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Jon reigns in Spain!
Great Britain's basketball team will go into the BT Paralympic World Cup without their skipper, Wigan's Jon Pollock.
The 31-year-old has had to withdraw from the squad because of his club commitments in Spain.
Pollock is one of the sport's top players – his season in mainland Europe, where he plays in front of crowds of up to 8,000, may be followed by a stint in Australia.
But he believes his absence from the GB team will help blood some inexperienced youngsters ahead of the European Championships at the end of the year and the World Championships in 2010.
Pollock, of Highfield, said: "This year I'm playing for Seville and the GB training camp clashes with an important league game, so unfortunately I'm going to miss out.
"But I've spoken to the coach and we both agree that my absence is a good chance to blood a couple of the younger players in this tournament.
"Hopefully it will stand us in better stead for the 2010 World Champs and the Paralaympics in London two years after that."
Four of the top five teams in the world will contest the men's wheelchair basketball event at the 2009 BT Paralympic World Cup, including Paralympic champions Australia, bronze medallists Great Britain, USA – who finished fourth in Beijing – and Germany, who placed fifth, in Manchester from May 20 to 25.
Pollock, who steered GB to bronze at Beijing last year, is enjoying playing with and against some of the world's top players on a regular basis.
He said: "I love it over here. I was only planning on coming for a season but I'm looking to extend my stay.
"It's far stronger here than in England because the Americans and the Australians come over and you're always up against it. I'm in Rome now for a Champions League game, then in Spain, we may have games in Germany... I signed a summer contract to play in Sydney so I'm only back in Wigan for one week – I'm all over the place!"
Pollock, though, remains keen to taste glory with the national team. He added: "The European Champs are in October and two years ago we lost the final to Sweden, so it would be nice to make amends for that."
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Weather for Wigan
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light sleet
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
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