Four Nations: England clean sweep against Ireland, Scotland and Wales - reports, pictures, stats

England recorded a clean sweep of wins at the Four Nations tournament in Cardiff. 

Both the Men's and Women's U18 teams bagged three wins apiece as they faced Ireland, Scotland and Wales at the Archers Arena over two days of competition.

The players of each nation showcased their talents ahead the FIBA European Championships, where Great Britain will compete at both U16 and U18 level. 

Scores and reports below. There's a gallery of images at the bottom of this article.

Reports

England 81-42 Scotland (W) 

England Women got their Four Nations campaign off to the best possible start, as they dismantled Scotland in their opener.

Coach Lauren Milligan’s side raced to a commanding 51-19 lead at half-time, with Fatmata Janneh (11pts) and Katie Januszweska (9pts) impressing from the off.

England’s dominance continued in the second as they eased to a first win in Cardiff. The impressive Janneh (14pts, 7reb, 5stls) top-scored alongside teammate Charli Wroe (14pts), with Januszweska (11pts, 9reb), Leia Edwards (11pts, 8reb) and Louisa Gibbins (10pts) reaching double figures.

Ireland 58-78 England (M)

England started brightly to take a 27-34 lead into half-time, with forward Zamoku Weluche-Ume leading the way with 13 points.

They continued the third quarter in the same fashion, as did Weluche-Ume who led the final scoring charts with 20 points along with Ireland’s Aivaras Uosis.

Matthew Goodwin and Ashley Kitchen each provided 10 points from the bench as a team effort earn Coach Will Maynard’s side their first win.

Ireland 65-80 England (W)

England finished their day the way they started with another impressive win over Ireland.

Milligan's side weren't to have it all their own way but Olivia Forster delivered with a big 20-point performance.

Her teammate Leia Edwards also stood out once more with a 15-point, 16-rebound double-double as England took charge of the fourth quarter to make it two from two in the Four Nations.

Day 2

England 94-40 Scotland (M)

England Men got straight to it on Day 2, racing ahead to a 39-15 lead at half-time. A strong defensive effort limited Scotland’s chances and they were kept to just six and nine points in the opening two quarters.

That laid the foundations nicely for the second-half win, with Weluche-Ume top-scoring for Maynard’s side (15pts) to build on yesterday’s win over Ireland.

Wales 53-74 England (M) 

England Men finished their Four Nations campaign unbeaten following a great contest against hosts Wales.

It was the closest opening half Maynard’s side had faced over the two days, with Wales taking a seven-point lead after the first quarter.

But England came back fighting in the second to take a two-point advantage into half-time with the game too close to call.

An even match-up finally fell England’s way as they dominated the fourth, limiting the hosts to just six points as they ended their Four Nations on a high.

Weluche-Ume (12pts, 11reb) and Jason Soodeen (14pts, 10reb) capped fine tournaments with double-doubles, while Benjamin Brown hit 13 points of his own.

Wales 72-79 England (W) 

England Women were also given their sternest test of the competition by a determined Wales side in the Four Nations finale.

Spurred on by the home crowd, the hosts pushed England all the way, making it a four-point game with a minute on the clock.

Edwards' clutch triple with five seconds on the clock sealed it as England held their nerve to make it a clean sweep of the competition.

Forster top-scored with a huge 28 points (7-20 3pt), while Edwards ended the game with a monster 23 rebounds to go with her nine points. Janneh and Wroe hit 16 apiece.

Scores and schedule 

APRIL 13 

9am: Wales 77-58 Ireland (M) 
9am: England 81-42 Scotland (W) 
11am: Wales 67-61 Ireland (W) 
1pm: Ireland 58-78 England (M) 
3pm: Ireland 80-65 England (W) 
5.30pm: Wales 59-58 Scotland (M) 
8pm: Wales 59-58 Scotland (W) 

APRIL 14 

9am: Ireland 76-59 Scotland (M) 
11am: Ireland 84-29 Scotland (W) 
1pm: England 94-40 Scotland (M) 
3pm U14s 3x3
5.30pm: Wales 53-74 England (M) 
8pm: Wales 72-79 England (W) 

Squads

U18 MEN  

Ashley Kitchen, Reading Rockets
Benjamin Brown, Manchester Magic
Benjamin Michaels, Ipswich
Emmanuel Oyebadejo, Manchester Magic 
Enoch Wangoy, Manchester Magic
Isaac Round, Reading Rockets
Jason Soodeen, Bristol Academy Flyers
Lane Campbell, Loughborough Riders
Matthew Goodwin, Manchester Magic
Michael Amako, Barking Abbey
Nedas Cholevinskas, Baltic Stars
Zamoku Weluche-Ume, Barking Abbey

Head Coach: Will Maynard 
Assistant Coach: Louis Chamberlain 
Team Manager: Damien Plummer 

U18 WOMEN 

Charli Wroe, Manchester Mystics
Clementina Odom, BA London Lions
Fatmata Janneh, BA London Lions
Josephine Vourliotis, Manchester Mystics 
Katie Januszewska, Loughborough Riders
Katie Cox, Richmond Knights
Leia Edwards, Sierra Canyon
Louisa Gibbins, Bristol Academy Flyers
Natalie Charity, Nottingham Wildcats 
Olivia Forster, Ipswich
Tunmise (Oluwatunmise) Salu, Loughborough Riders
Saruna Gudza, Ipswich

Head Coach: Lauren Milligan 
Assistant Coach: Siobhan Prior 
Team Manager: Paula Charity 

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Scroll through our gallery of Four Nations images below

Photo credit: Basketball Wales/ Same Old Smith Photography