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Wheelchair team finishes third at nationals

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The Leicester Tigers Wheelchair Team put in a "monumental effort" to finish third at the National Championship.

The Tigers team went into the tournament as the Division Two winners but were drawn in the same group as Division One sides Warriors, Crusaders and champions Storm.
 
But they emerged from a tough Pool A to contest the third and fourth place play-off with Marauders, who finished their league campaign in fourth in Division One.
 
And Tigers did it the hard way, coming from eight goals down in the final quarter to seal victory in the final seconds.
 
It was an impressive performance by the Tigers team just 12 months after they made their competitive debut in the same tournament, when they finished sixth.
 
James Price, the Tigers  Wheelchair Team captain, said: “The Marauders led by eight goals early in the match but a monumental effort in the last quarter saw Tigers turn it around and win the game by one with literally two seconds to spare.
 
“It was an immense game that cemented Tigers in Division One and as the third best team in the country in their first season.”
 
Tigers went down to Storm in their opening game 56-32 before securing a 55-47 win against Warriors in their second and final game of day one.
 
Tigers went into day two of competition with a points disadvantage with Ryan Dickin having commitments elsewhere. Wheelchair rugby players are classed on their level of physical disability between 0.5 points and 3.5 points. A total of four players per team are allowed on court at one time and cannot total more than eight points.
 
But they overcame the odds to beat Crusaders 55-39 to finish second in Pool A.
 
“I was hugely proud,” said Price.
 
It set up a clash with Pool B winners, the highly-fancied West Coast Crash, who withstood a Tigers fightback to emerge 49-41 winners and secure their place in the final against Storm, with Storm eventually landing the title.
 
Price, meanwhile, was full of praise for his side after their third-place finish.
 
“The future is bright,” he said. “Roll on the 2014/15 season!”