Basketball: Durham League

The second of their victories was the more satisfying as it ended the Nissan unbeaten run. It was touch and go though and a 104-98 score line reflects a thrilling contest which literally had everything from its breathtaking start to eye popping finish.

Arran Hope and Lee Davie gave Nissan the better start, but a pair of three-point baskets from Chris Bunton finished off the Academy recovery at 21-17. Steve Johnson was then instrumental in taking Nissan into the first break with a 25-21 lead. Carl Latham-Henry kicked-off the second quarter with a brace of three-pointers for Academy before Hope, Johnson and Dale Burrell all hit back for Nissan, although it was the home side which took the half-time break 53-51 to the good.

The second half was thrill a minute basketball at its best. Academy prospered first to lead 77-65 by the sixth minute. Davie, Ian Barrow, Burrell and finally Hope then shared a 12 point unanswered burst which tied the match at 77-77 as the third quarter closed. The break which Academy made at the start of the final quarter at 94-83 after five minutes was the one that stuck as Nissan were not allowed to recover.

Latham-Henry and Robert Shanks were the Middlesbrough College Academy A match-winners with 32 and 27 points apiece, as Bunton and Dave Urwin scored 19 and 14. Four players hit double figures for Nissan; Davie (30), Hope (26), Johnson (18) and Burrell (11).

A night earlier things had been a little easier for Middlesbrough College Academy A when they returned from Durham as 85-55 winners from their league match with Belmont Reds.

Belmont matched Academy basket-for-basket for much of the first half. Steven Graham and Ian Davies started well for the Durham side, but it was points from Pete Osei and Jermain Daley which took Academy into the first break 23-18 ahead. Baskets from Mark Elderkin, Liam Haggerty and Richard Huntley then put Belmont 25-23 up by the third minute of the second quarter, but despite missing eight free-shots Academy took the interval 40-34 to the good. The ten minutes of magic which was the third quarter gave Academy the prize. Seven points in a row from Neil Campbell started the charge before 18 points without reply, shared by no less than seven different players, gave Academy all the aces and a 67-40 cushion with eleven minutes left. Game over.

Osei, Daley and Campbell hit 20, 19 and 17 points apiece for Middlesbrough College Academy as Carl McGrain chipped in with 10. Only Andrew Knox managed double figures with 14 for Belmont Reds.

Belmont Reds got a boost of their own a little later in the week when a trip to Stockton was rewarded with a 70-63 victory, their league first, over Norton.

A weakened Norton gave away early baskets and it was Andrew Knox, with a trio of three-point baskets, and Steven Graham, who took advantage and with ten minutes gone Belmont had a crucial 25-14 lead. Only at the end of the game, with the gap at nine points was the importance of that good Belmont start apparent. The score over the remaining thirty minutes was even, but there was nothing even about the way those points were collected. First Philip Hoggarth was at the heart of a 11-1 burst which stretched Reds lead to 36-17. Sam Butterworth, Paul Jenkins and Gareth Wood all then hit baskets in a sustained period of pressure from Norton which closed the gap to just 46-42 with thirteen minutes of the contest left. And finally Hoggarth and Knox combined to give Belmont a crucial 15-6 phase which restored their control at 61-48 with seven minutes of the fixture left.

Four players shared almost all of Belmont Reds points; Knox (25), Hoggarth (14), Graham (13) and Mark Elderkin (12). Butterworth was excellent for Norton with 24 points as Jenkins netted 15.

Willington Wasps went to town against a weakened University of Teesside to clock up their biggest win of the season at 127-55.

The match as a contest was all done and dusted by the end of the first quarter as Wasps ran in an amazing 43 points. For their part University could garner only 14, which meant that any sort of recovery from them would have to be of biblical proportions. Simon Lloyd had started the assault with nine points in a 16-0 three minute opening. His lead was taken up by first Ben Scorer, then Sam Scorer and finally Dave Smith and when the poor scorekeeper had got his breath back Wasps were buzzing at 43-14. The remaining three periods scored 33-13, 32-11 and finally 19-17 to Wasps as no less than six players grabbed double figures; Lloyd (26), Campbell (22), Sam Scorer (19), Smith (19), Simon Rennison-Rae (11) and Dave Peterson (11). Chris Harnish hit 11 as Stephane Ziegler and Andre Moen both got 10 for University of Teesside.

The final first division game of the week gave Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets a surprise 93-71 win at home to Steve Whitehead Joinery and Double Glazing Middlesbrough Mavericks.

Fifteen minutes of the first half was even. Baskets from Wayne Bailey and Neil Thorne for Mavericks were countered by scores by Graham Ord and Leon Thompson to give Hornets the narrowest of leads at 28-27. A great finish to the half shared by Paul Connery, Andy Buchanan and Lee Woolams took Mavericks into the interval with the beginnings of what looked like a winning score of 43-37. In hindsight Mavericks will rue that half-time break because although Connery hit the first basket of the second half their game then disintegrated. Ord, Anthony Robinson and Dan Farrell all hit baskets in a Hornets burst which was rounded off by a pair of three-point baskets from Luke Thompson and from being level Hornets were suddenly flying at 56-45 ahead.

Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets had Luke and Leon Thompson on 25 and 16 as Ord collected 15. Four players shared most of the Middlesbrough Mavericks points; Bailey (21), Buchanan (17), Connery (13) and Thorne (10).

The top second division match of the week took Trimdon Community College Association on the short trip to Peterlee were they were hard pushed to win 82-79 against East Durham and Houghall College A.

Trimdon did make the better start thanks to baskets from Chris Elliott, Lee Norton and Martyn Longstaff, but College were more than up for it as Andrew Bains and David Wylie combined to keep the deficit to 40-31 by half-time. Mark Vickers and John Bergin made crucial scores to put College ahead for the first time at 55-54 by the seventh minute of the second half and the last quarter was thrill a minute basketball as the lead swopped hands throughout. With just three seconds left on the clock, and College 79-78 up, a neat jump shot from Lee Armstrong put Trimdon back in front at 80-79 and as the final whistle blew a foul on that same player saw him up the winning margin to three points with two scores.

Norton topped the Trimdon CCA scoring with 22 points and he got good support from Longstaff, Jamie Paul and Armstrong who collected 17, 14 and 11 respectively. Four players shared most of the East Durham and Houghall College A points; Bains (23), Wylie (20), Vickers (15) and Bergin (10).

Durham Saints had a welcome 72-62 success at home to Shildon Strollers.

An even first half closed with the teams all-square at 35-35. The third period was basket for basket again although Saints did land the last shot of the quarter to lead 52-50. Saints made the winning break in the opening four minutes of the final quarter as Craig Sowerby, Chris Plummer and Chris Woodcock hit the target in an 11-0 run which gave their team a 63-50 cushion which they did not surrender.

Plummer, Sowerby and Woodcock scored 18, 17 and 14 respectively for Durham Saints. Mal Ballard and Mal Turnbull did best for Shildon Strollers with 19 and 18 points each.

Hartlepool Hawks ND kept up their challenge for the second division title with a nail-biting 54-53 success away to Old Houghtonians.

With ten seconds left on the clock the teams were locked together at 53-53 and overtime looked on the cards. A foul on Ian Burlison put him on the line with two chances to sneak a win for Houghtonians. He missed them both. Hawks had possession and charged down court to set up one last chance but another foul, this time on Calvin Bradley, put him on the free-throw line with another two chances for glory. He held his nerve, landed one of his shots and that glory was Hawks.

The three leading scorers for Hartlepool Hawks ND; Luke Thompson with 14 points, Anthony Robinson with 13 and Leon Thompson on 11 each hit a trio of three-point baskets. Anthony Burdis did most to keep Old Houghtionians in the game with 37 points.

Consett Steelers held on to their number one spot in the second division with a 108-65 triumph over guests Middlesbrough College Academy B thanks to Matt Patterson, Mark Ewan and Dan Patterson who collected 25, 24 and 22 points apiece in their cause. The Academy points were spread throughout the side and only Geoff Hill hit double figures with 18.

Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A ventured into the land of the giants to lose their division two fixture with Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 89-54. Wolves had a height advantage which netted rebound after rebound and point after point as Sam Attah and Ian Stringer got 27 and 19 points apiece for Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves. Gary Keith ploughed a lonely furrow for Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A with 23 points.

Division One: Belmont Reds 55 Middlesbrough College Academy A 85; Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets 93 Middlesbrough Mavericks 71; Middlesbrough College Academy A 104 Nissan 98; Willington Wasps 127 University of Teesside 55; Norton 63 Belmont Reds 70.

Division Two: East Durham and Houghall College A 79 Trimdon Community College Association 82; Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 89 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 54; Old Houghtonians 53 Hartlepool Hawks ND 54; Durham Saints 72 Shildon Strollers 62; Consett Steelers 108 Middlesbrough College Academy B 65.

Division Three: Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 69 Specsavers Wear Valley Wizards 61.

Womens Division: Nissan Sunderland 57 Durham Knights 56.