Basketball News

Tyneside clinched their place in the final with a 73-51 success despite having to concede home advantage to East Durham and Houghall Academy.

Three times it looked as though Tyneside were going to run away with the game. On two of those occasions East Durham pulled back and only on the third did Tyneside do enough to take themselves clear. The first spurt came early, as Taacha Brown and Vicky McMurray shared most of the points in a 21-7 eight minute start. Academy had recovered to 29-26 thanks to Tamsin Vicary, Louis Barnes and Gemma Schofield but Tyneside reached the interval 41-29 to the good. Academy have added resilience to their game this season and once again they cut the Tyneside lead to just 47-45 with eleven minutes of the tie remaining. To recover twice was good, a third time was impossible and when Brown and McMurray cut loose for a third time there was no way back for Academy from the resulting 67-45 deficit.

Remarkably, three players shared all of the Tyneside points; Brown (37), McMurray (24) and Deirdre Hayes (12). Vicary, James and Cass collected double figure scores for East Durham Academy with 14, 12 and 12 respectively.

Sunderland Nissan went into their semi-final tie with Newcastle College with quite a number of their regulars missing and paid the price as the College youngsters wrapped up a 65-59.victory.

The tie was won and lost in the third quarter. Sally McLure, Emma McMillan and Emma Lawrence all combined well to give College the better start and a 31-22 cushion after seventeen minutes although some good work from Beryl Davison had brought Sunderland back to 31-29 as the half-time whistle blew. Sunderland hit the first two baskets of the third quarter before everything suddenly went pear shaped. A trio of three-point baskets was at the heart of a 15-0 College 'purple-patch' and suddenly Sunderland were treading water at 46-33 behind. A strong Sunderland finish orchestrated by Davison, Julie Dyos and Audrey Crawford was not enough to rein College in.

McLure and Lawrence were at their best to finish with 26 and 20 points apiece for Newcastle College. Davison led the Sunderland Nissan scoring with 20 points, Dyos netted 17.

Middlesbrough Mavericks just cannot stop winning at the moment and they did it again this week albeit with a narrow 69-66 success in a Division One League Cup game against Nissan.

Paul Connery found the early space under the Nissan boards and it was points from him which took Mavericks through the first break with a 15-10 advantage. Nissan hit the first basket of the second quarter, but then all five players on court hit points for Mavericks in a 14-0 spell which put them 29-12 up with four minutes of the quarter left. Nissan then put the brakes on thanks to Bill Spragg and Neil Thorne and by the interval Mavericks lead was down to 34-27. Ultimately that seven point gap proved to be crucial because the whole of the second half scored, more or less, basket for basket.

Connery was the pick for Middlesbrough Mavericks with 24 points, Bryson added 18. Arran Hope did best for Nissan with 19 points, three others hit double figures; Spragg (15), Thorne (14) and Jeff Fenton (13).

Division two and three sides were engaged in the second round of the Mens' County Cup, although only four of the eight games were played. Of those which did take place, only one produced a shock as third division Durham Saints beat second division guests Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 91-66.

Just as the tie reached the end of the third quarter Hydraulic's Steven Pearce fouled out. The Hartlepool outfit had travelled with only five players and the loss of a man meant that they had to negotiate the last ten minutes with just four players on court. Having already played badly they were 56-47 down at the time, but with a man less there was no realistic way they could turn the tie around, so they were out of the cup.

Colin Lishman and Dodd netted 26 and 23 points apiece for Durham Saints, Bailey scored 17. Keith led the scoring for Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A with 24 points, whilst Griffiths and Knight added 17 each.

A lack-lustre Hartlepool Hornets almost suffered the same fate as their neighbours Hydraulics in an even tie with third division side Young Houghtonians, but when it mattered they were strong enough to hit baskets and win themselves a place in the Last 16 Round with a 79-74 success.

Three quarters of the game was even, although Hornets led 59-51 with ten minutes left. The last quarter belonged to Houghtonians who led 74-72 with two minutes to play. Un-fortunately Houghtonians failed to score again and their foul trouble gave John Middleton and Graham Ord enough points from the free-throw line to see Hornets safely through to the next round.

Five players shared most of the Hartlepool Hornets points; Ord (21), Middleton (17), Farrell (14), Furlonger (11) and Bruce Marshall (10). Burdis was once again outstanding for Young Houghtonians with 36 points.

Consett Steelers were another second division side to wobble a bit before securing a place in the next round of the cup as they beat third division guests Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 73-61.

Steelers did admittedly take the opportunity to run their bench throughout the game and only at the start of the last quarter, when they reverted to their start five did they really stamp their authority on the game. Sam Attah and Ian Stringer had played well for Wolves and with ten minutes left the visitors had their reward in the shape of a 48-43 cushion. That was when Steelers start five went into overdrive and a 30-13 final ten minutes saw them safely through.

Matthew Patterson was excellent with 32 points for Consett Steelers, as Garry Gowans and Brendan McNeaney added 14 and 12. Attah, Stringer and Colin Lees finished with 26, 18 and 13 each for Wolves.

East Durham and Houghall College B dominated their game with Belmont B to win their tie 82-61.

The College second string travelled with only five players, but they were not really troubled by the Belmont youngsters and controlled thirty of the forty minutes to ease into the third round.

Andrew Bains, Tom Wood and Mark Vickers opened on fire and the match as a contest was all over bar the shouting when the first quarter finished at 26-8. With ten minutes left College had a 73-44 cushion and the game in their pockets, although Calvin Bradley and Mark Elderkin did give Belmont some late cheer as College tired during the final quarter which Belmont won17-9.

Wood, Bains and Vickers led the East Durham charge into the third round of the cup with 25, 20 and 18 points respectively. Best for Belmont B were Elderkin and Bradley on 14 points apiece.

Womens County Cup semi-finals: Tyneside 73 East Durham and Houghall Academy 51; Newcastle College 69 Newcastle College 65 Sunderland Nissan 59.

Division One League Cup: Nissan 66 Middlesbrough Mavericks 69.

Mens County Cup: Belmont B 61 East Durham and Houghall College B 82; Hartlepool Hornets 79 Young Houghtonians 74; Durham Saints 91 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 66; Consett Steelers 73 Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 61.

Division Three League Cup: Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 95 Young Houghtonians 83.

Womens Division: Tyneside 114 Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 38.