All eyes on the ball – basketball final vs England
All eyes in the venue are on the ball in a tense moment during the wheelchair basketball final between Australia and England at the 1966 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Kingston, Jamaica. The game was played at a covered, outdoor venue with a concrete playing surface and little room for the crowds of spectators eager to see the action. The photo shows a range of chairs in use at the time, which was just starting to see the introduction of chairs with small, stabilising back wheels. At centre, Australian Bill Mather-Brown uses an ‘old school’ chair with a single, large rear wheel, which made it very quick to turn, but also quite unstable. Visible Australians L to R in the dark singlets: John “Jimmy” Newton, Gary Hooper, Bill Mather-Brown and John Martin (chair #42). England won the game and the gold medal.
Date: August 1966
Author: Photo donated from the personal collection of Bill Mather-Brown.
Choose fields
© 2024 Australian Paralympic Committee
Web Design and Development by NOUS