Jamell makes medal vow
HE WANTS A PODIUM FINISH, LIKE WIFE
NOTTINGHAM’S JAMELL Anderson was one of the stories of Gold Coast 2018 when he proposed to girlfriend Georgia Jones – now he wants to make the headlines for his performance with ball in hand.
Where Anderson and the England men’s basketball team missed out on a medal in Australia, Jones and the women claimed a silver.
So arriving in Birmingham, where the sport’s format has changed to 3x3 basketball, Anderson had one goal in mind, ensuring he could match his now wife’s achievement and earn some hardware of his own.
The 32-year-old said: “I think we expect Team England will be on the podium – we don’t expect anything less. We want to win.
“My wife has got a medal and I don’t want her to keep those bragging rights. I need to make sure I’ve got my own medal.”
The team could not have made a better start, getting the better of New Zealand 21-10 in their opening match before backing that up with a 21-5 win over Trinidad & Tobago.
Anderson, who hails from Clifton, contributed nine points and five rebounds over those games as England clinched a place in the knockout stages before their final group game against Australia.
Leading the way was Myles Hesson, playing in his home town of Birmingham and revelling in the atmosphere of the home crowd. He said: “We’ve got two wins, we’ve got to 21 points in both games, and we’re on track to do really well if we can keep up this energy and intensity. The job is not done so, after the euphoria of these two wins, we’ll stay level-headed.”
Like England, Scotland opened their campaign with a pair of victories, including a 21-20 success over Canada, raising the possibility of a meeting in the knockout stages
between the home nations .
Tin-tin Ho will have to wait for further disciplines after she was part of the England team beaten 3-0 by Wales in the women’s table tennis.
University of Nottingham student Ho, who is chasing her fourth Games medal, lost 3-1 to Charlotte Carey in her singles match.
“It just wasn’t our day. We fought hard but it wasn’t good enough today,” she said.
Ho’s attentions now turn to the doubles, where she is partnered by Maris Tsaptsinos.
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