The FIMBA GB +35 Women, picked up their second international medal in style, by having an undefeated tournament on their way to winning gold at the Masters World Cup in Croatia.
With two teams entered to give some squad players international experience before the European Championships in Italy later this year, the focus coming into the tournament was very much on winning gold.
The “second” team – nicknamed No Hoopers – were unlucky not to pick up a confidence boosting win, losing out to Slovenia in their first group game by a single point, 26-27 and then Serbia 29-22. Despite a good start in the 5th place play-off, they were eventually beaten by an Egyptian team with a very loud fan base.
In the days leading up to the tournament we found ourselves depleted in numbers due to serious injuries, but certainly not in fight. We entered two teams for this one, with one team finishing 6th due to injuries meaning they were forced to play with just 5 in their last match!
The second team battled hard from start to finish and have the bruises to prove it! They played with heart and pushed the tempo in games at critical moments to finally win that gold medal! All great minutes ready for the next challenge in Italy. Absolutely on top of the world!
Sarah Cooper – Team Manager
On the other side of the draw, the “first” team – nicknamed Air Ballers – had a point to prove after a disappointing tournament in 2023 and they went about it in ruthless fashion, beating Egypt 28-34 in their opener and then dispatching Latvia 29-15. That left a match up with Slovenia, who beat them in this tournament 12 months ago. They started strongly, scoring well through Rebecca Brindley and Karolina Karolak as they stamped their authority on the game at both ends of the court. The result was never really in doubt and despite a rally in the 3rd, the GB team held on for a comfortable 25-17 win and with it the World Cup, with Brindley winning the MVP award at the closing ceremony.
Super proud to win MVP but more importantly, in being apart of the Masters GB +35s team, who gave it all for each other to win the gold in Croatia. After 25 years of playing competitive basketball it’s definitely an achievement and a moment I will never forget and one that we now hope to replicate in our next Masters tournament in Italy.
Rebecca Brindley
We want to take this opportunity to thank all the partners who made this journey possible: Keenpac and Vacation Europe. For more details on the FIMBA GB +35 Women click here or to keep up to date with the their journey to the European Championships in Italy, follow FIMBA GB Basketball 35’s Women on Instagram and Facebook.
If you are interested in partnering the +35 Women and support their journey in 2024, you can find all the relevant details on our partners page or you can support their journey with a personal donation by clicking here.
