By Jamie Thomas

Days away from the showpiece final we have all been waiting for, Sevenoaks Suns get set to face off with the Leicester Riders on Friday evening live on Sky Sports and their talismanic captain, Cat Carr, says that hoisting the Cup in victory on Friday evening would be one of her best achievements.

With the circumstances of the pandemic delaying this latest battle between two great rivals, Carr has had ample time to reflect on what success in the final would mean to her and her teammates, and the former WBBL MVP says that a victory would rank very highly after a challenging 12 months.

“At the end of the day there’s a winner and a loser – there’s no draws in basketball, and we want to win. This has definitely been the most trying year I’ve had at the club, so winning would be awesome and probably top any of the other things I’ve won here.

“As a team we’ve gone through a lot collectively, individually, and personally, in this timeframe of uncertainty and everything that is going on, so it would mean a lot to be successful this weekend and this season.

“Some people might say it’s just basketball, but this is what we do – this is our profession, our livelihood and what we do day in, day out, so to be able to play means a lot to us and to be successful this weekend, especially in the circumstances, would mean a lot too.”

“The pandemic has made me realise how much I want to enjoy it.”

A fierce competitor and serial winner, you could safely bet your last penny that Carr will be as fired up as anybody else on the court this Friday evening as tip-off approaches but, like so many of us, the way of the world in recent times has strengthened her appreciation for simply enjoying the game.

The Suns cornerstone spoke eloquently about finding that balance in our conversation with her.

“Enjoying the game has absolutely been more of a focus for me since the pandemic, wanting to be able to enjoy the moments more. That’s how my perspective has changed this year, being even more grateful for having the ability to get out on the court and play the game that I love – nothing can compare to that.

“Sometimes when you’re very competitive you get wrapped up in needing to win, and our success has definitely put us on that level of being a team that everybody wants to beat, living up to the Sevenoaks Suns name and what we are now, but the pandemic has made me realise how much I want to enjoy it.

“What the situation has shown us is that what we have is not guaranteed so you can put all these goals and expectations on this season, but you don’t know what’s going to happen next. The expectation I have set for myself is to enjoy every time I’m on the floor, whether it’s a game, practice, or just shooting – we have to enjoy it while we can.”

“I just try to reiterate how lucky we are to be on this court.”

As one of the core group and captain of a successful Sevenoaks side spanning recent seasons, Carr has naturally taken on a prime leadership role whilst at the club.

Having so much experience surely helps her excel in that leadership role, however none of us have experienced a year like this one before, so Carr admits it has been tough to lead, but also that she has tried to empower her teammates throughout this period.

“Leading in these circumstances has definitely been challenging, but it always comes back to doing what we think is right morally, making sure that we’re safe and doing what we need to do as citizens, but I’ve tried to voice to my teammates the importance of speaking what is true to you.

“How we all feel individually and collectively is really important, and I think that’s what we do well on this team, making sure that we’re all on the same page, giving each other the love and support to say what we want to say, how we’re feeling and go from there.

“I just try to reiterate how lucky we are to be on this court, even when we practice, because you never know when your last practice or game could be – as last year showed us – so we’ve been doing what we can to the best of our ability.”

“They’re very well-rounded and that’s why they’re successful.”

Highlighting her side’s continuity at the core of the team as being key to their success, Carr admits she sees similarities with their rivals at the Riders in that regard and adds that she is excited for their first encounter of the season to be on such a big stage.

“We’ve played them a lot of times in big games over the last couple of years – we’re yet to face them this season, but we’ve been watching their games – and they’re very similar to ourselves in that they have a good core that they stick with and everybody has a role.

“When you get people that play their roles that well and they work together and complement each other then you’re going to have a good team, and that’s what Leicester have done.

“They like to run, they have a defensive plan that they’re very good at, they’re very well-rounded and that’s why they’re successful, and we’re looking forward to facing them in the final.”

The WBBL Cup Final takes place LIVE on Sky Sports Arena & YouTube, Friday 12 February, with coverage commencing at 5:00pm.