A wheelchair rugby club who train in Plymouth are poised to make history this weekend at the city’s Life Centre.

Going into the final tournament of the season, the West Country Hawks are set to be crowned national champions for the first time in their history.

The champions elect are captained by Plymouth-born Faye West, who is a current member of the Great Britain squad and recently competed in the Quad Nations in Cardiff.

She’s part of a trio of Great Britain players in the West Country Hawks team. Bruno Carrico and Luke Collier have also been capped by Great Britain, while several Hawks players are pushing for a place in the Paralympics squad taking place in Paris later this year.

Their achievement is all the more incredible considering they were only promoted from Division Two last year.

Coach Adam Simmons said: “It’s incredible to see how far this club has come – and we’re just getting started. There’s so much untapped potential in the South West and we’d welcome who wants to come and give wheelchair rugby a try.”

West Country Hawks Wheelchair Rugby Club was founded in Plymouth in 2011. They aim to inspire disabled people from across the South-West of England to get out and try something new, whatever their physical ability.

The club are seeking new players – and you don’t have to be in a wheelchair to play. Anyone with a permanent physical disability who is unable to play running rugby is able to play wheelchair rugby 5s. To be eligible to play the Paralympic discipline of wheelchair rugby, athletes must have an impairment which affects their arms and legs.

The Hawks will play three games on Saturday and two on Sunday. Their matches on Saturday start at 9am, 12.30pm and 2.15pm and on Sunday they will play at 10.45am and 12.30pm.