Big Interview: Dominique Allen’s shot at sporting glory

After flying out to Australia with the rest of the Team England squad, earlier this year she returned to a hero’s welcome having made the final of the women’s basketball tournament.

Dominique, who is already turning her attention to Great Britain’s quest for Eurobasket and, ultimately, Olympic glory in Tokyo, said the tournament on the other side of the world had been a real rollercoaster of emotions.

And despite heading to the Games with the hope of a bronze medal in the back of her mind, the team managed to above and beyond by beating heavy-favourites Canada, a side they had lost to during the opening game when the league format was still in place, in a superb semi-final to go one better and claim the silver.

“It was a really long flight but once we’d landed we had some preparation games in Townsville,” said 28-year-old Allen, speaking about the 23-hour journey to Australia.

“We were in the top seeded group so we knew we might be able to win a medal but expected a bronze at best.”

England faced Jamaica in the quarter-finals, in game they won 62-40, and it was only after making the semi-finals the squad was finally able to join all the other athletes in Commonwealth Village for the last few days.

“Before that it didn’t really feel like we were part of the Games but the supporters in Townsville were really knowledgeable about basketball and got behind all the teams,” added Allen.

“It was a really lovely place to stay but it was also nice to get to the village.”

Despite being comprehensively beaten by Canada earlier in the tournament, England believed they had a better chance in the knockout format as two of their star players, Azania Stewart and Rachael Vanderwal, had been missing.

“They had to join us later because of their club commitments but even still, we did not play particularly badly and we were still getting into the competition,” said Allen.

“The next game was against Mozambique and then we faced Australia. Not only were the hosts a very good team, they were also very tall.

“There was such an atmosphere playing against them, so we were also facing the crowd as well as a team ranked fourth in the world.

“It was a great place to play, despite the result, because it’s not every day you get to perform in such an arena.

“You just have to raise your game, especially when you come up against an opposition player who is 6ft 8ins tall.

“But we knew we had more important games in front of us so we couldn’t get too down about the Australia game.

“We were confident going in against Canada and we knew what we’d be up against – and we desperately wanted to make the final.”

England’s game plan for the semi-final was simple – get in front and then keep the lead, because the underdogs knew how strong the Canadian side was, particularly from three-point range.

“It was all about our defence,” said Allen. “I was on the bench for the last two minutes and I’m already known as quite an emotional team-mate.

“I think I spent most of those last few minutes screaming but when the whistle went it was the best feeling ever.

“To be guaranteed a silver suddenly took all the pressure off us because we knew final would be tough. Having finished third in the top-seeded group, we knew New Zealand was also a very strong side so we thought the bronze medal match would probably be between us and them.

“Nobody expected us to beat Canada so to do that was one of the best experiences of my career.

“After I’d been to the London Olympics, I was so desperate to be in Australia.”

The Gold Coast Games marked the first time basketball had been included in the Commonwealths since 2006, when the men and women’s teams both came away with a bronze medal.

Both basketball teams competed in preliminary matches in Townsville before the semi-finals and medal matches moved to the Gold Coast.

Team England women were in the seeded group up against Australia, Canada and Mozambique.

The top two teams in each seeded group (Pool A) progressed to the semi-finals whilst the bottom two play-off against the top two teams from the unseeded group (Pool B) for the two remaining semi-final spots.

England would eventually lose the gold-medal match to the host nation, 99-55.

But Dudley-born Allen, who still lives in her home town, said she could not get over the support the England squad had received during the Games and on her return. “We seemed to be getting the same amount of support abroad as we do when we play at home,” she said.

“My parents couldn’t come this time but we could see on social media how happy everyone was us.

“When I got back to work there were pictures of all our achievements all over the office and I didn’t feel like I did any work for about a week.”

Allen, who attended Lutley Primary School and Windsor High School, both in Halesowen, before studying A-levels in Newcastle, has had little time to rest and recover as she turned her attention to GB duties after her Manchester Mystics side was knocked out of the WBBL play-offs at the quarter-final stage, losing a tight game 76-69 to the Nottingham Wildcats.

But Great Britain’s women currently sit joint top of their Eurobasket 2019 qualifying group at the halfway stage, after following up their 64-56 away victory in Portugal with another vital road win in Tel-Aviv, beating Israel 76-74. GB, who failed to reach Eurobasket 2017, complete their qualifying campaign with games against Greece on November 17 and Portugal on November 21.

Two wins would ensure their safe passage into the Eurobasket finals and a good performance at the tournament could see Allen flying out to the second Olympic Games of her career.

“We have the same coach for GB and England, so however well we performed in those decided if we would make the England squad for the Commonwealths. We didn’t have a specific camp or anything like the men.

“We have won two out of the four Eurobasket games so we’re in a good position to qualify for that, with two more home games left to play in November.”

Allen, whose father, Clive, was also an England international, enjoyed a stellar career with the Birmingham Bullets and is now head of basketball development at the West Bromwich Albion academy, has had to work hard for her achievements.

She commutes from her Dudley home to train with the Manchester Mystics two to three times a week, with WBBL matches at weekends, all while holding down a full-time job.

But her efforts have been rewarded with a Commonwealth Games silver medal, the chance to compete at the Toyko Olympic Games.

Her father also joined her earlier this month when she was made a guest of honour at Wolverhampton Sports Awards, which were held at the city’s university.

“I’ve played in Manchester for two years. We won the WBBL Cup final last year and we’re constantly improving,” she said.

“It’s hard work, especially the commuting. I still in live in Dudley and work in Birmingham, so I have to travel up to Manchester to train – and then there’s games at the weekends. But at least we made the play-offs.”