NBA star Luol Deng scored 21 points and Nate Reinking (pictured) had 20 as the British team overcame a three-point Czech advantage in the closing two minutes to win.

 

Jiri Welsch had 28 points for the Czechs, who will now struggle to be one of the seven teams to qualify for the finals in Poland next year.

 

Pops Mensah-Bonsu hit a pair of free throws and then blocked a Welsch drive to the basket, but 63-62 remained the score as the last minute began. With 43 seconds remaining, Welsch was adjudged to have kicked out at Deng as the Chicago Bulls player defended a shot.

 

Clearly in pain, Deng hit both shots and then, at the other end, fouled Kotas, who missed both free throws with 22 seconds left.

 

Richard Midgley hit one of his two frees as the other end with nine seconds on the clock, and the stage was set for a dramatic last play.

 

Welsch's drive rimmed out and Ondrej Starosta's tip also failed to go in. Fouled on the rebound, Mensah-Bonsu hit both free throws with 1.5 seconds showing on the clock to seal the victory and send Britain to Poland next year.

 

 

 

British head coach Chris Finch claimed after the match that his team's progression was just reward for a fine collective effort on and off the court.

 

He said: "This is a culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people over the last three summers and a lot of commitment and sacrifice, and it's always nice that you can be rewarded for that.

 

"It shows what a dedicated group of individuals, both on and off the floor, can do with the right time and resources behind something.

 

"We always wanted to test ourselves against the best and now we can do that which is an exciting possibility.

 

"I'm not sure what it means right now because it's a huge step for us and I'm proud of it."

 

The British team was only reformed two-and-a-half years ago and gained promotion to Division A of EuroBasket last summer.

 

Fiba, basketball's world governing body, have stipulated that Britain must prove they are worthy of one of the 12 places available at the 2012 Olympics and qualifying for the European Championships will go a long way to ensuring that.

 

It justified the decision of British Basketball officials to pay an American insurance company a premium of $500,000 (£273,000) so that Deng could play.

 

The Chicago Bulls forward said: "Since I was young I always wanted to win a championship and now we have a chance what with playing next year.

 

"This is what it's all about, as a child you dream about it and now it's come true.

 

"It feels so good.

 

"Three years ago we weren't anywhere, nobody knew about us, so to win the group even though no-one gave us a chance, and going through, is a great feeling."