Basketball: Durham League

The outcome of the game rested on any injury to Hornets Dan Bailey in the third minute of the second quarter. Hornets were 20-11 up at the time and looked to have control, but the injury left them with only five players. Belmont responded by picking up the pace of the game and slowly but surely take charge. By half-time the deficit was down to just 31-26 and when Andrew Knox and Richard Huntley took the game to Hornets early in the third quarter Reds were level at 35-35 by the seventh minute. The next six minutes won Belmont the game as Ian Davies started a run of 13 points without reply. When Steven Graham finished it off the Durham outfit were 48-35 up, there was six minutes left on the clock and Hornets were beaten.

Points were well spread throughout the Belmont Reds team, although Graham and Mark Elderkin did finish with 13 and 11. Ward and Farrell collected 11 each for Hartlepool HQ Engineering, who really did miss their talisman Bailey.

Four of the five scheduled second division fixtures were completed.

The best of those gave East Durham and Houghall College A a 79-77 last-gasp win away to Hartlepool Hawks ND.

With four minutes to go Hawks looked to have won it at 70-65, but two free-shots and a field goal from Colin Dockerell reduced the deficit to just one point at 70-69 with three minutes left. David Wylie and John Harding both scored to give College the lead at 73-70 and with less than two minutes left College led 75-72. Luke Thompson cut the gap to 75-74, but Harding showed his experience with a drive and a brace of free-shots to put College up 79-74. Leon Thompson then landed a three-point basket which cut the gap to just 79-77 with thirty seconds left. There was still time for College to miss a shot and for Luke Thompson to go for the winner, a task which was ended by a foul and possession to College.

The East Durham and Houghall College A win was founded largely on the 38 points which Dockerell scored, although Wylie, Andrew Bains and Harding added 14, 11 and 10. Luke Thompson top scored for Hartlepool Hawks ND with 30 points as Leon Thompson, Anthony Robinson and Graeme Errington scored 16, 11 and 10 respectively.

Another close finish came in the one game played on Thursday when the blizzards were at their worst as Old Houghtonians beat hosts Durham Saints 69-63.

After a battle through the snow Houghtonians started understandably slow. Richard Kippin cashed in with five points in a 11-0 spell in the middle of the first quarter which gave Saints a 22-7 lead as it finished. The visitors came more into the game in the second quarter as Rob Taylor and Luke Jenner closed the gap to 36-27 as the half-time whistle blew. Saints then went to sleep and Paul Carr cashed in with 11 points to give Houghtonians the lead at 49-44 with ten minutes left. The final quarter was no better for Saints as Anthony Burdis and Carr hit them with another 10 unanswered points to increase the visitors advantage to 63-46. A late 17-6 rally did bring Saints back, but the damage had already been done.

All five players hit double figures for Old Houghtonians; Carr (17), Nathan Jenner (16), Taylor (13), Burdis (12) and Luke Jenner (11). Neil Guthrie and Phil Bailey hit 19 and 15 each for Durham Saints.

Consett Steelers had a comfortable 104-58 triumph at home against a below strength Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves.

The die was cast from the start as Bendan MacNeany and Matt Patterson were quick to show for Steelers and they led 30-16 after ten minutes. Wolves will want to forget the second quarter as they collected only three points. At the other end of court Steelers offence was firing on all cylinders and with MacNeany and Patterson to the fore the gap had gone to 55-19 before the whistle to end the first half blew. Craig Dawson managed to fire Wolves up during the third quarter, but with Ross Stoker and Chris Telford doing well Consett still led 78-36 as the third quarter closed. An even last ten minutes saw Wolves match but not catch Steelers.

Matt Patterson top scored for Consett Steelers with 33 points, but good contributions came from Telford, Dan Patterson and MacNeany with 21, 17 and 14 respectively. Dawson matched Patterson with 33 points for Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves.

A below strength Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A were no match for Shildon Strollers as the latter won at home 102-64.

The opening 16 minutes was even. Steve Pattison started well for Strollers and his lead was taken up by Mal Turnbull. Hydraulics points came courtesy of a trio of three-point baskets from Jonathan Osborne, fast breaks by Michael Macklam and the steady hand of Gary Keith and with four minutes to the break the contest was even at 32-32. All the good early Hydraulics work was then wasted as four different players hit baskets in a 12-0 finish which took Strollers into the break with a 44-32 cushion. Any hopes of a Hydraulics comeback were dashed when Craig Lowe and Pattison combined to give Strollers a 12-2 four minute restart for a 56-34 lead which was never threatened.

Pattison and Terry Fell led the way for Shildon Strollers with 22 and 19 points each as Lowe and Mal Ballard added 17 apiece. Osborne was excellent for Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A with 24 points and Macklam just scraped into double figures with 10.

A trio of third division cup 'pool' games was also played.

In the first East Durham and Houghall College B opened up in the third quarter to win their tie with Young Houghtonians 65-54. All but three of the opening 20 minutes was even before a late burst from Paul Cassell took the Peterlee side into the break with a 33-25 advantage. The next ten minutes gave College control as Wayne Dunn gathered 12 of the 22 points which they hit. At the other end of court Houghtonians could score only five points and by the end of the quarter they were beaten at 55-30

Officer and Dunn were the East Durham match winners with 22 and 20 point apiece as Cassell got 12. Carr was at his best for Young Houghtonians with 27 points to which Robinson added 10.

A nail-biting finish gave Specsavers Wear Valley Wizards a 74-72 success at home to Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B.

Ian Hirst and Colin Lees stretched a 17-13 tenth minute Wizards lead into a comfortable 37-22 after twenty and the visitors looked beaten. Paul MacDonald and Jonathan Osborne sparked a Hydraulics recovery in the third quarter, but the deficit was still 65-46 with just four minutes to play. Frantic defence and quick offence had cut that gap to just 73-72 with seconds remaining before a Jeff Blair free-shot and the clock won it for Wizards.

Hirst was outstanding with 29 for Specsavers Wear Valley Wizards as Lees and Blair added 18 and 17. Osborne had four three-pointers in his 20 points for Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics as MacDonald and Macklam scored 17 and 16.

There was an equally thrilling finish to the contest between Durham Knights and Young Houghtonians at Maiden Castle when a Rob Heath field goal on the full-time buzzer sent the game into overtime at 60-60. The five minute extra-period was as tense as the rest of the game had been, a game during which the lead had swopped hands throughout, but it was Knights who had the edge when it mattered to win by just one basket at 68-66.

Points were well spread throughout the Durham Knights team, although Jamie Glen did lead the way with 18 points. Carr once again led the way for Young Houghtonians this time with 35 points.

Division One: Belmont Reds 63 Hartlepool HQ Engineering Hornets 48.

Division Two: Hartlepool Hawks ND 77 East Durham and Houghall College A 79; Shildon Strollers 102 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics A 64; Durham Saints 63 Old Houghtonians 69; Consett Steelers 104 Specsavers Wear Valley Wolves 58.

Division Three Cup: East Durham and Houghall College B 65 Young Houghtonians 54; Specsavers Wear Valley Wizards 74 Hartlepool CJ Hydraulics B 72; Durham Knights 68 Young Houghtonians 66.

Womens Division: University of Teesside 48 Newcastle College Wildcats 65.