Basketball: Allison set for a GB start

Capital basketball star Rebecca Allison could be handed a starting-five role by coach Damian Jennings when Great Britain open their challenge in the Women's Euro B Under-20 Championship against Belgium in Austria tomorrow.

Allison and her Old Dominion University Virginia team-mate Falkirk's Mairi Buchan both made the cut for the final 12 for the tournament while another Edinburgh Kool Kat Kathryn Taylor got down to the last 14 before narrowly missing out.

Coach Jennings praised Taylor for her contribution to the training camp: "Nicki Avery and Kathryn Taylor were the last two players to be de-selected and this was a really tough decision to make - I have no doubt that both will be around in international basketball in the future."

Allison also has another year in this group and all three were members of Scotland coach Donna Finnie's very successful under-18 team, as was Portobello's Rose Anderson who is now a member of the Great Britain team who will shortly launch their challenge to qualify for the Eurobasket Finals and clinch a place in the London 2012 Olympics.