INSIDE LINES: Wheelchair basketball

Whisper it softly around big John Amaechi " at 6ft 9in he is not one to argue with " but wheelchair basketball actually seems a tad more exciting than the real thing. Sophie Wessex obviously thought so, judging by her squealing at the wheeling during Britain's winning match against Germany. Frenetic thrills, great skills and more than a modicum of spills.

'Actually,' Amaechi (right) admitted, 'you may well be right. Sometimes it has more crowd appeal.' Perhaps this is why wheelchair basketball has been a spectator highlight of the Paralympic World Cup, the finals sold out at the pounds 2m basketball centre he set up three years ago. Multi-millionaire sports stars could learn much from Amaechi, 34, the Brit who had an illustrious eight-year career in the US and then returned home to Stockport to put his doctorate in child psychology to use by helping kids develop their sport and life skills. He now wants to open more youth sports centres, and plans a return to the court by leading England's Commonwealth Games team next year.

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