Munn said, “At the moment we are concentrating on ourselves as a team and not really looking at how others are performing. This competition is all about preparation for the World Championships, and I am looking forward to playing Australia, they are the best team in the world and I know if we tighten our shots we can go a long way.”

The opening game of the women’s competition saw the 2009 BT Paralympic World Cup champions, the Netherlands, take on Australia, who were making their debut in Manchester.

It was the Dutch side who scored the opening basket and from then on they rarely let their lead slip, going on to win by a solitary point; 43-42.

There was also Orange success in the Football 7-a-side when a dominant Dutch side beat GB 3-1.

At half-time both sides entered the changing rooms at a goalless deadlock but upon their return Iljas Visker proved deadly in front of the posts once again, volleying in a rebound.

Dennis Straatman then doubled the Dutch lead, with a free-kick a former number seven at Manchester United would have been proud of. GB’s Matt Dimbylow offered a glimmer of hope with a goal on the 45th minute but Visker sealed the match with his fourth strike of the tournament.

Visker said, “The weather was much better today which is good for us. We have the US tomorrow so be good to have the same weather and I believe we could win and see Ireland in the gold medal match on Saturday.”

In the days other match the Republic of Ireland beat the USA 5-2 in a thriller, which saw their captain Gary Messett bag a brace within the first 25 minutes.

While the Republic of Ireland only needs one point from tomorrow’s game in order to qualify for the gold medal match, they will be acutely aware that the host nation GB requires a full three points if their hopes of a final appearance are to stay alive.

Back inside at the Regional Arena and defending Wheelchair Basketball champions Australia suffered a 39-36 loss to Canada.

Both sides were evenly matched with each in the 30 per cent mark for shooting accuracy while Canada made 17 turnovers to Australia’s 13. The lead only changed hands four times in the game and Canada at one point dominated with a 10-point gap.

Australia’s Dylan Alcott said, “They gave us a good push but we know we can do better. We don’t feel any added pressure coming in here as favourites. It was the same before Beijing but we love to be hunted. We still want to win this tournament.”

The GB women could not match the men’s fortune’s though as they struggled to contain a formidable Canada and eventually lost 56-30.

Tomorrow sees the busiest day of the BT Paralympic World Cup, as ‘Super Friday’ enjoys a visit from the official London 2012 Paralympic mascot, Mandeville.

Day four will see GB take on Ireland in the Football 7-a-side tournament, with USA against the Netherlands; whilst in the Wheelchair Basketball GB’s men and women take on Canada and the Netherlands, respectively. The other matches on the court will see Italy versus Australia men and Canada against Australia women.

And making a special appearance at the event will be an exhibition Goalball game, featuring GB and Sweden, followed by a celebrity and media Football 7-a-side game against the England development team.

The BBC, the official televised partner to the event, will broadcast live from the Manchester Aquatics Centre on Monday 31 May on BBC Television.

Tickets for the BT Paralympic World Cup are on sale and can be purchased via the event website: www.btparalympicworldcup.com or by calling 0844 8471622. Tickets are priced at £6 per session.

BT is the title sponsor of the Paralympic World Cup; the sponsorship runs up to and includes the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup.

The BT Paralympic World Cup is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Cerebral Palsy International Sports & Recreation Association (CPISRA) and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and supported by BT, ParalympicsGB, the FA, Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The event schedule will see Athletics on 25 May, Football 7-a-side on 26-29 May and Wheelchair Basketball on 27-30 May, all at the Manchester Regional Arena and Swimming at the Manchester Aquatics Centre on 31 May.

Follow the BT Paralympic World Cup on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BTPWC