Live coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games - Friday, September 7 - UPDATED 9.30pm
08:00, 07 September 2012
by Alex Hoad at the ExCeL
9.30pm - Phew. What a day. Doesn't seem like only 11 hours since that first race got underway at Brands Hatch!
Click here to read Steve Brown's reaction to missing out against Japan.
He'll be back against Belgium at 9.30am and I'll be there for that. The winner will take on the winner of Sweden v France in the 5th-place play-off at 9.15pm.
See you in the morning then!
7.10pm - Click here for full reaction from Bayley and Wilson.
6.35pm - Wilson: "I was happy just to be here but to win a medal is amazing. I've never experienced anything like it. It's a brilliant feeling."
Bayley: "This means more than the silver because we won it as a team. They are like my family.
"We are the best British table tennis team ever. It feels good..."
More to follow.
6.10pm - ROSS WILSON AND WILL BAYLEY WIN BRONZE FOR GB IN THE CLASS 6-8 TEAM EVENT
Wilson polishes off the Germany 12-10 to seal a place on the podium 3-0 AND A WHITEWASH OF THE GERMANS....
6.01pm - ...and it's 2-0 to Wilson. 11-4 does the trick and the Sheppey lad is 11 points away from winning GB a bronze medal.
5.55pm - Ross Wilson wins the opener 12-10, showing a cool head on 17-year-old shoulders.
5.45pm - Stunning comeback from Bayley, from 8-5 down to win the third 11-8 and put GB 2-0 up.
The old Bayley was back with grunts, fist-pumps and a wild celebration, running off to embrace his teammates before a big hug with Wollmert himself.
He told Will 'next time' on Sunday night... turns out he was right!
Wilson to play Wollmert next looking to wrap up a Bronze Medal. Sounds good.
5.35pm - I'm at the ExCeL. Somehow. And things are going well.
Ross Wilson despatched Thorsten Schwinn in straight sets 11-2, 11-7, 11-5, to put GB 1-0 up and Will Bayley is leading his old foe Jochen Wollmert 2-0 at present, 11-9, 11-2.
If he can polish off the singles gold medallist then Wilson will look to secure a medal with victory over Wollmert.
Sadly GB's sitting volleyball men finished 8th after a 25-14, 25-16, 25-23 defeat to China.
4.30pm - It's all over. Finishes 51-39.
That second quarter blitz from Japan did the damage and they pretty much held GB at arm's length for the rest of the game.
I know Steve's going to be devastated, I'll let you know what he says once I've completed the dash to ExCeL for the table-tennis.
Check my twitter @kentonline2012 for volleyball and any other updates while I'm on the train!
4.04pm - Japan are 41-29 ahead at the end of the third quarter.
GB have been ruthlessly punished for any mistakes in handling or discipline, with GB picking up at least a dozen penalties so far and Japan not a single one that I can remember.
Looks very much like I'll be back here tomorrow morning for the start of the placings classification rather than in the afternoon for the semis.
3.38pm - GB have given themselves a mountain to climb at half-time as they now trail 26-8.
Japan were ruthless in attack but GB turned the ball over far too often as they lost the second quarter 13-4.
Plenty of players were guilty of trying to force passes which were intercepted or ran out of play and GB have it all to do if they are going to reach the last-four.
3.17pm - GB lead 14-13 after the first eight-minute quarter.
Their tactics are totally different from the previous two games, they have pace-men David Anthony and Aaron Phipps on the court from the start and look like they're trying to blitz their way ahead.
Need a few more turnovers at the other end to make it work, but the signs are encouraging.
2.59pm - Just about to get under way here. GB looked pumped up.
The winner will face Australia in a semi-final tomorrow afternoon while the loser will go into the 5th-8th classification stage with one game tomorrow morning and another in the evening.
2.40pm - 20mins til we're off here, but don't forget Netra Rana, Charlie Walker and Richard Dobell face China in the sitting volleyball clash at 4pm and WIll Bayley and Ross Wilson begin their bronze medal match against Germany at 5pm.
I'll be heading there straight after the end of this game, so I'll bring you his reaction to the Japan game a little later on this afternoon.
2.20pm - As you can see I've managed to get back from Kent and I'm in position to see 'knockem down' Steve Brown and GB's wheelchair rugby side - including Kent Crusaders' Kylie Grimes, Bulbul Hussain and Andy Barrow - face Japan.
GB must win to make the semi-finals. It's that simple.
2.15pm - It turned out alright in the end. Rachel Morris got her moment on the podium, just weeks after being hit by a car during a race, while Karen Darke - who had already had her podium moment this week - was invited up for the photos.
Heartwarming stuff, and the birth of holding-hand cycling in this country.
Morris said: "It's been quite emotional the last few weeks. This year has been a bit tough and Karen has been amazing, so to go across the line together felt really right.
"I've not had the best lead-in to these Games so this bronze medal means more than gold. It just means everything to me.”
Darke added: "We've worked so hard together over the last few years, we couldn't bear the thought of pipping each other to the line.
“It wasn't that one of us was stronger than the other, so we just thought, ‘Let's do it, let's grab our hands at 50m and go.’”
12.15pm - Incredible finish as the two Brits cross the line holding hands. Just when you thought you'd seen everything this summer.... GB will always find new ways to surprise you!
Looks like Morris has been given the medal in a photo but I doubt we've heard the last of it. I'm sure they'd like to share it.
Darke did collect a silver on Wednesday here so perhaps it's fitting if Morris - who recovered from a serious injury just to be here - is the one who gets her moment on the podium.
12pm - Looking very much like it's going to be a sixth medal for GB here at Brands in the first race of the day.
Darke and Morris are racing together in third and fourth, 1min2secs behind the leading American pair going into the final lap of the 48km race.
They are ovr four minutes clear of the fifth-placed cyclist so it looks to be a straight shoot-out for bronze.
10.45am - I can't tell you how glorious it is here at Brands this morning. Hot and sunny and beautiful... this morning's sunshine is sponsored by London 2012 - Golden.
The action has just got underway here with Karen Darke and Rachel Morris leading the British charge in the Women's Individual H 1-3 road race.
Lot of Irish fans here to see Mark Rohan who is also underway in the H1 road race.
Great noise here whenever the handcyclists complete a lap, hundreds of people banging on the London 2012 hoardings at the side of the track to create a crescendo.
Lots of pics on my twitter if you want to check out my profile this morning.
I'll not be here all day sadly, I have to hot-foot it back to London for the big-ones... GB v Japan in wheelchair rugby and GB v Germany in table-tennis later!
8am - Good morning. I'm winging my way to Brands Hatch today to enjoy some of the Kent hospitality, which has provided GB with two gold medals and five medals in all in the past two days.
I'll bring you a flavour of the occasion at the Kent circuit later, and tell you how it matches up to the 20-odd other Games venues I've visited in the past few weeks.
It's also a huge day for our Kent sports stars... Will Bayley and Ross Wilson must try to raise themselves from last night's epic semi-final defeat to Poland in time to face Germany for a bronze medal at ExCeL at 5pm.
A little earlier at the Basketball Arena Steve Brown and GB face a must-win clash against Japan, with a semi-final place at stake for the winner.
Meanwhile the GB men's sitting volleyball team will play-off for 7th/8th place against China at 4pm.
Yes, that's right, it's going to be another hectic day!
Follow me here throughout the day or via twitter - @kentonline2012 - for live updates on all our competitors and pics from the Games.
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