Sport in brief
BASKETBALL Kieron Achara believes a trip to Hungary for the first of six qualification games for next summer’s EuroBasket represents an opportunity to put the sport in Britain back on the map, writes Mark Woods.
Team GB wasn’t on the invite list for Rio 2016 and the sport has been stripped from UK Sport but they will still take a punt on a rebirth in Kecskemet tonight.
“We’ve definitely taken a step back,” said captain Achara. “But at the same time, we’re in a better place now than we were 10 years ago when the programme was formed. We have lost a lot of our core group of guys who play at a higher level. We’re in a rebuilding stage.
“But we’re a level above from when we were competing against Switzerland just to get into Europe’s top tier. I look at our squad from 2013 to now and we’re deeper now. And that gives us a chance in these qualifiers.”
Winning a group that also includes Macedonia and Luxembourg is not an impossible ask with five holdovers from London 2012 as well as former Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon. ATHLETICS Olympic finalist Andrew Butchart has been forced out of tomorrow’s Diamond League meeting in Zurich due to injury, writes Mark Woods.
The Perthshire prospect, who came sixth in the 5000 metres in Rio, had been due for a rematch with silver and bronze medallists Paul Chelimo and Hagos Gebrhiwet. But he has been told to rest after sustaining a knock during his impressive Olympic outing.
“My foot hasn’t healed properly and it’s too risky to race,” Butchart revealed. FOOTBALL Glasgow City midfielder Erin Cuthbert will play no part in Scotland’s final Euro 2017 qualifying game against Iceland in Reykjavik next month.
The 18-year-old, who made her debut against Belarus in June, has instead been chosen for the Scotland Under-19 squad who are playing in a Euro qualifying group against Albania, Cyprus and Serbia.
“We look at what is best for the individual and the decision we came to after talking to Erin and her club coach is that she will get more games with the under-19s,” said senior manager Anna Signeul.