Basketball: Durham League

This week's semi-final round of the Division One Cup was no exception as Belmont Reds produced a massive upset and a 71-62 victory as they dumped Steve Whitehead Joinery and Double Glazing Middlesbrough Mavericks out of the cup. Mavericks did arrived without two of their big guns in the shape of Paul Connery and Andy Buchanan, but nothing can be taken from the Belmont win as they recovered from what looked like a hopeless position at 46-31 with 13 minutes left to win the game by nine points. Late baskets from Richard Baister and Stephen Graham took Belmont into the first break with a 15-10 cushion. The second quarter was more of the same as both sides found baskets hard to come by. Belmont did have the better of the first six minutes to open up a 26-15 advantage before Mavericks called a time-out which totally transformed the game. Whatever was said brought Mavericks back onto court like a different team. First Lee Woolams and Pawlak hit shots before Andy Reid landed a three-point basket and as the half-time whistle blew the tie was level at 26-26.

The interval did nothing to stop Mavericks momentum and they opened the second half with a 9-0 run in which Wayne Bailey was prominent and answered a Andrew Knox basket with another six points to stretch the gap to 46-31 gap and Belmont looked beaten. This time it was Belmont coach Dave Elderkin who called the time-out and once again the game was turned on its head. Knox came back on court and took the contest by the scruff of the neck, hit five baskets in a row and from being down and almost out, Reds were back in contention at 48-41. As the clock ran down to seven minutes to go another Graham three-pointer once again tied the scores at 53-53, but this time it was Belmont who had the bit between the teeth and another 12 points without reply, shared mainly between Ian Davies and Knox, had put them 65-53 ahead before Mavericks called a time-out with four minutes left. This time however there was no cure and no comeback as a 9-6 finish sealed Reds place in the first division cup final.

Belmont Reds captain, Knox led from the front with 20 of their points as Graham and Davies added 18 and 11. Three players shared most of the Middlesbrough Mavericks points; Pawlak (24), Bailey (14) and Reid (11).

Last week Willington Wasps had the edge over Nissan, but only just, in a 82-81 league success. This week Nissan turned the tables with a vengeance to knock Wasps out of the first division cup with a comfortable 84-65 victory.

Nissan won the game in the first quarter as Wasps never really got their shooting boots on. Chris Maddison opened the Nissan scoring with a three-pointer, but it was Lee Davie who did the damage as time after time he drove into the heart of Wasps zone to pluck baskets and give his team a 22-13 cushion as the ten minutes ended. Paul Campbell and Neil Baxter then enjoyed a good spell for Wasps, before Bill Spragg and Ian Barrow did most in a 12-0 burst which changed the Nissan lead from a narrow 30-22 to a match-winning 42-22. Again Wasps rallied and the interval clock showed 44-32 to Nissan.

Any recovery hopes Wasps may have had were dashed between the third and sixth minutes of the third quarter as all five players on court hit baskets in a 13-0 run which increased the Nissan control to 57-34. Basically that was that as the last fourteen minutes of the contest scored more or less basket for basket. Campbell did finish strongly for Wasps, but it was too little and too late.

Spragg and Davie were excellent for Nissan with 25 and 20 points respectively as Barrow and Maddison collected 13 and 10. Campbell did most for Willington Wasps with 20 points as Lloyd got 12.

One of the two Women's County Cup semi-finals was played. The tie allowed Tyneside to stamp their authority on the competition as they ran in a 88-45 victory against University of Teesside.

A good start and a strong finish spelled out the difference in class. Bev Fairbridge did hit the opening basket of the game for University, but Deirdre Hayes, Chantelle Handy and Zoe Vickers all then combined in nine and a half minutes of unstoppable power basketball which ended at the first break with Tyneside firmly in charge at 23-7. Gillian McKimm came into her own for the students in the second quarter with 10 of the 14 points which they scored, but at the other end of court Hayes and Handy cancelled out all of her good work and Tyneside reached half-time with a 47-21 cushion.

The third quarter was even as Louise Tait and Hermione Taylor matched all that Vickers threw at them and that good University spell was extended to the sixth minute of the final quarter which finished with the score on 73-45 to Tyneside. The students then seemed to run out of steam and the last four minutes was one-way traffic as Vickers hit 10 points in a 15-0 finish. Vickers was once again in a class of her own with 40 points for Tyneside. Hayes and Handy added 20 points apiece for the current County Cup holders, and three players managed double figures for University of Teesside; McKimm (16), Taylor (11) and Tait (10).

For one reason or another only one of the scheduled eight second round ties of the Mens County Cup was played this week and in it Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves got their revenge over Trimdon Community College Association for a recent 90-72 league reverse with a 88-68 triumph.

Two bursts of unanswered points, the first a 10-0 run in the opening four minutes of the second quarter and the second a 11-0 spurt between the sixth and eighth minutes of the third quarter gave Wolves the win. Craig Dawson and Sam Attah shared the points for Wolves in the first spell and Dave Storey and Ian Stringer did the damage in the second which ended with Wolves 62-43 up with twelve minutes left on the clock.

The rest of the contest was even as Lee Norton did most to keep Trimdon's cup hopes alive with 40 points although only Ian Harrison with 11 gave him the support he needed. Attah and Stringer were the Wolves match winners though with 26 and 25 points each as Storey and Dawson added 12 and 11 apiece.