BASKETBALL: Durham League

Robert Shanks was instrumental in giving Academy an interval lead of 60-53 and the students still led 84-78 at the three-quarter mark. The final quarter was thrill a minute basketball and with five minutes left Academy were still in front at 96-91. Anthony Robinson, Stuart Anderson and Luke Thompson all then hit points for Hornets in a 8-3 spell which tied the game at 99-99 as the last sixty seconds started. Free-throws moved the score on to 101-101. Anderson was then fouled only to miss both shots. Academy swept down court for one last effort and a foul gave Carl Latham-Henry his chance of glory, a moment he did not miss as two successful free-throws won Academy the game.

Shanks scored 29 for Middlesbrough College Academy A as Latham-Henry and Bunten added 15 points each. Bailey match Shanks with 29 for Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets whilst Thompson and Robinson netted 23 and 15.

There was an equally thrilling finish to an excellent fixture between Willington Wasps and Nissan when Wasps held on for a 82-81 win despite a desperate finish by their guests.

Sam Scorer hit six points for Wasps in a 12-6 seven minute start another 15 points without reply to increased that margin to 35-17 with fourteen minutes gone. All changed in the third quarter as three-point baskets from Chris Maddison, Bill Spragg and Hope triggered a Nissan recovery which gave them the lead for the first time in the game at 61-60 with eight minutes to go. Wasps hit back with a 8-1 burst for a 68-62 lead and with the advantage at 81-75 as the last minute started Nissan looked beaten. Spragg had other ideas though and two three-pointers, countered by a Neil Baxter free shot, left them just one point short on the whistle.

Sam Scorer led Willington Wasps home with 22 points as Ben Scorer and Luke Somerville added 13 each to the 11 apiece which Baxter and Campbell collected. Hope, Spragg and Lee Davie scored 20, 18 and 14 respectively for Nissan.

Norton enjoyed a comfortable 78-61 win over University of Teesside in their derby at Stockton.

Both teams started slowly, but thanks to steady shooting from Paul Jenkins Norton outscored their guests by two baskets to one to take the first break at 17-9. George Kiriakou and Nikos Mandalis shook some life into University in the second quarter and Norton increased their advantage by just one point to 32-23 by half-time. The third quarter proved decisive. Sam Butterworth and Tony Smelt stoked up the Norton fast break and some slick running and passing gave Norton a comfortable cushion at 56-38, a lead which they were able to hold even though they chose to run the bench.

Jenkins with 23 points just topped Butterworth who got 22, Smelt chipped in with 10. Chris Harnish hit a quartet of three-pointers in his 17 points as Kiriakou and Mandalis added 16 and 14.

There was another nail-biting finish in the second division clash between Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves and East Durham and Houghall College A at Willington where the latter won 83-84.

With three minutes left on the clock College were one point up at 78-77. Two baskets from new signing Colin Dockrell stretched that lead to 82-77 and as the final minute started Sam Attah pulled one back for Wolves to cut the gap to 82-79. David Wylie replied immediately for College and the game looked safe at 84-79 and although Mark Robinson and Attah both hit the target for Wolves in a dramatic final push it was College who held on to the prize.

The contest was a personal triumph for Attah who hit an amazing 57 points for Specsavers Wear Valley only to finish on the losing side. Team-work won it in the end for East Durham and Houghall College A and that was reflected in double figures scores for four players; Dockrell (35), Wylie (17), Mark Vickers (12) and John Harding (12).

Hartlepool Hawks ND went on a three-point shooting frenzy at home to Shildon Strollers as no less than five different players hit 17 three-point baskets between them as Hawks won 107-68.

Brothers Luke and Leon Thompson set the ball rolling in the first quarter as they scored five and three three-pointers each as Hawks reached the end of the period 37-24 ahead. Strollers kept their heads though and as the first half closed Craig Lowe and Mall Ballard had combined to keep them in touch at 61-42. With nine minutes left a pair of three-point baskets from Sven Skupin signalled a 22-0, five minute burst which wrapped up the game for Hawks at 101-60.

Luke Thompson hit eight three-pointers for Hartlepool Hawks ND in his 40 point match total. Brother Leon hit five of the three-point variety in his 21 points as Anthony Robinson and Graeme Errington added 13 and 12 points each. Steve Pattison and Lowe did best for Shildon Strollers with 19 and 16 each.

Trimdon Community College Association are still the second division team to beat and they stretched their unbeaten league run to eight games with a 78-58 win away to Durham Saints.

Trimdon effectively won the game in the second quarter. Saints Craig Sowerby had matched Trimdon's Lee Norton basket for basket in a 15-13 opening quarter. The second period started in that same vein, before Trimdon suddenly produced a 21-2 surge which started in the second minute and ended in the eighth with them 38-17 up and Saints all but beaten.

Norton was outstanding for Trimdon CCA with 32 points as Chris Woodcock and Sowerby finished with 12 points apiece for Saints.

The final second division game of the week was something of a miss-match between Consett Steelers and Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A which the former won 116-47.

Hydraulics who had travelled to Consett under strength were further weakened by a pulled hamstring in the warm up followed by a dislocated finger in the middle of the second quarter which robbed them of all but one of their start five. It was then left to a handful of their younger players to try to stem the Steelers tide, a job which got even more difficult when they lost a man to fouls and had to play the last nine minutes with four players.

Five players got double figures for Consett Steelers; Matt Patterson (31), Brendan McNeaney (21), Chris Telford (19), Mark Ewan (17) and Ross Stoker (12). Three of the Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A youngsters also managed double figures; Jonathan Osborne (13), John Hetherington (12) and Bo Wakelam (12).

Nunthorpe Boro Bruins have started their womens division campaign with five straight wins and when they lined up against Tyneside this week an upset looked on the cards. It was not to be though as all of the Nunthorpe ambitions went out of the window in the opening eight minutes during which they did not score a basket. At the other end of court Debbie MacLennan was helping herself to 12 points in an 18-0 Tyneside start and although a shell-shocked Nunthorpe did belatedly get going they were 35-17 adrift at half-time. Tyneside wrapped up the fixture with another unanswered 13 points in the middle of the second half.

Four players made double figures for Tyneside; Zoe Vickers (21), MacLennan (18), Sarah Thomson (17) and Deirdre Hayes (11). Barron was the only Nunthorpe Boro Bruin to do so with 15.

The clash between the two womens University teams always produces sparks and this weeks meeting was no exception as University of Teesside made home court tell to beat Durham Knights by just one basket at 66-64.

Twenty-six minutes was roller-coaster basketball. Knights started the better through Kat Abrashkina, Saori Inomata and Tamar Davies and led 27-11 at the end of the first quarter. Teesside opened the second quarter on fire and 19 points without reply shared between Hermione Taylor, Gillian McKimm and Vicky Kitchen gave them the lead at 30-27 before a 10-2 finish to the half put Knights back in front again at 37-32. Teesside looked to have done enough as they inflated their cushion to 66-59 with two minutes left and one last effort from Inomata, Davies and Shona Grundy fell just one basket short.

Tait hit a seasons best of 24 points for University of Teesside as McKimm and Taylor netted 17 and 16. Inomata did best for Durham Knights with 23 and she got good support from Abrashkina and Davies who hit 17 and 13.

East Durham and Houghall Academy now seem to be the only team with a realistic chance of taking the Tyneside crown and they maintained their winning run with a hard-earned 73-59 success at home to Newcastle College Wildcats.

Academy made a shaky start to the game as Sally McLure and Emma Lawrence gave Wildcats a 21-15 cushion after ten minutes. Laura Calder tried to pick up the pace for the Peterlee side in the second phase, but the College advantage to gone to 37-28 by the interval. Academy finally came good on the restart. The improvement started with much tougher defence and was followed with a 15-0 run in the middle of the third quarter, a run which netted Academy the initiative at 49-43.

Four players shared most of the East Durham and Houghall Academy points; Tamsin Vickary (19), Ruth Cass (18), Calder (16) and Joella Lynch (10). McLure and Lawrence were the pick for Newcastle College with 17 and 16 points apiece.

Division One: Middlesbrough College Academy A 103 Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets 101; Norton 78 University of Teesside 61; Willington Wasps 82 Nissan 81.

Division Two: Hartlepool Hawks ND 107 Shildon Strollers 68; Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 83 East Durham and Houghall College A 84; Old Houghtonians 80 Middlesbrough College Academy B 47; Durham Saints 58 Trimdon Community College Association 78; Consett Steelers 116 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 47.

Division Three Cup: Specsavers Wear Valley Warriors 59 East Durham and Houghall College B 62; Durham Knights 87 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 57; Teesside Huskies 69 Young Houghtonians 59; Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 34 Specsavers Wear Valley Warriors 103.

Womens Division: University of Teesside 66 Durham Knights 64; Tyneside 80 Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 39; East Durham and Houghall Academy 73 Newcastle College Wildcats 59.