Ireland U23 women made history last weekend with a first ever win in European 3×3 event. Ireland competed in 3 competitions in 3 days in Riga, Latvia reaching the final every day with a win on day 2 v Serbia and a narrow OT loss to the Netherlands on day 3. The team consisted of both Erin Maguire and Abigail Rafferty from Team NI and were coached by Patrick O’Neill who leads the senior Team NI women. Basketball Northern Ireland influence was also seen with the other 2 Irish players, Hazel Fin and Ella O’Donnell having been coached at national team level by Performance Coordinator Andy Gill.
Abbie and Erin are members of the Senior Ireland 3×3 squad who continue to compete at the World series level which is the top tier of 3×3 play.
Head coach Patrick O’Neill commented, “This was a fantastic trip and experience for the team and to reach 3 finals was a magnificent achievement. This level of play can only help our Northern Ireland players and is a really positive step in our pursuit of qualification for next summer’s Commonwealth Games”.