18 January, 2018

Lord’s Taverners Junior League 2017/18 – Round 2

An epic weekend of Lord’s Taverners Junior League wheelchair basketball action.

Juniors from across the nation took to wheelchair basketball courts the length and breadth of the UK on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 January 2018 in the second round of the Lord’s Taverners Junior League.

The second of three rounds in the competition saw over 200 young people compete for a place at the Elite 8s which will take place on Saturday 21st April 2018 in Sheffield.

In Stanmore, the London Titans hosted the Aces Hawks and Northern Ireland Juniors. The Irish team made their first appearance of the 2017/18 Lord’s Taverners Junior League Season and returned home undefeated following wins against both Aces Hawks and London Titans.  All eyes will be on the third round of this pool when Northern Ireland Juniors meet the undefeated All Stars at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in March.

Further north, the Jaguars hosted Norwich Lowriders and Aces Diamonds at their home court in Newark. Three excellent games of wheelchair basketball were played, throughout which the spirit of Junior League was clearly present with excellent gamesmanship and camaraderie was often commented on by fans of all teams.

An exciting competition played out at Thames Valley Kings home venue on Sunday 14 January, with the host team winning both its games against the Hampshire Hornets and Tornados. With just a 25pts difference at the top of the table for Pool C at the close of the second weekend, both the Tornados and Thames Valley Kings teams will be focused on their third round games and the battle for a place at the Elite 8’s in April.

In Edinburgh, The Phoenix Dragons hosted both the Lancaster Spinners and Whirlers at Bathgate Academy. The Lancaster Whirlers made their presence felt in their first game of the 2017/18 Lord’s Taverners Junior League season.  Playing back-to-back games against the Lancaster Spinners and the Phoenix Dragons, the team won their opening game against the Scottish side. With the Lancaster Spinners finishing the second round at the top of Pool E’s table, it is still all to play for RGK Tees Valley Titans 1 and Lancaster Whirlers as they head into the third round.

The Sheffield Steelers welcomed Wakefield Whirlwinds and RGK Tees Valley Titans 2 to their Northern General Hospital home court on Sunday 14 January. A special fixture which welcomed new players and spectators to the sport and to the Lord’s Taverners Junior League. Yet again the determination and gamesmanship of the league’s players was clear to see with RGK Tees Valley Titans 2 delivering hard fought back-to-back games to open the event.

The CWBA and Wolverhampton travelled to the North Wales Knights home court in Conwy. The Coventry CWBA side delivered a strong win against the host team, adding to their undefeated four for four Lord’s Taverners Junior League campaign. The other two games of the round were enjoyed as friendlies, with Wolverhampton forfeiting both their games.

A huge thank you to all of the hosting teams for their generous hospitality during round two, as well as to all our junior players for their exceptional attitudes throughout each of the games played during the weekend.

The third round of Lord’s Taverners Junior League will take place on Saturday 10 March, Sunday 11 March and Saturday 31 March 2018. Fixture information is as follows:

Saturday 10 March 2018:

Pool B: Easton and Otley College, NR9 5DX (Norwich Lowriders, Aces Diamonds, Jaguars)

Pool C: Crestwood Leisure Centre, SO50 4FZ (Hampshire Hornets, Thames Valley Kings, Tornados)

Pool D: Bert Williams Leisure Centre, WV14 0EF (Wolverhampton, WB North Wales Knights, CWBA)

Sunday 11 March 2018:

Pool F: Minsthorpe Sports Centre, WF9 2UJ (Wakefield Whirlwinds, Sheffield Steelers, RGK Tees Valley Titans 2)

Saturday 31 March 2018:

Pool A: Stoke Mandeville Stadium, HP21 9PP (Northern Ireland Juniors, GLL and Aspire London Titans 1, London All Stars)

Pool E: Durham University, TS17 6BH (RGK Tees Valley Titans 1, Phoenix Dragons, Lancaster Whirlers)

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