SWINDON Shock’s wait is finally over after they were crowned champions of National League Division Four South West at the weekend.

Shock’s fate was out of their hands as title contenders Cardiff City were in action against RCT Gladiators in Swansea on Sunday afternoon.

David Colclough’s troops needed RCT Gladiators to claim victory to ensure Cardiff finished level on points with Shock, who were ahead of the Welsh outfit due to a superior head-to-head record.

Luckily for Colclough the result went Swindon’s way, with Gladiators winning 110-71, much to the delight of the Shock chief who suffered a nerve-wracking journey to South Wales to watch the game.

“It was unreal. We drove down there to see what happened and we got stuck in traffic,” said Colclough.

“I was worried that Rhondda might not of brought their first team, I was going to lose the plot because it was a two-and-a-half hour drive plus 40 minutes of traffic.

“We got there at half-time and saw the score was 70-38 and I thought Rhondda didn’t bring their best players.

“But then Cardiff scored and it went to 70-40. I thought ‘this is ours now’ because there was no chance they were going to blow 30 points.”

That result means Swindon have been drawn at home to Barking Abbey Crusaders in the play-offs, with the Essex side finishing fourth in the National League Division Four South East.

Despite not facing them before, Colclough has a fair idea of what to expect when they visit New College on Saturday.

“I’ve done a little bit of scouting on them. They’re a bit young, but they’re athletic,” said the Shock player-coach.

“I am expecting them to be well-drilled. We just need to play smart basketball against them and use our height.

“I’ve gone onto their website and watched a few of their games on YouTube. That gave me an opportunity to look at their players, what they do, their height and things like that.

“Now I have a bit of a strategy of how I would like to attack them, so I think we will go on that route.

“It’s nice (to be at home) because if we win this game we will get another home game.

“If you can get the two fixtures at home it makes such a huge difference.”

If Swindon are able to overcome Barking Abbey they will face either London Thunder or Wolverhampton University in the quarter-finals.