Wolverhampton's Lee Manning backing team-mates for bronze

Heartbroken England skipper Lee Manning backed his young three-on-three wheelchair basketball team-mates to come back stronger after their dream of gold was extinguished in dramatic fashion.

England's Lee Manning shoots past South Africa's Simanga Mbhele, during the Wheelchair Basketball Pool A game against Kenya, at Smithfield on day one of 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Picture date: Friday July 29, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story COMMONWEALTH Basketball. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder..

In one of the most thrilling finishes at Birmingham 2022 so far, Lachlin Dalton’s two-pointer earned Australia a 12-11 overtime semi-final win to send his team to the final, leaving Manning and England with the consolation of a bronze medal match against Malaysia this evening.

Speaking moments after the game at Smithfield last night, a clearly emotional Manning admitted his huge disappointment at failing to make the final.

But the 31-year-old, the eldest member of the England squad by 12 years, was confident his team would be able to quickly refocus and ensure they do not leave the Games empty-handed.

“It might need me being a big brother, arm round the shoulder type thing. But we’ll be alright,” he said. “It is a learning curve. You learn more from a defeat sometimes than you do from a win. That is what we have do, learn from this and get better.

“I was here to get gold but any medal is special. To win it for England would be very special. We will be coming out to get that bronze and take something home with us.”

England had won both of their group matches by comfortable margins, the latter a 19-9 victory over Malaysia on Saturday. But it became quickly apparent this would be a much closer affair. England led 5-1 and 9-6 but were pegged back each time and it required an equaliser from Manning with 10 seconds of regulation time remaining to force the extra period.

With the first team to two points taking victory in overtime, Manning scored again to leave his team on the brink of progressing, only for Dalton to hit home from distance to send the visitors through to face Canada for gold.

Manning said: “I knew it was in the moment it left his hands. Credit to them, they played very well. They executed. I missed some very easy shots which I would usually back myself to make but I will take that on the chin. I want to give all the credit to my young team-mates. This is obviously a learning experience and a tough one for them to take.”