire team have a reputation as a well drilled outfit and to progress to the final would take a solid performance. The game started tense and a sense of nervousness was creeping into the game for both teams. Northern Ireland failed to take advantage of their early chances missing crucial baskets that would have seen them take a healthy lead into the second half. Yorkshire’s top shooter found form in the second half peppering the Northern Ireland basket with strong shots to go 1 point ahead.

With 30 seconds remaining on the clock the vocal Yorkshire crowd were already celebrating the win around the court, but the Northern Ireland team had been there before and were not about to go out without a fight. The young Northern Ireland team put pressure on the ball for the remaining seconds which forced Yorkshire into a mistake and gave possession to Northern Ireland from the side line with just 6 seconds remaining. Again everyone looked for Cameron Campbell to produce something special. The long pass got to Cameron but his shot was blocked, the ball broke free and rolled across the court to Eoin Nagle who scooped the ball into the air just as the final buzzer called for time, amazingly the shot dropped in the basket and the referee called “basket good” ending Yorkshire’s premature celebrations and starting a frenzy on court for the Northern Ireland contingent and supporting crowd all mobbing hero Eoin Nagle.

The Stoke Mandeville Stadium erupted in applause, Tina Gordon from GBWBA commented “It was a fantastic match, both teams went for it and the end was just sensational, well done Northern Ireland”. Final score Northern Ireland 18 – 17 Yorkshire.

The final saw a grudge match with East Midlands, the team who narrowly won in the early round and NI had a score to settle. NI were quick off the mark creating chances and clocking up points to take a 6 point lead. NI finished the half strong and deserved their lead at the break. The East Midlands team responded well after the break and were now beginning to out shoot NI with some lovely outside shots. The tie was now a 2 point game and as the lead changed from side to side it was a toss of a coin who would take the British Championship. Unfortunately for Northern Ireland the coin dropped on the side of East Midlands as they scored 3 unanswered baskets to take the tie 14 – 20. It was a deserving victory in the end for East Midlands based on their second half performance, it was a tough match and a great spectacle in front of the packed Aylesbury stadium.

Once again the Northern Ireland juniors showed that they are top performers in their sport, with their dedication and team spirit it’s no surprise they have reached 3 finals in a row. A special mention goes to Steven McAleese who gave up his time to coach the NI Junior team on behalf of the Knights Wheelchair Basketball Club. Congratulations Steven and Team NI.