Durham League

Middlesbrough College Academy stretched their unbeaten Durham League division one run to five games this week with a 87-73 win over Nissan. The win did not move Academy up the table, but they do have games in hand on the three teams above them, Middlesbrough Mavericks, Teesside Huskies and Norton A, who have all already lost at least once. Academy led 13-10 after five minutes, but Nissan had the edge at 24-23 by the tenth as Arran Hope and Bill Spragg combined to redress the slow Nissan start. The second and third quarters were more of the same as baskets from one side matched scores by the other. Half-time passed at 39-38 to Nissan and Academy had edged into the lead at 59-57 with those last ten minutes left. Finally Academy came alive. Five points from David Urwin and two Michael Gayle three-pointers formed most of a 14-7 run in the first four of the ten minutes and suddenly Academy were up 73-64. Hope once again led a Nissan rally before Wayne Robinson finally nailed Nissan with a pair of three-point baskets as part of a storming finish.

Five different players shared 11 three-point baskets for Academy and although individual points were well spread, Carl Latham-Henry, Urwin and Robinson all hit double figures with 18, 17 and 14 respectively. Hope and Spragg shared most of the Nissan points with 28 and 27 apiece.

Norton A also tasted Durham League success with a 91-82 win at home to East Durham and Houghall College A. Both teams were a little ring rusty, but it was Norton who made the better start to lead 14-7 after six minutes thanks to ten points from Liam O'Donohue. East Durham recovered through John Bergin and when the first quarter ended Norton were just up at 24-22. The first chinks in the College armour appeared just before the interval as Tony Smelt and Andrew Rees shared the points in an 11-2 finish for a 47-37 half-time lead. Norton looked to be running away with the game when suddenly eight points from Ian Barrow in the middle of the third quarter brought College back to just 59-57 down. Once again Norton eased away to 67-57 and when Smelt and O'Donohue stretched the Norton advantage to 77-64 early in the final quarter the College resistance finally crumbled.

O'Donohue was at his very best with 33 points for Norton, whilst Smelt collected 23 and Gareth Wood chipped in with 17. Five players shared almost all of the East Durham points; Barrow (25), Bergin (17), Dave Griffiths (12), Malcolm Johnson (12) and John Harding (11).

The race for the second division title was blown wide open this week when Old Houghtonians beat championship favourites Hartlepool Hornets 90-80 at Hartlepool.

John McBean hit the opening basket of the fixture, but that turned out to be the only time in the game that Hornets led. Ben Scorer, Nathan Jenner and Paul Carr all scored for Houghtonians in a 16-7 spell in the next seven minutes and they reached the first break with what in the end turned out to be a match-winning 24-14 cushion. Houghton led 36-20, before the late arriving Sean Ward teamed up with Graham Ord to share 20 points for Hornets and cut the deficit to 47-40 as the half-time whistle blew. The second half was even, which meant that although Hornets matched their guests, they could never quite get back on terms. Houghtonians led 75-58 as the final quarter started and despite a frantic finish Hornets were beaten. Scorer and Simon Lloyd were the Old Houghtonian match winners with 29 and 26 points apiece, Carr landed 17. Ord top scored for Hartlepool Hornets with 29, Ward and Furlonger added 19 and 15.

Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A missed a golden opportunity to do Hornets a big favour when they narrowly lost their division two match 64-62 to Hornets nearest rivals Belmont A.

As the contest reached its final minute Belmont were up 62-55. A full court press and some frantic chasing netted Hydraulics four points and everyone in the Sports Hall thought that Gary Keith had tied the scores at 62-62 with a last gasp three-pointer on the buzzer. Unfortunately the visual score was wrong and when the tumult had died down it turned out that Belmont had won by a single basket.

A 20-7 run from the fourth to the tenth minutes of the second quarter took Hydraulics into the interval with a 33-27 advantage and with Belmont back on their heels Hydraulics missed ten free-shots. Belmont response was to grab the lifeline and charged home.

Pollard led Belmont A with 21 points as Andrew Knox scored 13. Keith was back at his best for CJ Hydraulics A with 25 points.

Two of the other second division games produced big wins.

East Durham and Houghall College B netted their fifth 'ton' of the season in their 129-70 derby success against neighbours Peterlee Video. Andrew Bains and Jamie Paul shared most of the baskets for College in a 16-2 three minute start. Sean Percival hit back for Peterlee, but College led 30-17 as the first ten minutes finished. Any thoughts Peterlee might have had about a come-back were cruelly smashed when Tom Wood was at the heart of a 21-2 start to the second quarter and with fifteen minutes gone Peterlee were out of it at 51-19 down. Tom Wood was unstoppable with 40 points, Paul netted 26, whilst Steven Wood, Bains and David Wylie all hit double figures with 15, 14 and 13 respectively. Percival collected 27 points for Peterlee, Kris Millhouse and James Johnson added 12 and 11.

Consett Steelers matched East Durham with a 129-60 success at home to Durham Knights. The game as a contest was all over bar the shouting by half-time which Steelers reached with a 62-26 cushion. Everyone who came on to court for Steelers had done the business, but Mat Patterson with 19 and brother Dan with 13 had done most to secure that lead. Only Harit Intakanok offered any real resistance for Knights and although their offence fared much better on the restart they could do nothing as the flood gates opened at the other end of court. By the end six men had reached double figures for Consett Steelers; Dan Patterson (30), Mat Patterson (29), McNeaney (19), Garry Gowans (14), Ross Stoker (13) and Chris Telford (13). Intakanok was the only Knight to do so with 18 points.

Only two of the scheduled five women's league games were played. Nunthorpe Boro Bruins won the first of the two games which were played as Northumbria were sent back up the A19 as 57-47 losers thanks mainly to four three-point baskets and 18 points from Jacki Tyerman. The win was set up in the second quarter which scored 18-8 and took Nunthorpe into the interval with a 27-18 cushion, and although Northumbria matched their hosts throughout the second half, they could never catch them. Hermione Wappat added 16 points to the 18 scored by Tyerman, whilst Jenny Little and Pam Donnelly netted double figures for Northumbria with 12 and 11 points apiece.

Newcastle College Wildcats recorded their first win for some time with a 71-61 success at home to University of Teesside. Sally McLure and Emma Ross were in their element with 36 and 25 points apiece for Newcastle College, but it was only late in the final quarter that the ten point winning margin opened up. Gillian McKimm and Erica Danis with 23 and 17 points each did most to make the University journey back down that same A19 a little brighter. Unfortunately they failed.

Durham League Results: Division One : Norton A 91 East Durham and Houghall College A 82 : Nissan 73 Middlesbrough College Academy 87 . Division Two : East Durham and Houghall College B 129 Peterlee Video 70 ; Hartlepool Hornets 80 Old Houghtonians 90 ; Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 62 Belmont A 64 ; Consett Steelers 129 Durham Knights 60. Division Three : Spennymoor Exiles 69 Belmont B 51 ; Durham Saints 71 Hartlepool Hawks 74 ; Norton B 68 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 67. Division Three (Cup) : Belmont B 81 Hartlepool Hawks 83. Women's Division : Northumbria 47 Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 56 ; Newcastle College Wildcats 71 University of Teesside 61.