Eagles achieve second place

The 23rd SuperSport Wheelchair Basketball Series came to an end on October 26 in a tightly contested match between Diesel Electric Services Eagles and the Kirloskar Lions at the Vodacom Mandeville Indoor Sports Centre.

The Lions beat the Eagles 55-51, lifting the championship trophy for the fourth year in a row.

“It was a closely contested match and the team fought till the end, but I guess the Lions were also as hungry as us to win the championship. Credit must go to the Lions coach for urging his players on to fight until the end and for the tactical changes which saw them turn the game on its head,” said Eagles assistant manager Fred Ganyaupfu.

He said the team was grateful to its sponsor.

“We may have not collected the silverware, but it has been a good season for the team and we thank the sponsor, Kevin Donaldson from Diesel Electric Services. We are grateful for the team’s sponsorship, maintenance work done to improve lighting, bathrooms and ventilation of Vodacom Mandeville Indoor Sports Centre, assisting team members with leanership placements and taking his time to attend every game to support, connect with the players and learn more about the sport of wheelchair basketball. It means a lot to the team because that alone also boosts team spirit,” said Ganyaupfu.

Donaldson said happy with the Eagles’ performance.

“The quality of this year’s final was of a very high standard. Ultimately wheelchair basketball has won. It was a dying sport, but now this will begin to change,” said Donaldson.

Daniel Nyuke was selected as one of the top five players for the 2019 SuperSport Wheelchair Basketball Series.