BCB Trophy competition Comes to Wales

This weekend marks a landmark moment for Welsh basketball, as Cardiff Met Archers become the first Welsh club to compete in the British Championship Basketball (BCB) Trophy, hosting a double-header at Archers Arena, Cyncoed Campus (CF23 6XD).

The Archers face Plymouth Raiders on Saturday at 16:00, before hosting Bristol Hurricanes on Sunday at 14:00.

Cardiff Met were one of five NBL clubs invited to join the expanded 20-team BCB Trophy this season, alongside Gloucester City Kings, Oaklands Wolves, Portsmouth Force and Plymouth Raiders, sitting alongside the 14 established BCB league clubs and Scotland’s Falkirk Fury. Saturday’s visitors, Plymouth Raiders, have opened their Trophy campaign with defeats in their first two outings, most recently going down 96-66 away at Bristol Flyers II. Sunday’s opponents, Bristol Hurricanes, arrive in confident form, having won their first two Trophy fixtures as an established BCB league side.

What makes this weekend especially significant for the Welsh game is the make up of the Archers roster: 10 of the 14-man squad, along with the coaching staff, are Welsh, giving a strong core of homegrown talent a rare opportunity at this level.

Head of Men’s Programme James Dawe said the step up reflects real progress for the club:

“It’s been a great step forward for the club to enter the BCB Trophy this year, and we’ve got a great mix of players to do it with. It’s fantastic to have Ben Woog back at the club after time away at Loughborough University, where he gained valuable experience at BCB level, and it’s brilliant to have Wales captain Alex Koukouravas playing BCB basketball for us too, now alongside his brother Dan, who’s been a part of the club for a couple of years already. We hope this competition gives some of our exciting young Welsh talent Alonzo Rosairo, Tom Gilbert, Rhys Cornelius and Lucas Scotland, a real platform to gain invaluable experience.”

Head Coach Stefan Rosier struck a similarly positive note ahead of the double-header:

“We’ve had a really strong pre-season and have combined well as a group, with a number of returning faces and some key additions to the squad, including Takeshi and Ben. Although we came up short against Gloucester last week, there are definitely positives to build on, and we’re looking forward to this weekend’s double-header.”

Player Lucas Scotland is also relishing the challenge:

“We’ve gelled really well as a group over these past few weeks of pre-season. Looking forward to playing at home this weekend and showing how far basketball in Cardiff has come.”

With a large contingent of Welsh players gaining vital experience against BCB calibre opposition, this weekend represents more than just two fixtures, it’s an exciting time for the development pathway of the men’s game in Wales.

If you’d like to come down and support the team, both games are at Archers Arena this weekend.

Tickets can be purchased on the door or through FanBase