TOTTENHAM Hotspur football star Michael Dawson visited a wheelchair basketball club keen to boost its number of players.

The star defender for Spurs joined members of the Force Wheelchair Basketball Team, which has just received a donation of £2,000 from the Premier League, as they trained on Thursday, September 27.

Michael said: "They've got some skills. It is fantastic to come down here and see them in action, and to see the skills they have, which are absolutely tremendous."

The club trains every Saturday at the Aspire national training centre, in Wood Lane, Stanmore, and has two teams that play regularly.

The club is on the lookout for new players and would welcome anyone who wants to come and join them.

Helen Turner, 29, from Surrey, who has played for Force for eight years, said: "This is the first time we have had any support from anyone from a different sport. It's always nice to have the money.

"We want more players to come down, and having Michael's visit is a great way to advertise us."

Force has between 15 and 20 players who regularly travel to Stanmore each week to play. There is no age limit at the club and the current age range stretches from 12 to 66.

Liam O'Reilly, 18, from Ruislip, is also a wheelchair tennis player, and was one of the first members of the junior basketball team when it was established five years ago.

He said: "We always want more players to come down because it helps us to improve. Michael seemed like a nice bloke, and it's always great to have support, especially with basketball because it is not a sport that usually gets grants or attention."

For more information on the Force Wheelchair Basketball Club, call Ian Laker on 0208 995 8995.