Albion's Powerchair team
Image by: Tom Irving
PUBLISHED
14:57 3rd July 2014
It is such a tough sport to play so I have nothing but admiration for those two teams."
Guy Butters
Guy Butters
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Brighton and Hove Albion’s powerchair football team capped a successful season by winning the fourth annual JH Cup at the University of Brighton yesterday. The team, who avoided relegation from the WFA (Wheelchair Football Association) Premier League in their first season in the division, ran out 2-0 winners in the final against The Seagulls, a team made of players from Albion’s second powerchair team who last season won the WFA South East Regional League title.
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The JH Cup organised by Albion in the Community (AITC) and life-long Albion fan Steve Darby, aims to increase awareness of disability sport by giving able bodied players to chance to take part in and learn how to play powerchair and wheelchair football.
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The year’s competition saw the two Albion powerchair teams compete against two sides from American Express®
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Nikki Richardson, head of AITC’s disability programme, told seagulls.co.uk, “The tournament has gone from strength to strength over the last four years and has always been played in a great atmosphere and good spirit. This year was no different. Every player who took part did so with a great attitude and I’m sure the ex-pros and American Express teams learned a lot about the game from our powerchair teams.”
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The ex-pros team improved on last year’s bottom position by reaching the semi finals and finishing in a creditable third place.
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Commenting on his team’s performance, Guy Butters said, “It was a definite improvement on last year but yet again we were given a bit of lesson by the two Albion powerchair teams! It is such a tough sport to play so I have nothing but admiration for those two teams. You can see how much practice they put in to play at that level.”
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This year’s tournament was dedicated to Iona Thorne-May from East Preston, who died in October 2013, at the age of seven.* Iona suffered from quadriplegic cerebral palsy.* A powerchair in her name and donated by local charity Short Breaks was presented to AITC by Iona’s mum, Vicki at yesterday's event.
Original article