BASKETBALL: RISING Chester Jets star Nathaniel Williamson has been called up for the North West squad to compete at the Junior Wheelchair Basketball Championships.
The Little Sutton ace was nominated by his club two months ago to have trials for the regional side and, after impressing coaches, he was chosen to compete in the tournament this Saturday.
Nathaniel's call-up is testament to the progress he has made with the Jets junior set-up since joining the club in 2002.
The 13-year-old, who attends the Ellesmere Port Catholic High school, has been in a wheelchair since he was a child and suffers from cerebral palsy, but he's never let his disability dampen his enthusiasm for sport.
Chester Jets wheelchair senior captain Anna Jackson said: 'Nathaniel has come on a hell of lot since he joined the club and we're delighted and proud that he's been called up for the squad along with his team-mates Connor Taylor and Daniel Spencer.'
His mother, Catherine Ellison-Gray, says Nathaniel is passionate about basketball and is even setting his sights on competing in a certain event in 2012.
She said: 'I'm very proud and really pleased at how well he's doing. When he first started, he got frustrated because he couldn't get a basket, but now he's aiming to play for the Great Britain Paralympic team at the Olympic Games in London.
'His knowledge of sport is brilliant and although he wasn't able to play football when he was younger, he didn't let it get him down and now he's made so much progress with the basketball.
'The support he's got from his school and teacher Mike Burton has been brilliant. They're all ecstatic that he's been called up to the squad.'
The championships, which are being held in Stoke Mandeville, the centre of disability sport, will see Nathaniel face off against squads from across England and also teams representing Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
Anyone interested in getting involved with either the Jets' senior or junior wheelchair side should contact Anna Jackson on 07711356541.
