The Great Britain Women’s Sitting Volleyball team will head to Finland this weekend for the Pajulahti Games.

The ten-strong squad, which comprises two London Paralympians, is looking to put in some strong performances against some of the best teams in Europe.

With five matches in three days, the tournament will be tough but team captain Martine Wright says it is a vital step for the team as it reforms with sights set on Tokyo 2020.

„This is a fantastic competition for us to benchmark ourselves against some of the best teams in Europe,” she said. “We have some new players in the squad so it’s good for them to play top flight teams outside of major competitions.

„Ukraine, Russia and the Netherlands are among the top Paralympic teams so it will be a good experience for us competitively.“

As the first tournament of the season, the team are hoping to present a challenge to the top teams and compete well against their other opposition, which includes host nation Finland.

The team will be in action on Friday at 11am GMT against Russia 1 before facing Finland at 5pm GMT.

The women will then be back in action for two further matches on Saturday, with first serve at 9am GMT against the Russia 2 side, which will be followed by the European Champions, Ukraine at 3pm.

Rounding off the weekend will be another tough match against the 4th placed team from London 2012, the Netherlands at 7am on Sunday.

„We’re looking to go there and play our own game and look at where we need to focus on,” added Martine. “This will set us up for the rest of the season – and for our long term goals as we look to the next four-year cycle.“

The GB Women’s Sitting Volleyball squad comprises:

Stacey Byrne               Sandy, Bedfordshire          Help for Heroes Phoenix

Carolyne Dufley           Didcot, Oxfordshire            Help for Heroes Phoenix

Danielle Hampson-Carroll Cardiff                          Help for Heroes Phoenix

Erica Vey                  Letchworth Garden City, Herts Help for Heroes Phoenix

Martine Wright (c)      Tring, Hertfordshire               East London Lynx

Amanda Pollard          Bishop Stortford, Herts          Essex Pirates

Sarah  Partridge         Canterbury, Kent                  Canterbury City Wyverns

Maurillia Simpson        Stratford, London                Portsmouth

Victoria Widdup (vc)     Lewisham, London               East London Lynx

Kathleen Hawkins         Bow, London                     East London Lynx

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