Main image: Great Britain celebrate silver. Photo by Mansoor Ahmed/Ahmedphotos

Great Britain secured a fourth straight silver medal at the IWBF European Championships in Sarajevo last month after a close fought final that finished 66-59 to the Netherlands, and booked their ticket to the 2026 World Championships in Ottawa in the process.

GB headed into the European Championships after a 5th place finish at the Paris Paralympics in 2024 and having reached 3 straight European Finals. The two finalists would receive automatic qualification to the World Championships, where GB faced a familiar opponent in the Gold medal game against the Netherlands for the fourth time since the 2019 edition.

Coach Miguel Vaquero Maestre kept the core of his squad from the last two international competitions with 10 returning players from the Paris Games, and 8 from the 2023 Europeans, building on the consistency and defensive identity that GB have established on the world stage.

In their opening game of the group stage, GB came out with a statement of intent against the 2023 bronze medalists Spain, holding them to 8 first half points and finished with a 47-18 victory behind Robyn Love’s 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Laurie Williams dished out 6 assists and set the tone for a career performance throughout the competition. Playing in her 8th European Championships Williams showcased her court vision as a facilitator on the floor for GB, along with Joy Haizelden she would lead the team in assists per game with 3.8, and finish 5th overall. Williams racked up a career highs in assists (9) against the Netherlands in the Final and rebounds (13), as she secured her first ever international double double against Germany, on her way to averaging 6 boards per game (8th overall and a career high). Williams’s experience and leadership on the court was crucial for the team throughout the competition.

After a rest day GB faced Germany, a close first quarter gave GB a 12-10 lead but a 7 point second from Williams and 5 points from Amy Conroy put GB ahead at the half 26-15. They continued to stretch out the lead after the break as Conroy finished with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists off the bench and Love pulled down 14 rebounds along with her 6 points and 6 assists, giving GB a 46-29 victory, moving them to 2-0. Showing what makes her such an all round player, Love averaged 10.5 ppg (7th overall), 9.5 rpg (2nd) and 3.7 apg (7th) and grabbed double digit rebounds in 3 games. Recently awarded an honorary doctorate by Edinburgh Napier University, Love’s impact on the game both on and off the court is undeniable.

Next up in the group stage was France. Manchester Revolution’s Kayli English, in her senior team debut, picked up her first start and made an immediate impact on the boards pulling down 5 in the first half. GB’s defensive intensity was on display as Charlie Moore and Sophie Carrigill finished the game with an incredible plus 49 and plus 45 respectively. The two players were the anchors of the team’s defence working off the ball to get their teammates into position as they set screens and boxed out the defence. Jade Atkin put up 16 points and 9 rebounds and Katie Morrow, in a breakout game, came off the bench for GB to pour in 27 points on 68% shooting along with 7 rebounds and 3 steals. In her third European Championships, Morrow averaged a career best 9.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg. Maddie Martin (3 reb, 1 stl) was a plus 28 in 12 minutes of play, highlighting the defensive pressure she puts on opponents. Jude Hamer added 4 points, 2 rebounds and a steal. A 77-17 win for GB would set up a matchup between two unbeaten teams in the group stage as both GB and the Netherlands entered the final day 3-0.

The Netherlands ran out to a 22-9 lead in the first quarter with 8 points from Bo Kramer. GB staged a comeback behind super-sub Lucy Robinson who scored 11 of GB’s 13 second quarter points and brought the game within 6 at halftime. Robinson added in 8 more in the third but the Dutch were able to pull away and secure top spot in the group stages with a 63-42 win. Robinson led GB in scoring throughout the tournament (11.8 ppg, 5th overall) and has shown time and time again that no matter which team she represents she will put the ball in the basket. Playing in the Women’s Premier League in the UK last season she averaged 20.6 ppg and over a 3 game stretch from Feb to March averaged 31.3 ppg shooting just under 60% from the field.

Second place for GB in the group stages meant they would meet third placed Germany in the semi final. Love led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds and Conroy added 10 off the bench. Haizelden finished with 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Haizelden who completed her 4th year at University of Alabama last season where she won her 4th National Championships and was named to the All American 2nd Team, continues to show why she is one of the most exciting players to watch on whichever court she is on. One of the fastest players you will see out on the floor, Haizelden’s read and anticipation of the game was on display as she finished 6th in the competition in steals and was named in the tournament’s All Star 5 Team. A 53-37 win for GB meant they booked their ticket to the Final and secured automatic qualification for the World Championships.

As the reigning European, Paralympic and World Champions, it has been a dominant era for the Netherlands who were looking to equal Germany’s record of 10 overall Gold medals and win their 5th straight Gold in Sarajevo. The best offence (The Netherlands) versus the best defence (GB) would be on display as the Netherlands entered the game putting up 74 ppg and GB, who held the Dutch to their lowest scoring game of the group stage, holding their opponents to 32.8 ppg.

A back and forth opening quarter meant neither team would lead by more than 2 points for the first 5 minutes, until Kramer scored 6 of the Netherlands last 8 points to give them a 4 point advantage at the end of the first. In the second, once again it was Robinson (22 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast) off the bench for GB who lit up the score sheet, putting up 14 of her 22 points in the quarter, including 10 straight, as GB cut the lead to 32-31 at the half. An opening basket from Jitske Visser (6 pts, 3 ast) for the Dutch gave them a 3 point lead in the third but Williams (6 pts, 4 rebounds, 9 assists) set up Love (10 pts, 9, reb, 6 ast) to cut the lead to 1 and then found Robinson who gave GB their first lead since the opening quarter. GB would stay on top until Carina De Rooij (15 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast) tied the game at 47 with just under 40 seconds left in the third. With under 7 minutes to play in the final quarter, Love gave GB the lead back as Robinson increased it to 4 but a 13-2 run from the Netherlands in the final 4 minutes would seal a historic Gold for the Dutch as GB claimed silver.

Putting up their highest points total (59) and their smallest margin of defeat (7 points) in their last 7 meetings with the Netherlands, there are a lot of positives for GB to take forward. No team in the European Championships since Germany in 2019 have played the Dutch as close (a 55-51 point Netherlands win). GB have laid the foundations for a new chapter and with an eye on the World Championships and the next European cycle the team have a bright future ahead as they continue to build on their successes so far.

FocusHoops caught up with GB’s Jude Hamer and Kayli English ahead of the final to hear how Kayli’s senior National Team debut has gone, how the team are preparing for the final against the Netherlands and the pair’s experience at the 3×3 World Championships in South Africa earlier this year: