Wales Women Defeat GB Twice at 3×3 Invitational in Belfast

Wales Women delivered a strong showing at the Celtic Invitational 3×3 tournament in Belfast, securing two standout victories over Great Britain as preparations ramp up for Commonwealth Games qualification.

The three-day event, held at Ulster University Jordanstown, saw the Welsh quartet of Emma Bailey, Issy Bunyan, Tia Freeman and Laura Shanahan claim 14-12 and 21-12 wins over GB in a series of high-intensity matchups.

Wales opened their campaign with a 15-9 defeat to hosts Northern Ireland before bouncing back with a win over Great Britain on Friday evening.

Day two brought further success, with a second win against Northern Ireland (18-14), before battling performances in defeats to Ireland U23s (21-12) and Lithuania (21-11).

On the final day, the team recorded their second win over GB and closed out the tournament with a commanding 21-10 victory over Northern Ireland, despite a 21-11 loss to Ireland earlier in the day.

“It’s been a great experience,” said player-coach Laura Shanahan.
“To get several wins in what is our first 3×3 outing has been a real boost, especially the victories over Great Britain.
We have some talented players who have shown they can adapt to 3×3 really well. They hustled and executed plays brilliantly over the three days of competition.”

The Wales Men’s team, featuring Rhys Farrell, Alex Koukouravas, Ioan Nickson and Pete Walker, also impressed with moments of quality throughout the tournament.

They began with a narrow 21-19 buzzer-beater loss to Northern Ireland 2, followed by a solid 22-14 win over Northern Ireland 1.

Day two brought another last-second defeat to NI 2 (21-19) and determined displays in losses to GB U23s (21-12) and Ireland U23s (21-14).

Despite 21-8 defeats to Ireland and Northern Ireland 1 on the final day, the men closed the tournament with a hard-earned 21-19 win over Northern Ireland 2.

“We’ve learned a lot from this trip,” said Head Coach James Dawe.
“The players acquitted themselves well and we’ll be stronger for this experience.”

Wales international Tomide Akinsiku featured for GB U23s, showcasing his rebounding and shooting strengths. The power forward is expected to be in contention for Wales’ Commonwealth Games qualification squad.

“The trip to Belfast was incredibly valuable and has given us a lot of momentum,” said Basketball Wales Performance Director Phil Gordos.
“The players, coaches and support staff did a great job and we’ve taken a lot of positives from games against some high-level opposition. I want to thank Northern Ireland for the fantastic job they did hosting the event.”

Wales will now continue their preparations, targeting further playing opportunities over the next three months as they build towards qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.