CARDIFF WHEELCHAIR TEAM ARE CROWNED NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

From left to right: Steve McGrath, Damian Hallett, Mohammed
Khan, Rhys Thomas (Coach), Jo Coates McGrath, Caroline Matthews,
Liam Holt and Phil Cochrane.

The Cardiff Celts Wheelchair Basketball Team has returned to the
capital as national champions.
The squad travelled to Sheffield to compete in the national finals and
came home with two top trophies.
The first team qualified for division one after beating top teams from
the north and south regions.
They beat the Leeds Spiders in the semi finals and went on to take
victory against the un-defeated Bury Bombers in a nail biting division
two final.
The promotion is an incredible achievement for a team that has only
been competing in the national league for five years.
The second team also enjoyed success taking home the division south
trophy and finishing top of the table.
The Celts travelled with one of the smallest benches of the
Championships with just seven players, each one proving their strength
and contributing to the score-line in both games.
Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Howells said:
“The Celts have demonstrated a huge degree of determination and team
spirit and their achievements at the national championships are
inspirational.
“Sport.Cardiff is committed to providing disability provision in many
different sports and the Celts have shown the success that can be
gained from excellent coaching and hard work.
“Cardiff is proud to be the chosen pre-games training camp for both
the Australian and South Africans Paralympic Teams, an inspiration for
future Paralympians from the capital.”
The Cardiff Celts Wheelchair Basketball Club was established in
partnership between Sport.Cardiff and Disability Sport Wales.
They currently have three national league teams and train on Thursdays
at Coleg Glan Hafren. The first team have additional training on a
Sundays at Eastern Leisure Centre, which is also the venue for their
home games.