Basketball

The Durham League suffered another blow this week when Teesside Huskies A became the second team to drop out of the first division, joining East Durham and Houghall College A who withdrew before any games had been played.

Two division one games were played though and last years triple title holders, Middlesbrough College Academy A, opened their account with a 117-102 victory from a brilliant game with Willington Wasps.

Fast running offence from both teams meant that points were rattling up from the outset. Wasps were first into their stride as Sam Scorer and Dave Smith gave them a 13-4 sixth minute cushion. Three-point baskets from Dave Urwin and Chris Bunton rounded off the Academy recovery as they finished the first ten minutes 20-18 up. Wasps have a lot of experience though and as Neil Campbell and Urwin notched up the baskets for Academy, so Paul Campbell and the Scorer brothers, Sam and Ben, countered for the visitors and it was them who took the break with a 50-46 cushion.

The second half was a points blitz. Four players hit baskets in a 13 point unanswered spurt from Academy, but this time Luke Somerville joined Campbell to cut the deficit from 74-64 to 84-78 with ten minutes left to play. A 9-2 start to the final quarter edged Academy further in front at 93-82 and no matter how hard and fast Wasps buzzed, they could not quite reign in their hosts.

Neil Campbell and Urwin were the pick for Middlesbrough College Academy A with 42 and 33 points as Bunton and Francis hit 11 each and Dan Armory chipped in with 10. Sam Scorer led the Willington Wasps scoring with 32 points, Ben Scorer added 25 as Campbell and Somerville got 18 and 16.

When Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets last played Belmont Reds it was in the deciding game of last season's second division championship, and Belmont won 98-67. Both teams were promoted, this time it was your basic league game and Hornets got their revenge with a 74-66 triumph. The first half was even. Andrew Knox, Steven Graham and Mark Elderkin all did well to give Belmont a 18-11 advantage after six minutes, before Luke Thompson led a recovery which cut the gap to just 35-34 in Reds favour as the 20 minutes finished. Hornets won the game in the third quarter as Dan Bailey began to take charge. He not only took his own chances, but also set up three-point efforts from both Luke, and brother Leon, Thompson and with ten minutes left the Hartlepool side had taken charge at 61-51. Belmont did pull back to 67-60 at the start of the last period, but it was once again good team-work from Hornets which put the result beyond doubt. Five players hit double figures for Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets; Luke Thompson (20), Bailey (14), Graham Ord (11), John Middleton (11) and Dan Farrell (10). Simon Whittaker top scored for Belmont Reds with 14 as Ord and Graham managed 13 each.

Trimdon Community College Association continued their 100 pre cent start to their second division campaign with another excellent performance which netted them a 114-63 victory against the youngsters who make up Middlesbrough College Academy B. The first five minutes all but settled the issue as Trimdon stormed into a 17-2 lead as Jamie Paul, Ian Harrison and Lee Norton all helped themselves to early baskets. As for Academy, only Michael James, who is an ex-Trimdon player anyway, and Mathew Standring troubled the scorer during the opening ten minutes and with Harrison, Norton and Paul scoring freely the Trimdon cushion had inflated to 32-7 by the time the first quarter finished and with continued pressure that lead was up to 64-24 by the interval. Trimdon took their foot off the gas on the re-start and even against bench players Academy could make little impression.

Leading scorers for Trimdon CCA were Norton (35), Harrison (30) and Paul (24). Two players managed double figures for Middlesbrough College Academy, James (18) and Dean Hanson (14).

The best second division game of the week gave Consett Steelers a 104-93 win against Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves at Willington.

Offence was the order of the day and the two teams had shared 87 of them by the time a pulsating first half finished. Wolves had started the better through Marc Robinson and, no relation, Mark Robinson. At the other end of court Garry Gowans and Mark Ewen shared an 11-0 last three minutes to change a 17-14 Steelers deficit into a 25-17 advantage as the whistle blew. If the first half had been good the second was even better. This time the aggregate score was 110 points, as Mat Patterson and Brendan McNeaney

hit most of the 57 which Steelers scored, and Sam Attah and Mark Robinson replied with most of the 53 scored by Wolves.

Patterson and McNeaney did best for Consett Steelers with 35 and 33 points respectively, although Ewan added 15. Attah and Mark Robinson collected 30 points apiece for Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves, as Dave Storey got 10.

East Durham and Houghall College A fielded a below strength team for their home derby with neighbours Hartlepool Hawks ND and paid the price as Hawks won 79-64. Luke Thompson led the way for Hartlepool Hawks ND with 25 points as Leon Thompson, Graeme Errington and Bradley added 19, 14 and 11 points respectively. Wylie topped the scoring for East Durham and Houghall A with 21, Andrew Bains and Vickers scored 16 and 14.

Durham Saints won a close encounter with Old Houghtonians 75-69 at Houghton-le-Spring. Richard Kippen, Neil Guthrie and Phil Bailey shared in a14-0 run between the sixth and tenth minutes of the opening period and when the quarter closed Saints were smiling at 22-4. Phil Smailes and Anthony Burdis initiated a recovery, but Houghtonians were still struggling at 39-23 behind as the half-time buzzer sounded. Houghtonians best spell came between the fifth and eighth minutes of the final quarter as seven different players hit baskets in a 17-2 spurt which closed the gap to just 64-61 before Guthrie made the game safe with eight points in a 12-8 final two and a half minutes.

Guthrie, Lishman and Kippen collected 16, 14 and 11 points each for Durham Saints, whilst Smailes, Burdis and Kris Nell hit double figures for Old Houghtonians with 25, 15 and 10 respectively.

Shildon Strollers had the better of a low scoring match away to Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A, the south-west Durham side winning 54-43. Everyone scored for Shildon Strollers, although Malcolm Turnbull and Craig Lowe landed 11 and 10, whilst only Colin Knight made double figures for CJ Hydraulics with 12.

Results Division One : Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets 74 Belmont Reds 66 ; Middlesbrough College Academy 117 Willington Wasps 102.

Division Two : East Durham and Houghall College A 64 Hartlepool Hawks ND 79 ; Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 93 Consett Steelers 104 ; Old Houghtonians 69 Durham Saints 75 ; Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 43 Shildon Strollers 54 ; Trimdon Community College Association 114 Middlesbrough College Academy B 63 .

Division Three : Belmont 84 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 56 ; Teesside Huskies B 88 Specsavers Wear Valley Wizards 50 .

Womens Division : Tyne and Wear Juniors 47 Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 67 .