Durham League

Middlesbrough Mavericks kept up the pressure on Middlesbrough College Academy in the race for Durham League division one title this week when they beat Norton A 76-66 in their derby at Stockton.

A brace of three point baskets from Mark Winter gave Norton the best possible start and with Mavericks struggling to settle, the home side had stretched that lead to 14-6 with just two minutes of the quarter left. Two minutes later Norton were comfortable at 22-12. Norton started the second quarter the better, but their cushion was deflated somewhat when all five players on court hit baskets for Mavericks in a 13-1 finish which put them in front for the first time at 35-34 as the half-time buzzer sounded.

Tough defence from Smelt, O'Donohue and Winter was the main feature of an even third period and despite a good spell from Mavericks Mat Ellis, Norton had edged in front again at 56-53 after thirty minutes. The final quarter was a roller coaster. Mavericks hit the first eight points to lead 61-56, but Norton hit back with a 10-2 burst and with three minutes left on the clock they looked as though they had done enough to win. Ian Viveash had other ideas though and a pair of three-pointers from him, plus some good work from Marek Pawlak, gave Mavericks the win at the death.

Viveash top scored for Mavericks with 21 points, but he got good support from Pawlak and Ellis who added 16 points apiece. Four players shared almost all of the Norton points; O'Donohue (22), Winter (14), Smelt (13) and Wood (10).

Nissan finished off their Durham League season in the sort of style they would have liked to have started it, with a massive 136-88 win over University of Teesside at Middlesbrough.

University were under-strength and never really got in the game as Arran Hope and Chris Maddison were straight into the groove to give Nissan a comfortable 36-19 cushion after only ten minutes. The second quarter was the students best as Phil Hale and Chris Harnish finally began to find their range to match their guests almost basket for basket at 32-30. Bill Spragg was however doing his best to annoy University and it was Nissan who took the interval break with a 68-46 advantage.

Nissan collected another 68 points as the two quarters which made up the second half scored 34-21 and 34-23, whilst University could seemingly do nothing to stop them. Sam Rowley did work hard throughout the half to stop the Nissan tide, but the 'ton' came up just before the end of the third quarter and by the end of the game the Sunderland side was well clear.

Hope was excellent for Nissan as he finished the game with a seasons individual best of 48 points. Spragg and Maddison added 28 and 23 respectively for Nissan, whilst Rowley netted 28 points in the University lost cause. Hale and Harnish managed 20 and 18 each for the losers.

East Durham and Houghall College B won the right to play in the final of the Durham League Division Two Cup when they beat Hartlepool Hornets the smallest possible of margins at 84-83 in their delayed semi-final at Peterlee Leisure Centre.

The tone was set in the first quarter as the lead literally swapped hands with every attack. Jamie Paul and Tom Wood did most of the damage for College, whilst Graham Ord and Jon McBean hit back for Hornets and when the ten minutes finished it was all square at 22-22. College broke the deadlock as four different players hit points in a 15-3 finish to the half to take the break at 45-35. Hornets came out for the second half fired up and a pair of three-point baskets from Dan Bailey helped cut the gap to 47-45 after just three minutes. Both sides then enjoyed good spells in a ding-dong second half and with just three minutes left the two teams were still locked together at 80-80. Those final few minutes were tension personified until 'man-of-match' Jamie Paul hit the all important winner for East Durham with just moments left.

Paul hit a match-winning 34 points for College, Wood added 29. Four players hit double figures for Hornets; Ord (23), Middleton (19), Bailey (18) and McBean (14).

For many years now, the derby between Sunderland Nissan and Tyneside has been the last women's league game of the season and often the outcome of the game decided the womens league title. Not so this year as the 70-40 Tyneside win reflected the decline in Sunderland fortunes.

Deirdre Hayes, the driving force behind Tyneside for so many years now, has missed much of the season injured, but it was her who was the difference between the two teams as she produced her best performance for some time and collected a massive 40 points to virtually win the game on her own.

Back in the second division, Trimdon Community College Association powered to a 90-82 win at home to Old Houghtonians as a warm up for next weeks cup final

A good start set up the victory. Wayne Oliver and Ian Harrison were the first into their stride and Trimdon led 29-19 after ten minutes. The second quarter was even, although Simon Lloyd was shooting well for Houghtonians as they cut three points off the half-time deficit at 50-43. Chris Elliott and Oliver opened the second half with three-point baskets, but it was ten points in succession from Harrison which stretched the Trimdon lead to 73-62 with ten minutes to go. Houghtonians were not going down without a fight though and they threw everything at Trimdon in that last period. The gap down to just 82-78 before a good Trimdon finish sealed the game.

Harrison and Oliver were excellent forTrimdon CCA with 27 and 23 points each, Elliott and John Templeton got 14 and 12. Lloyd finished with 34 points, a seasons best for him. Nathan Jenner added 23.

As well as winning the cup semi-final, East Durham and Houghall College B also found time to beat Consett Steelers 70-58 in a league game.

College opened with a full-court press which netted them 18 points, but at the same time gave Steelers thirteen free-throws. The north-west Durham side scored only six of them and so reached the first break 18-13 down. Andrew Bains and Jamie Paul shared in a good start to the second quarter and the College advantage had stretched to 30-17 before Steelers finished the half well to close to just 32-25 by half-time. The restart saw College pull away again at 56-33 with ten minutes left, but when Mat Patterson, Brendan McNeaney and Mark Ewan all scored in a 14 point unanswered run to close the gap to 56-47 College were looking worried. A time-out stopped the rot and a 14-11 finish gave College the spoils.

Bains and Paul were the pick for East Durham with 22 and 20 points each. Four players shared most of the Consett points; Mat Patterson (18), Dan Patterson (12), McNeaney (12) and Garry Gowans (10).

Division One: Norton A 66 Middlesbrough Mavericks 76; University of Teesside 88 Nissan 136.

Division Two: East Durham and Houghall College B 70 Consett Steelers 58; Trimdon Community College Association 90 Old Houghtonians 82.

Division Three: Belmont B 81 Durham Saints 65; Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 97 East Durham and Houghall College C 44; Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics 60 Hartlepool Hawks 75.

Womens Division: Durham Knights 80 Newcastle College 84; Sunderland Nissan 40 Tyneside 70; Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 80 East Durham and Houghall Academy 71.