Basketball: City students swell Home Nations team

No fewer than 12 Edinburgh University students, eight women and four men, have been picked for the two Scottish Universities teams to contest the basketball Four Nations Championships in Northern Ireland the week after next.

But this unprecedented Capital success comes at a price, for such are the demands on the Edinburgh University Sports Union funds due to large representations in other sports, including water polo and netball, who are also involved in international tournaments in Ireland shortly, that the players face a serious shortfall in the grant aid they will receive towards their individual contributions which could be as high as 200.

"I've been told that the maximum we'll receive is 50 per cent of the cost and we have to pay this money up front and claim it back," complained one male Edinburgh basketball player.

The men's Edinburgh reps are Michael Kirkpatrick, who along with team-mate Liam McCabe has just helped Edinburgh Kings complete the treble; Tom Hutchinson, who has hit a rich vein of late season form after a wrist operation last year and Bryan Munnoch, the speedy young Falkirk Fury guard.

Coach Graham Gunn has picked nine of the team who represented Scotland in last year's event at Heriot-Watt University, while Cathy Mitchell, a previous cap, is rewarded for her fine form for Polonia Phoenix by returning to join sister Ali and clubmate Emilia Rossi, the latter earning her first student honours, as does fellow Edinburgh student Bassy Myamla.

Five of the side, Emma Findlay, Sarah O'Brien, Rowan Bell, Kara Gillies and Nicola McBrierty helped Gunn clinch the club treble for Edinburgh Kool Kats. The women's team will play the Scottish Juniors at Portobello a week tomorrow.