Colwyn Bay's North Wales Knights wheelchair basketball team are gearing up for the start of the Lord’s Taverners Junior League season.

Tip off for the season is this weekend with matches in Livingston, Colwyn Bay and Newark.

The junior league has been labelled a vital part of British Wheelchair Basketball’s player pathway.

Every member of the current men and women’s Great Britain Junior squads have previously competed in the Lord’s Taverners Junior League and have gone on to play at international level.

British Wheelchair Basketball Participation Director, Jo Richards comments: “November welcomes the start of our junior competition season.

"The Lord’s Taverners Junior League is pivotal in underpinning the talent and skills development of young players within the UK.

“The Lord’s Taverners continued investment in British Wheelchair Basketball’s Junior Programme is proven to have significantly contributed to the world-wide success of the GB Teams. The Lord’s Taverners Junior league also enables high quality competitive opportunities for young players and has opened the sport of wheelchair basketball to new participants.”

The GB junior women’s team are two-time under 24 European Champions and the current under 25 World Champions, while the GB junior men’s team are the current under 23 World Champions.

The Lord’s Taverners Junior League is also critical in the selection of junior players to regional teams for School Games and Junior Championships.

The league allows players to enjoy extended periods of play on the court, providing players of all skill levels the opportunity to experience the strong team ethos and fun that makes wheelchair basketball an inclusive and accessible sport.

The league features 16 teams from across the UK, placed into five groups with teams playing each other over four weekends between November 2018 and March 2019.

On 27 April 2019, the top eight teams will compete in the ‘Elite 8’ competition, in which there will be 11 back-to-back, full length matches to determine the two teams who will compete in the Lord’s Taverners Junior League Final Game at EIS Sheffield on Saturday 25 May 2019.