With no first division league games this week University of Teesside and Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets were left to battle it out in a rearranged last 16 round tie of the Mens' Durham County Cup.

A late burst from Hornets gave them a 96-77 win.

Three-quarters of the tie was even. Three-point baskets from George Kiriakou and good work by Andre Moen had been answered by John Middleton fast-breaks and steady scoring from Dan Bailey. Hornets just edged the first quarter 23-20 and a 25-25 second ten minutes gave the Hartlepool side a 48-45 half-time cushion. Hornets again sneaked the third quarter to lead, but only just, at 75-67. Chris Harnish started the third quarter well for the students and with four minutes left Hornets advantage was steady at 84-73. Unfortunately University then hit the wall. Hornets instantly stole the moment as Stuart Anderson, Sean Ward and Graham Ord all hit points in a 11-0 two minutes burst which finished the students off at 95-73.

Bailey, Anderson and Middleton all got double figure scores for Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets with 24, 19 and 17 points respectively. Kiriakou topped the University of Teesside scoring list with 24 points as Moen and Harnish added 17 points apiece.

In the second division unbeaten Trimdon Community College Association added another scalp to their belt with a 90-72 victory at home to Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves. The pattern of this game was the same as Hornets win as Wolves held on for 30 minutes only to fold at the close.

Lee Norton hit 12 of the 20 points which gave Trimdon their 20-16 first quarter lead. Twice Trimdon pulled away, but twice Sam Attah brought Wolves back and on the second occasion the game was all square at 53-53 with 15 minutes left. A good finish to the third period gave Trimdon the lead again at 65-59, before Jamie Paul and Martyn Longstaff finally combined to nail Wolves with a 12-4 spurt for a 75-61 lead early in the last quarter.

Norton top scored for Trimdon CCA with 26 points as Paul and Longstaff added 19 and 13. Attah and Craig Dawson posted 34 and 22 points for Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves.

Third placed Hartlepool Hawks ND kept up the pressure on the two teams above them with a comfortable 82-51 win over Middlesbrough College Academy B.

After an even start, Hawks set up the win in the last seven minutes of the first half. Luke Thompson and Anthony Robinson set the ball rolling. Their lead was picked up by Lee Murphy and Dan Thompson and by the interval Hawks were soaring at 44-23. Academy used the break to regroup and Martin Downing hit nine from 12 as they cut the gap to just 49-37. All that effort was blown away in the next, decisive, four minutes as this time Leon Thompson joined Murphy and brother Luke in a match-winning 18-2 charge which finished at 67-39 and left Academy with an impossible mountain to climb.

Everyone scored for Hartlepool Hawks ND, but four finished in double figures; Luke Thompson (25), Leon Thompson (13), Robinson (12) and Murphy (12). Only Kreczak managed double figures for Middlesbrough College Academy with 13 points.

The first half of the match between Durham Saints and Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A was a veritable see-saw. Gary Keith and Paul MacDonald gave Hydraulics a dream start and a 17-8 cushion after ten minutes. The second quarter was total reverse as Phil Bailey and Chris Woodcock got a grip on the game and at half-time Saints led 28-25. There were no ups and downs in the second half as Bailey and Chris Plummer took control for Saints. The 20 minutes scored 46-25 and gave Saints a 74-50 win.

Bailey and Plummer netted 24 points apiece for Durham Saints, Keith was the only CJ Hydraulics A at anything like his best with 29 points.

Old Houghtonians have developed of a habit of creating nail-biting finishes and this week was no exception as they beat East Durham and Houghall College A 76-75.

With a minute left the contest was tied at 73-73. Both teams attacked and missed and with overtime looming a John Harding field-goal gave College the lead at 75-73. A time-out with four seconds left set up just the sort of three-point chance that Anthony Burdis thrives on and sure enough he grabbed it to give Houghtonians the edge at 76-75. College replied with another time-out, and although Mark Vickers did get a shot away his missed the target.

Ian Burlison has settled into the Old Houghtonians side and he led their scoring with 28 points, whilst Burdis collected 17. David Wylie and Vickers did best for East Durham and Houghall College A with 28 and 20 points each.

It's a long time since Durham Knights had a team good enough to go toe to toe with the big guns of the womens division, but they have now, and it took all of the power that Zoe Vickers could muster, plus the 61 points she scored, to give Tyneside their 104-79 victory at Maiden Castle.

Anna Critchley and Kat Abrashkina kept the students in touch at 29-21 as the opening quarter ended. A burst of ten points without reply, shared between Vickers and Deirdre Hayes in the middle of the second quarter gave Tyneside match control. But with Knights shining they could never relax. As late as the thirty-fifth minute of the game Liz Burton and Saori Inomata had helped cut the defict to 87-69 before a late charge from Vickers sealed the Tyneside win.

Hayes added 21 points to the 61 scored by Vickers. Four players netted double figures for Durham Knights; Abrashkina (23), Critchley (18), Inomata (16) and Alison Turner (10).

Mens County Cup: University of Teesside 77 Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets 96.

Division Two: East Durham and Houghall College A 75 Old Houghtonians 76; Middlesbrough College Academy B 51 Hartlepool Hawks ND 82; Durham Saints 74 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 50; Trimdon Community College Association 90 Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 72.

Division Three Cup: Specsavers Wear Valley Wizards 28 Durham Knights 60; East Durham and Houghall College B 82 Teesside Huskies 71; Young Houghtonians 43 Belmont 69.

Womens Division: Tyne and Wear Juniors 60 University of Teesside 75; Durham Knights 79 Tyneside 104; Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 67 Nissan Sunderland 52.