Williams beaming in spite of defeats

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL OLDHAM wheelchair basketball star Laurie Williams emerged from the BT Paralympic World Cup with a smile on her face — despite Great Britain missing out on a medal for the second successive year.

Garry Peel’s young squad, who scooped European Championship bronze last year, were taught a harsh lesson in Manchester as they continued preparations for this year’s World Championships.

Williams and co were blown off court in their opening two group games against Canada and the Netherlands but showed improvement in their final game against Australia.

The Oldham Owls star couldn’t help Great Britain get onto the podium as they slipped to a 59-24 defeat to the Aussies in the bronze medal play-off.

However, with Birmingham the destination for the World Championships in July, Williams believes Peel’s troops should not be written off after their four-day fact-finding mission in Manchester.

“We’re going to have a big discussion about it and we’ve just got to keep our heads up,” said Williams.

“After big losses, it’s easy for heads to go down significantly but we’ve got to lift them back up and feel like a team.”

The 18-year-old is one of four teenagers in the Great Britain squad, but Williams insists the experience gained in Manchester will serve them well when they perform in front of a home crowd in Birmingham.

“I am really looking forward to the Worlds,” said Williams, who lives in Altrincham.

“Everyone wants to improve so much – we finished eighth in Beijing and everyone wants to get a better ranking than that this time.”



The BT Paralympic World Cup is the largest multi-sport annual elite disability competition in the world and over 300 athletes competed in Manchester from 25-31 May.

The event is supported by Nort-West Regional Development Agency and Manchester City Council. www.btparalympicworldcup.com