FRONT PAGE

Wheelchair Jets

information    team    fixtures    reports    league table    photos 

 

Chester Wheelchair Jets Basketball Club Annual Awards - 2002/03

The first annual awards ceremony was hosted by Marks and Spencer’s Financial Services on Saturday 7 June.
Awards were presented by Paul Smith – the new coach of the Chester Jets Basketball Club.

The Wheelchair Jets would like to thank Marks and Spencers for their support, and would also like to thank all the people who have been involved with the club in its first season.

Awards:
MVP – Most Valuable Player – BILLY FLANAGAN
Player’s Player – The player’s favouriteplayer – ANNA JACKSON
Supporter’s Award – The supporter’s favouriteplayer – ANNA JACKSON
Top Scorer – ANNA JACKSON
Most Improved Senior – CAROLINE BALLARD
Most improved Junior under 19 yrs old – EMLYN WHITTICK
Most improved Junior under 15 yrs old – DANIEL SPENCER
Club Person (the person who has done the most for the club this season) – Coach TIM JANVIER

11/5/03: Captain Anna Jackson:
" We finished in fourth place - just missing a spot in the playoffs [table   Jets@Celts report]. We have had some good games and some bad games but have enjoyed the season. I have been very proud to Captain this team this season and am very grateful to Coach Tim for joining us and helping us to shape the team into what it is now. We are looking forward to getting some hard training in during the off season and are planning to do well in a third division tournament at the end of August. I would like to thank everyone who has supported our new team this season. I hope that we can continue to grow next season and will be entering a team in Development League as well as the third division to give our players more experience."


13/4: Anna Jackson has helped steer Great Britain Women's Wheelchair Basketball team to a bronze medal at the European Championships in Hamburg.

The Chester Wheelchair Jets captain's contribution has also earned the GB team qualification for the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games.

Jackson said:
"The GB team had an excellent tournament and are starting to show their true potential. All the players got court time and for some of the newer members of the team it was an ideal opportunity for them to get the feel for the international game.

"The level of competition was very high watt the French team being part of the tournament again after a long lay off due to lack of players and funding.

"The Turkish and Spanish teams struggled against the other countries but have the potential to be good teams in the future with the right coaching and funding.

-"The surprise of the tournament was the German team who have recruited some new forwards into the team to give them the height they needed, and the scoring power - that enabled them to beat us and go on to beat the tournament favourites the Netherlands in the final.

"I was very pleased with my performance in the tournament and feel that all the hard work in the gym and on court before the tournament paid off. I played in every game and my best performance was 10 points against the French - our first meeting.

-"It was an exciting tournament to be part of and we are all so pleased to have qualified for Athens 2004."

Great Britain defeated Spain 61-15, beat Turkey 62-25, and won 59-26 against France in the qualifying stages of the competition, but lost 32-19 against The Netherlands, and suffered a 51-32 loss against Germany.

Great Britain claimed their bronze medal position after beating France 48-36 in their play-off clash.

Germany clinched the gold medal after celebrating a 65-58 victory against The Netherlands.

Message from the team:

"We would like to say a huge thanks to the Chester Jets guys for supporting the formation of our new team and for sponsoring our kit for this season. The Chester Wheelchair Jets will play in the third division of the Great Britain National League and will be travelling all around the country over the coming season.

" We have now recruited a new coach, Tim Janvier from the Wirral, he is an experienced coach and currently plays and coaches able bodied basketball teams on the Wirral. Tim fancied a change and a new challenge and started with the Wheelchair Jets in August.

"Anna Jackson, team Captain said ‘ we are very pleased to welcome Tim to the club and look forward to a successful season. He is a very experienced coach and player and we are confident he will bring a great deal to the team’ The Wheelchair Jets has a number of very experienced players and will benefit from having a coach for this season to allow players and the team to achieve their potential"

Remember:

" Wheelchair basketball can be played by anyone, and we are especially trying to attract people who have had accidents or who just cannot play 'running' games any more, maybe due to knee or ankle injuries. Wheelchair basketball is not just played by permanent wheelchair users which not many people know. All the principle of the game are the same as able bodied basketball and we can teach interested players and/or coaches the specifics of the wheelchair game."

If you are interested in playing, coaching or helping in any other way, contact Anna on 07711 356541 or email
anna_jackson@yahoo.com
 

 Chester Wheelchair Jets Information

Introduction:
Wheelchair Basketball is a fast, furious and exciting sport played by both men and women. Wheelchair Basketball is identical to the able-bodied version and is played on the same courts with the same height baskets. Wheelchair Basketball is a growing sport in Great Britain, with over 700 players, forty clubs and approximately 60 teams competing in the Premier League and National League 1st, 2nd and 3rd divisions. There is also a development league for new clubs and teams.

Who can play the game ?
Wheelchair basketball can be played by people with and without a disability. Each player is given a classification of between 1 and 5 points, in order to play at international level you must have a permanent lower limb disability.

The Chester Wheelchair Jets:
The Chester Wheelchair Jets Basketball club was formed in April 2002, Its predecessor the Chester Rockets was a very successful club, which started in the 3rd division and spent a couple of seasons in the 2nd division. The Chester Rockets was folded in April 2002 to allow for the development of a new team affiliated with the Chester Jets Basketball team who currently have the top able bodied team in the country having won all four domestic titles this season. The new Chester Wheelchair Jets will play in the 3rd division and are hoping to enter a team in the development league. The Chester Wheelchair Jets currently has players with a wide range of ability, from three eleven year olds just trying the game to two Great Britain International Players. Players travel from all over the area to play for the Chester Jets as it is the only team in the Cheshire/North Wales area. The club itself is run by a small dedicated team of volunteers who make up the club committee, including Chairman, Manager, Treasurer, Secretary and player representatives.

Current Committee members:
Steve Powell - Chairman Carl Johnston - Acting team manager and secretary
Anna Jackson - acting team coach/captain and club development officer.
Cath Spencer - treasurer
Caroline Ballard - secretary
Claire Tushingham - secretary
Zoe Coles & Sarah Wydenbach - fundraisers
Ian Powell - Junior representive
Richard Wightman
Peter Davies

Fundraising:
Wheelchair Basketball is an expensive sport to play as in order for people to play to the best of their ability they need to have a tailor made basketball wheelchair which can cost up to £1500. The club has a number of spare chairs that people can borrow to start playing the game but as they progress they need their own chair. The club would like to be able to help players out with this by purchasing more club wheelchairs that can be loaned to players.
Because of the very nature of the sport, the club needs to train and play matches in accessible venues, with accessible changing rooms and parking etc. This tends to result in high court hire fees. The club members themselves are involved in fundraising activities for the club which include, sponsored bike rides, half marathons etc and also regular collections within Chester. The Chester Wheelchair Jets needs funding now to enable it to become a successful club, please help us continue to provide a valuable activity for people with a variety of disabilities in the Chester area.
Funding would be used to cover the costs of running the club, which would allow us to attract more players to the club, especially women and juniors. We have a constant stream of youngsters coming through and see them as the future of the club. We also need to publicise the sport, as very few people know the game even exists or that it is played in Chester, and there are many people with disabilities who would benefit greatly from the experience.
Any support would be welcome but as you will see the club needs substantial funds to be able to develop.

Club Budget:
The following breakdown of costs will give you some idea of how much it costs us to run the team each season:
Annual running costs:
National League club registration - £50
National League team entry fee - £30
Court Hire (1x2hr session per week £1000 @£20, for 50 weeks) Home matches - (7 per season @ £200 each) £1400 (includes court hire, refreshments, referee's expenses, table official's expenses) Away Matches - (7 per season @£100 each) £700 ( to cover player's travelling expenses)
Publicity / Advertising £200
Telephone calls / letters etc £500
Equipment Basketballs -training balls (10 needed @ £15 each) £150 match balls (2 needed @ £40 each ) £80 Playing Vests - £250 Warm up tops - £200 T-Shirts - £100 Coaching cones - £40 Basketball Wheelchairs - (5 needed at £1500 each) £7500
Tyres/spares for club chairs £500
Total approximate costs -
Annual running costs - £3880
Equipment - £8820
TOTAL - £12,700

Sponsorship rewards:
In return for sponsoring / supporting the Chester Wheelchair Jets we would be able to offer some of the following options:
Your name on playing vests, warm up tops, T-shirts and other kit
Your name on club merchandise eg key rings, bugs, hats
Details of your support in our club publicity materials your logo on leaflets and posters press releases detailing your support
Advertising hoardings at home games
Appearances at events by players of your choice
Interviews with players
A link to our website (when finished)
Tournaments / matches named after your company (or even the Club named after your company)
And many more - the list is endless, please contact us if there is another way you can think of or would require.
top

 
Meet the team:
Anna Jackson - Club Coach and Captain (Great Britain International) Age - 30 Home Town - Chester Disability - Chronic Pain Condition in knees Classification - 4.5 Position - Forward Years in Basketball - 5 International Caps - 28 Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets
Occupation - runs own business: "Awareness Matters"
Basketball Career Achievements - World Cup, Sydney 1998, European Championships 1999 (bronze medal), Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, World Cup, Japan 2002.

Clive Emmanuelle Age - 42 Home Town - Oswestry Disability - Polio Classification - 3.5 Position - Guard / Point Guard Years in Basketball - 22 Clubs - Sparrows, RGK, Halton Raiders, Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - Upholsterer Basketball Career Achievements - 1 league championship

Billy Flanagan Age - 47 Home Town - Chester Disability - Paraplegic Classification - 2.5 Position - Guard Years in Basketball - 20 Clubs - Bolton Bulls, Runcorn Raiders, Liverpool Meteors, Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - Communication Engineer

Caroline Ballard Age - 22 Home Town - Chester Disability - Knee injury Classification - 4.5 Position - Forward Years in Basketball - 3 Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - Accommodation Support Officer - National Probation Service

Gordon Critchley Age - 40 Home Town - Runcorn Disability - Knee injury Classification - awaiting classification Position - guard/small forward Years in Basketball - 4 Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - postman

Peter Davies Age - 26 Home Town - Wrexham Disability - Spina Bifida Classification - 2 Position - guard Years in Basketball - 6 Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets

Richard Wightman Age - 24 Home Town - Chester Disability - Spina Bifida Classification - 2 Position - Guard Years in Basketball - 6 Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - Telesales Rep

Claire Tushingham Age - 29 Home Town - Chester Disability - Spina Bifida Classification - 2 Position - guard Years in Basketball - 6 Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation -Volunteer

Robert Jeycock Age - 21 Home Town - Runcorn Disability - Spina Bifida Classification - 1.5 Position - guard Years in Basketball - 4 Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - unemployed

Chris Truss Age - 11 Home Town - Ellesmere Port Disability - Cerebral Palsy, hearing impairment Classification - 2.5 Position - Guard Years in Basketball - 2 months Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - at school

Nathanial Williams Age - 10 Home Town - Ellesmere Port Disability - Cerebral Palsy Classification - 3.5 Position - guard Years in Basketball - 2 months Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - at school

Tom Blain Age - 14 Home Town - Chester Disability - Cerebral Palsy Classification - 3 Position - guard Years in Basketball - 1 Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - at school

Ian Powell Age - 15 Home Town - Chester Disability - Spina Bifida Classification - 1.5 Position - guard Years in Basketball - 4 Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - at school

Daniel Spencer Age - 11 Home Town - Gwespyr, North Wales Disability - Spina Bifida Classification - 3 Position - guard Years in Basketball - 8 months Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - at school

Linda Hodge Age - 27 Home Town - Chester Disability - Spina Bifida Classification - 3 Position - guard Years in Basketball - 1 Clubs - Chester Rockets, Chester Wheelchair Jets Occupation - volunteer

New players not yet profiled - Terry Feighan Ian Downey Tim Spencer
top

 
02/03 FIXTURES

11 Jan - Jets 35 Leicester Cobras 25
26 Jan - RGK Panthers 45 Jets 17
16 Feb - Jets 41 Coventry Crusaders 33
29 March - away v Wolves Rhinos
5 April - away v Nottingham Jaguars

May 4th - away v Dublin Celts
March 16 - Dublin Celts at Darland Sports Centre in Rossett, 11am tip

top

 
REPORTS

Game 1:
The Jets' first game was against RGK Panthers from Birmingham and the Jets unfortunately lost 20-33. The new look team consisted of Anna Jackson (Captain), Billy Flanagan, Clive Emmanuelle, Geoff Dunbebin, Caroline Ballard, Robert Jaycock, Ian Powell, Linda Hodge and Daniel Spencer.
Points scored – Anna J 12, Geoff D 4, Caroline B 2, Billy F 2
The end score did not reflect how well the Jets played, considering it was the first game of the season and the fact that the team have only recently started training together after the summer break. All players had opportunities to score but the luck was not with the team as the ball just would not drop through the net. Geoff Dunbebin as Point Guard worked well to provide the Forwards, Anna Jackson and Caroline Ballard with a number of scoring opportunities.
New tactics and plays have been introduced and the team has much more structure now than last season, Anna said ‘All our players have the ability to score points and we are now working on ways to give people those opportunities in the games so we can take advantage of their skills.’

Game 2:
v Leicester Cobras - A well earned victory by the six travelling players against an experienced team who put a squad of 12 players together and still could not beat us!!
Team - Tim Janvier (Coach) , Anna Jackson (Captain), Billy Flanagan, Caroline Ballard, Clive Emmanuelle, Robert Jaycock, Ian Powell. points scored - Billy F - 12, Caroline B - 10, Anna J - 8, Robert J - 6, Clive E- 2
This was an excellent game and the players all played their hardest and won three out of the four quarters - only losing the last quarter by one point.

Game 3:
Chester Wheelchair Jets notched up their second win of the season against Coventry Crusaders on Saturday Oct. 19th
. They have now played 3 won 2
Their six travelling players won a tough game against an experienced Coventry side. It was a low scoring game with the final score being 30-22 with the starting five of Anna Jackson, Billy Flannagan, Caroline Ballard, Robert Jaycock and Clive Emmanuelle scoring six points each.
The team struggled at the start of the game to get into their rhythm but they gradually started scoring and pulled away in the third and fourth quarters. The team were struggling with illness and injury this week and were very pleased to come away with a win. Team - Tim Janvier - Coach, Anna Jackson - Captain, Billy Flannagan, Robert Jaycock, Clive Emmanuelle, Caroline Ballard, Gordon Critchley.

Next home game is Sunday 17 Nov against Wolves Rhinos 2.30 tip at Darland Sports Centre in Rossett. The Team’s next big home game and the first of the Jets and Wheelchair Jets double headers is on December 8th at Northgate Arena - 3.15 tip, all are welcome to come and watch

Game 4:
Chester Wheelchair Jets v Wolverhampton Rhinos
- Sun 17 Nov, Darland Sports Centre, Rossett Score 42-30 to the Jets

The Chester Wheelchair Jets have now played 4 and won 3 and are in second place in the league table. The wheelchair Jets played their fourth game of the season in front of their largest crowd yet at Darland Sports Centre in Rossett, the team would like to say a huge thanks to their new table officials Patric Devitt and Ian Lloyd, and to all the young players from Coach Tim's teams on the Wirral who came down to help out.

Captain Anna Jackson said 'At last we appear to be being taken seriously as basketball players - one of the youngsters said he had really enjoyed it, and it was just like able-bodied basketbal ,' We hope more people will start to come and watch our games because it is just as exciting as able-bodied basketball, if not more. The scores are generally lower, but the excitement level is just the same."

The game started well for the Jets, with Clive Emmanuelle opening the scoring, Wolverhampton had a very young and inexperienced team and the Jets took full advantage of this and played some excellent basketball. All players were taking responsibility with the scoring and by the end of the first quarter they were up 13-6. Anna Jackson and Billy Flannagan had stepped up and hit some excellent baskets with Jackson scoring 8 points in the first quarter.

The Jets won the second quarter easily 14-6 and then slowed the pace down a bit and allowed some of the bench to come on and get some court time. Emlyn Whittick from Llanidloes made his first appearance for the team and played well both on offence and defence. Ian Powell came on in the last quarter but didnt really have the opportunity to make his mark on the game.

The senior players played some good, controlled basketball and things look promising for the rest of the season. Geoff Dunbebin returned to play his point guard role and Billy Flannagan had an excellent game - hitting some awesome screen shots when they really mattered.

Caroline Ballard played a tough game on offence and defence and is becoming a very valuable player to the team. The Wheelchair Jets are the only team in the league who's top team forwards are both women. The Jets finished easy winners and are looking forward to their next game.

Team - Tim Janvier(Coach), Anna Jackson(Captain), Billy Flannagan, Geoff Dunbebin, Clive Emmanuelle, Caroline Ballard, Emlyn Whittick, Ian Powell. Bench - Terry Feighan, Ian Downey, Robert Jaycock, Stuart McNeill, Richard Wightman, Daniel Spencer, Gordon Critchley.
Scores - Billy Flanagan - 18, Anna Jackson - 13, Clive Emmanuelle - 7, Caroline Ballard and Geoff Dunbebin 2.
 
Game 5:

Chester Wheelchair Jets v Nottingham Jaguars 2
Sunday December 12th Northgate Arena

The Wheelchair Jets played their first double header of the season with the Jets on Sunday against Nottingham Jaguars and had a convincing win 37-18.

Coach Tim Janvier led the Wheelchair Jets to their best win of the season so far, they have now played five and won four, and are heading for one of the top spots in the division.

Captain Anna Jackson said "The training is starting to pay off now and we are scoring from our set plays as well as some well worked open play. There were some fantastic moves on Sunday and the team all deserve credit for all their hard work. I was very proud to lead them as a team against Nottingham and I hope the second half of the season goes so well."

The match started well with Jackson scoring a run of 8 points from some excellent passing moves and set plays. Flanagan scored to finish the quarter 10-4 ahead. The Jets won the second quarter 15-4 with some excellent baskets from open play from Point Guard Geoff Dunbebin including a free throw scoring 7 points in the quarter. Jackson added another 6 to her total, and Caroline Ballard got on the score sheet with an excellent outside shot.

The third quarter saw a lull in play with the Jets losing it 4-6 with Robert Jaycock and Clive Emmanuelle getting their first baskets of the game. Jackson, Dunbebin, Flanagan and Emmanuelle all scored in the last quarter to win it 7-4 and win the game 37-18.

The Wheelchair Jets would like to thank all the people who worked as court crew to set up the stands before the game and also all the people who came to watch.

Starting five - Anna Jackson ( Captain ), Caroline Ballard, Robert Jaycock, Billy Flanagan, Clive Emmanuelle
Subs - Geoff Dunbebin, Ian Powell, Emlyn Whittick, Bench - Gordon Critchley, Ian Downey
Scorers - Jackson 17, Dunbebin 9, Flanagan 4, Emmanuelle 3, Jaycock 2, Ballard 2

Game 6:
Chester Wheelchair Jets v Leicester Cobras
Saturday January 11th Northgate Arena

A healthy sized crowd watched the Jets improve their record to 5-1 and move into second place in the league with a solid performance against a tough, experienced Leicester side. It was a close game throughout but the Jets always managed to maintain a lead.

There were many positives from the game; the jets transition work was of a high standard both on offence and defence. The defence stayed focused most of the time achieving four 24second shutouts. The team did well to hold onto a single digit lead for the whole game – mentally a hard task to do and demonstrated the focus the side is developing. The majority of the time the inbound plays yielded decent looks at the basket and valuable points came from these situations.

The team let themselves down by going for long shots in the first quarter when the option should be to look for inside baskets for the initial ten minutes to build confidence and test the opposition defence. We still need to create more options on offence and play with more game-smarts to exploit the gaps in opponent’s zones.

Clive Emmanuelle fouled out early in the second half but his loss was not felt as strongly as may have first been thought, with Ian Powell and Emlyn Whittick doing valuable work and gaining much needed game experience as substitutes.

Many thanks must go out to all the people who came along to watch and support the team, it really makes a difference to the team playing in front of fans and your attendance is very much appreciated.

At this point a quick note should be made of Ian Powell’s friends who contributed the loudest cheer of the day when Ian took to the court. His embarrassed red cheeks did much to warm the typically chilly Arena!!! Once again the refs provided much amusement, and I sincerely hope the clock is working correctly next time as I don’t think our maths was up to working out how long was left on a clock counting down from twenty four to fourteen minutes for a quarter.

Team v Leicester
Tim Janvier-Coach, Anna Jackson- Captain, Billy Flanagan, Clive Emmanuelle, Caroline Ballard, Robert Jaycock, Ian Powell, Emlyn Whittick
Bench - Ian Downey, Gordon Critchley, Daniel Spencer, Stuart McNeill, Terry Feighan
Points - Anna Jackson-13, Caroline Ballard-9, Billy Flanagan-6, Clive Emmanuelle-5, Robert Jaycock-2

Overall the Squad and Club are heading in the right direction on and off the court. I believe now we are really starting to bond as a unit and play as a team which is vital.

Along with the conclusion to the season where are aim is to finish in the top two and gain promotion we are also looking to set up development games to give our junior and less experienced players much needed game experience. This process will allow the players to eventually make a smooth transition into the senior team.

Game 7:
Chester Wheelchair Jets v RGK Panthers (Away) 26 January
RGK 45 - Jets 17

The Wheelchair Jets suffered their first loss for 5 games against a tough, fast RGK team. The Jets never seemed to get into their rhythm and despite trying a number of different formations they could not create the shot opportunities. RGK also beat the Jets in game one of the season and all the Jets knew it would be a tough game, training had gone well and they were hopeful for a good match. The Jets struggled in transition and found it difficult to keep the ball safe and run any of their plays , there were a lot of hurried shots and they never seemed to get into the right gear. However it was a learning experience and it was good to meet such a fast team.

Team - Tim Janvier -Coach, Anna Jackson - Captain, Ian Powell, Robert Jeycock, Caroline Ballard, Billy Flanagan, Clive Emmanuelle, Emlyn Whittick, Gordon Critchley.

Game 8:
Chester Wheelchair Jets 41 Coventry Crusaders 33
Northgate Arena, February 16th
Match report by Coach Tim Janvier and Captain Anna Jackson

The Jets got back to winning ways with a solid 41-33 home victory against Coventry crusaders. The game was kept close for the first three quarters in the main due to our poor finishing from well-created opportunities. In the fourth quarter the team finally clicked and produced several, quick, flowing moves to open a gap we maintained to the end.

The win sees the Jets go 8-2 in the league having only lost to RGK Panthers home and away. For the majority of the game the Jets played good defence, forcing Coventry’s players out of the danger areas thereby greatly reducing the offensive threat posed. Although, Coventry did prosper from inbound plays throughout the match. As the game progressed the opposition became increasingly frustrated and tried to force the game resulting in easy turnovers.

A reasonable sized crowd watched the game and the support is very much welcomed by the players and coaching staff. Welcome additions to the game were the cheerleaders. Although trying to deliver a team talk to the backing of Backstreet Boys or S Club is a skill I still need to master!!

Ian Powell and Emlyn Whittick both had valuable contributions as substitutes and continue to improve and develop as the season progresses. A mention also to the rest of the bench who, although seeing little game time are working hard in training and learning much from kitting up on game days. We’ve all been there.

Clive Emmanuelle is starting to play well as point guard and the forward / guard combinations of Caroline Ballard and Billy Flannagan, and Anna Jackson and Robert Jaycock are starting to work well, with more shot opportunities being created near to the basket rather than relying on long shots from behind screens.

Captain Anna Jackson said "we took a long time to get going in this game but by the fourth quarter we were showing what we are capable of, with some excellent drives into the key and some excellent, intelligent shot selection"

Defensively the team have a decent foundation. The tasks for the rest of the season are; to develop our offensive game to make greater use of the skill the team possesses; and to provide as much opportunity possible for our development players to gain vital game experience.

Team - Coach Tim Janvier, Anna Jackson-Captain, Billy Flanagan, Caroline Ballard, Clive Emmanuelle, Robert Jaycock, Ian Powell, Emlyn Whittick, Gordon Critchely, Ian Downey, Richard Wightman, Stuart McNeill

Scorers - Billy F-14, Anna J-12, Clive E-7, Caroline B-4, Robert J-2, Ian P-2.

 
Game 12:
Dublin Celts 95 Chester Wheelchair Jets 33
Match report by Captain Anna Jackson Wheelchair

Jets lose in Dublin ... The Chester Wheelchair Jets played their last game of the season against The O2 Dublin Celts who beat us 76 – 8 at Chester in March. We were out to prove that we weren’t such an easy push over as we were in that game and that the O2 Celts just caught us on a bad day.

We had an eventful trip over to Dublin - B&B the night before ready for a 8.30am ferry from Holyhead. Luckily the crossing was smooth and all the players arrived in one piece. After a luxurious dinner at burger king we arrived at the playing venue with about 2 hours to spare.

We played at the Irish equivalent of the Stoke Mandeville -the home of British Wheelchair Sport. We had lots of time to warm up and get used to the very forgiving baskets and the soft court. The game started off fast and O2 Celts Mark Barry got the show on the road by racing down the court and scoring twice on the break. From then on it was the Mark Barry and Barry Cooke show with both players trying to out do each other on the scoring front. At the end of the quarter it was Mark who came out of top with 10 points to Barry’s 8. Denis O’Brien-May scored the remaining 4 points for the Celts in the quarter while Anna J scored the Jets only baskets. The Quarter ended 22 – 4 to the O2 Celts.

The players were not so surprised this time as the speed of the Celts, but still struggled to keep up with their fast breaks. The Jets worked hard on denying easy inside baskets and blocking out the opposition which worked well - but there was no stopping the infamous Celts fast breaks !! We came out fighting in the 2nd Quarter and used what we'd learned from the previous encounter between these two teams to get some points on the board. We used our picks more effectively and were able to score some nice baskets from inside the key as a result. Unfortunately it was our defence that let us down and the O2 Celts scored their highest 2nd Quarter tally of the campaign, 29 points in all. They scored most of their baskets from well worked moves which enabled their two tall players to dominate the key. Patrick Forbes had the quarter of his life scoring a whopping 14 points with Barry Cooke scoring 6 and Denis O’Brien-May scoring 5. The remaining O2 Celts scores for the quarter came from both playmaker Christine Doyle and Philip Gibson who scored 2 points each. Caroline B and Anna J both scored 4 points each to give us our only scores of the Quarter. The Quarter ended 51 – 12 in favour of the O2 Celts.

The 3rd Quarter continued from where the 2nd finished off, and as a result of more well worked moves O2 Celts Patrick Forbes was once again top scorer for the Quarter with a magnificent 10 points. Anna J was the top scorer for the Jets with 5 of their 9 points scored, again our good picking paid off and we were able to get more points on the board. The quarter ended 73 – 21 to the Celts. The 4th Quarter saw the O2 Celts Coaches Peter Barron and Bernie Jackson introduce the remainder of their bench, thus ensuring that his whole squad got some court time. We had used our bench well and rotated all players giving Stuart McNeill his first experience of the Celts (he has only just stopped shaking !!!) The Celts kept the pressure on and their bench played well keeping and stretching their lead. The top scorer for the Jets this Quarter was once again Anna J with 6 points. The Game ended 95 – 33 to the O2 Celts.

This is another case of the score not reflecting how good a game it was. The Dublin team have a number of international players in their squad and are a very experienced team. We achieved our goals for the game and all the squad played well. Ian Powell hustled well and put a lot of pressure on the ball. Emlyn Whittick had another excellent game and was unlucky not to score more. Billy Flanagan was excellent as point guard but we are still struggling for another one or two ball handling guards and a power forward which would make all the difference to the team.

Team v Dublin
Coach Tim, Anna Jackson Captain, , Caroline Ballard, Billy Flanagan, Clive Emmanuelle, Ian Powell, Emlyn Whittick, Stuart McNeill Thanks to our travelling supporters - Emma East, Sarah Wydenbach, Joy Whittick and Steve Powell.
Scores - Anna J - 15, Billy F-8

top

 
DIVISION 3 (CENTRAL) 2002-03 FINAL STANDINGS

   
G
W
L
PF
PA
Pts
1
Dublin Celts
12
12
0
845
341
24
2
RGK Panthers
12
8
4
527
422
20
3
Wolverhampton Rhinos
12
6
6
461
453
18
4
Chester Jets
12
6
6
356
487
18
5
Leicester Cobras
12
3
9
440
523
15
6
Coventry Crusaders
12
4
8
400
494
15
7
Jaguar Notts 2
12
2
10
359
558
14
Note: teams get 1 point per game played plus 1 for a win.
*Coventry lose 1 point for conceding a game

See www.gbwba.org.uk for all tables, results & more information

top


 
TEAM PHOTOS

All pictures by Rick Matthews, Chester Evening Leader
#23 Anna Jackson (captain)
Anna Jackson - captain
Tim Janvier - coach
Tim Janvier - coach

#6 Caroline Ballard
#5 Clive Emmanuelle
#6 Caroline Ballard
#6 Caroline Ballard
#9 Stuart McNeill
#9 Stuart McNeill
#10 Robert Jaycock
#10 Robert Jaycock
#10 Robert Jaycock
#10 Robert Jaycock
#11 Billy Flanagan
#11 Billy Flanagan
#13 Gordon Critchley
#13 Gordon Critchley
#14 Ian Downey
#14 Ian Downey
#14 Ian Downey
#20 Ian Powell
#33 Terry Feighan
#33 Terry Feighan

top         (Jets frontpage)