Warwickshire Bears clinch a Premier League berth

Warwickshire Bears Wheelchair Basketball Club clinched top spot in Division One South on Sunday with a 68-35 win over CWBA 2 to book their spot in the BWB National League Play-offs in Sheffield and secure promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the club's history.

Ian Beach, Ben Haigh and Jacob Robinson found their shooting range early on to put Bears into a 16-8 lead at the close of the first quarter and the visitors continued to build on their advantage, with Invictus players Rick Powell and Andy Roberts and a sprinkling of the club’s juniors all able to feature.

After the game, coach Tom Masterson was able to reflect on a meteoric rise for the club.

“I know I’ve said it a lot this season but I’m immensely proud of this team.

“Six years ago we had six registered players and entered the league in Division Three and now we are entering the Premier League, playing against the top teams featuring international players.

“We can now look forward to the national play-offs again and see what happens there.”

Earlier in the day, Bears’ third string went down 40-28 to CWBA 3.