Four former rugby union players are included in the 12 man Great Britain wheelchair rugby squad competing in this month’s European Championships in Liverpool.

Troye Collins, Andy Barrow, Ross Morrison and Steve Kenyon, all from the current league and national championship winning London Wheelchair rugby club, were chosen after a 16 man squad took on the world’s best, Lakesure Wheelchair club, in Alabama during August. The six game series was played out at Lakesure’s amazing new indoor facilities that includes a full running track surrounding three basketball courts and an Olympic size swimming pool. Four of the Lakesure side were in the USA’s gold medal winning starting line-up in Sydney last year and the team had not lost a game in over three seasons, winning them all by a 10 point margin or more! A daunting prospect for the GB lads.

The first four games were really to establish the best GB line-up and settle everyone in before the two final matches when only the squad chosen on the day would face Lakesure in full blooded competition. In wheelchair rugby each player is graded between 0.5 and 3.5 depending on the extent of disability and both sides can only field four players at any one time who do not exceed 8 points i.e. two players of 2.5, one 2.0 and one 1.0. Troye and Russ are both 2.5 players due to their superior hand function whilst Andy is a 2 and Steve a 0.5 so all could play together at one time on court. Having improved as they went along in the opening four games on day one, losing 40-27, 38-28, 45-35 and
47-35, the starting line-up for the final two games was to be Alan, 2.5, Troye, 2.5, Ross, 2.5 and Steve, 0.5. They faced the club and the USA’s strongest starting line-up of Wayne Romero, 3.0, Brian Kirkland, 2.0, Cliff Chunn, 2.0, and Eddie Crouch, 0.5.

Andy Barron takes up the story of what happened over the final two legs. “The game began at a furious pace with GB going three behind early on only to rally and level by the end of the first quarter. Midway through the second, with the scores still level, Lakesure made a substitution and our coach beckoned myself and Robb Tarr, 1.0, on to court for what’s regarded as traditionally a strong GB combination of a 2.5, 2.5, 2.0 and 1.0 line-up. As the game got more and more explosive we managed to get a turnover from Lakesure and go into half-time one goal up. It was the first time we had led Lakesure and the atmosphere was nervous but electric.

“Lakesure made several substitutions to try to confuse and break us down but we contained them. The level of intensity was awesome and we were actually matching the best team in the world! Even more incredibly we hassled them into another error as our team mates cheered us ecstatically into a two goal lead at the end of the third. It was the hardest game I had ever played in but still we kept to the same line-up. Lakesure’s tactics, however, had meant that their players had a chance to rest a little and they came hard at us in the fourth quarter. They hassled every ball and started closing off all our options and passing lanes. With four minutes left we were bordering exhaustion and the home side clawed two turnovers back from us to level. We went goal for goal with them until the final minute when it was all square with Lakesure in possession. We hassled them as much as we could but they kept their cool and with less than five seconds on the clock they scored to win 30-29.

“To lose by only one goal against the best team in the world was an amazing feeling and a tremendous achievement. We warmed up for the final game and Lakesure must have had a severe dressing down from their coach as they demolished one of our more experimental line-ups in the first quarter before using their bench. We took this opportunity to fight back and still buzzing from the previous game we went goal for goal in the third and actually won the fourth to finish the losers by a very respectable, 39-31, to our hosts.”