Following the final selection day last Saturday, we are pleased to announce the players that have been selected to represent Great Britain Maxibasketball at the FIMBA Ticino 2025 2025 World Championship in just over six months’ time.
GB MAXIS W35+
Head Coach Steve Butler has shown faith in the core of our GB 35+ European Championship medal-winning teams of 2022 and 2024, with the return of eight of the 12 squad members from previous campaigns, including women’s professional Super League Basketball club players Helen Trailin (London Lions), Laura Shanhan and Sarah Wagstaff (Cardiff Met Archers). Also returning is the multi-faceted guard Rehana Khalil (Manchester Mystics WNBL1), sharp shooter Lara Cornelius (Bognor Amazons), power forward Milly Watkins (Brent Bulls WNBL1), plus point guards Zaneta Nedza (Bristol Flyers WNBL1) and Urszula Kostka (Tees Valley Mohawks). Coach Butler certainly has depth in this squad with the exciting addition of shooting forwards Michelle Tattersall (ex-bristol Flyers WNBL1), Vilma Jurgaityte (Tees Valley Mohawks WNBL2), and centres Charlotte Henderson (Cobham Cobras WNBL2) and Rosanne Semple-Barr (Glasgow Fever) all of whom have recent international experience at this years European Championship in Pesaro. Coach Butler is assisted by Roberta Guerrina (Guildford) and Caitlin Reed (Cardiff Met Archers) and we expect them to challenge strongly again for a place on the podium in Ticino.
GB MAXIS W45+
GB MAXIS 50+
Selection in this age category was very competitive, but the coaching team of David Mason (HC), Caroline Charles (AC, London Youngbloods) and Brian Deacon (AC, Worthing Thunder) were keen to ensure there was a good balance of skill, experience and depth across the board. So, Head Coach David Mason was pleased to confirm the selection of a 12-strong squad of former national and international level players, featuring some legends that played in the highest divisions of the women’s game in Scotland and England during the mid-1980s to 2000.
Alongside coaches Mason and Charles, this W50+ team also features four players for whom Ticino 2025 will also be their fifth consecutive FIMBA championship with us. They were members of the first ever GB teams to compete in the FIMBA World Championship (Espoo 2019): Anta Riekstina, Emma Walker, 1991 Commonwealth gold-medalist Louise Cooke, and former GB & England international, Sadie Mason MBE. We are excited to see them in action in Ticino: we know it will be a tough competition but they are up for it.
Congratulations to all our players and staff that will be representing Great Britain maxiballers next year, and who are now truly on the road to Ticino!
