A group of teenagers in a wheelchair has given the basketball players of Heroes Den Bosch a ‘sensitive tap’. The professionals lost the wheelchair basketball game without a chance: it was 40-15. And that just before Heroes starts the battle for the national championship on Saturday.
For this competition, children between 10 and 18 years old who are in wheelchairs from all over the country came to De Maaspoort. Usually they can only train at their club. Competitions are difficult because the age differences among wheelchair basketball players are large. Team Fonds Gehandicapten Sport now gave the children the opportunity to play a real match together.
And they loved that, according to organizer Toine Klerks of the BEN Foundation from Kaatsheuvel. “The children were fanatical, they really wanted to win.” And that win was well deserved. “But more importantly, the kids absolutely loved it.”
Heroes captain Boy van Vliet foresaw a difficult match and it turned out to be. “I’ve never been in a wheelchair, it was difficult.” In the end, the defeat turned out to be a bit higher than expected. But Van Vliet was a worthy loser. “We’ll have to live with it.”
Heroes competes in the final of the play-offs against Leiden for the championship of the Netherlands. Whoever wins three matches first is the champion. The first game is Saturday in Leiden. On Monday, Den Bosch plays at home.
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