Durham League; Half-term - often a quiet week in terms of games played. Even so the handful which were played did provide excitement and also a broken record which has lasted for 25 years.

Middlesbrough Mavericks notched their first Division One win of the season at the expense of neighbours University of Teesside, whom they beat 85-76 at Ormesby. As the score suggests, exchanges were even and only in the final quarter did Mavericks do enough to ease away.

Mavericks made the better start, but each of the five players on court converted for University in the last two minutes of the first quarter which they won 19-16. Steady outside shooting from Andrew Swanson and Ian Viveash made the difference in the middle twenty minutes of the game, and although the students upped their offence with Chris Jackson leading the way they trailed by 58-52 with ten minutes to play. Once again the final quarter was even. A succession of three-point baskets from Phil Hale and Jackson kept the students in touch, but they could never quite seem to do enough to regain the lead as Marek Pawlak and Viveash again kept Mavericks in the driving seat.

Swanson and Pawlak led Mavericks scoring with 23 points each, as Viveash collected 18. Jackson was at his best with 34 points for the University of Teesside.

Records are set to be broken, even though some are so good they look unbeatable. Well this week East Durham and Houghall College B managed to smash one of the longest standing records in Durham League basketball history when they beat Durham Knights 160-38. The old record was the second division's 'most points scored in one game' of 156 set by Durham Eljays in season 1974-75. Will this new record last as long?

There was no indication of the points feast to come when the Durham University students started the game as well as College and the first quarter finished at 24-20 to the Peterlee side. All changed at the start of the second quarter when College launched a full-court press and Knights crumbled. Seven of the ten minutes passed without Knights troubling the scorer. At the other end Jamie Paul hit 14 from 25 and suddenly College were 49-20 to the good. By half-time College had a 88-25 cushion.

Most teams would have been happy with that, but College were chasing the magical 'ton'. The result was a final quarter in which College scored an unbelievable 64 points, Knights quite simply could do nothing but stand in shell-shocked admiration.

Jamie Paul finished the game with 56 solo points, as Tom Wood and Andrew Bains added 30 and 27 apiece. Adam Woodhouse did hit 13 for Durham Knights.

Having played and won five games, Nunthorpe Boro Bruins top the womens league table at this half- term stage. This week's win came at Washington where they beat Tyne and Wear Cadettes 95-75.

The match itself was a personal triumph for Sarah Hindmarch who finished the game with a massive 47 points. Basketball is all about teams though and Lisa Roughley and Hermione Wappett added 18 and 16 points to those scored by Hindmarch.

A good start and a 29-10 first quarter cushion gave Nunthorpe the platform for victory, because try as they might the Cadettes could not cut into that deficit. Nuthorpe were 50-34 up at the interval and 67-50 ahead with ten minutes left. Laura Calder was once again excellent for Tyne and Wear Cadettes as she managed 29 points, Joella Lynch and Hollie Waterstreet helped her with 14 each.

Tyneside are slipping. For the first time in four Durham League women's division outings they failed to reach the 'ton'. They were however just eight points short as they ran in a emphatic 92-29 victory over the students of Durham University masquerading in the guise of Durham Knights.

Knights have only just got their season going, but they are much more organised than last year and made a determined effort to keep the free-scoring Tyneside in check. Tasha Brown featured in a 10-0 start and by the end of the first quarter there was no doubt about which way the game would go as Tyneside led 21-5. By the interval Brown had collected 24 of her final match total of 35 points, Knights were trailing 46-13 and there was no way that they could recover.

Zoe Vickers and Deirdre Hayes added 15 points apiece to the 35 scored by Brown, Louise Sidey chipped in with 11 for the winners. Anna Critchley scored 13 for Durham Knights.

In the third division Young Houghtonians scored their first 'ton' of the season when they beat guests East Durham and Houghall College C 103-62.

The big score did not look likely when a slow start allowed East Durham to shade the first quarter 17-16. A switch from zone to man-for-man then slowly began to change the game. The impact was not immediate, but the hard-work paid off in a big way in the second half as College tired. The damage was done when Rob Taylor, Anthony Burdis and Luke and Nathan Jenner all shared in a 20-4 six-minute finish to the third quarter and Young Houghtonians took the final break with a match-winning 71-46 advantage.

Burdis once more led Young Houghtonians home with 33 points: Luke and Nathan Jenner both hit 20 whilst Taylor collected 21. Chris McKenna and Paul Cassell did best for East Durham and Houghall College C with 24 and 15 points respectively.

Division One: Middlesbrough Mavericks 85 University of Teesside 76.

Division Two: East Durham and Houghall College B 160 Durham Knights 38.

Mens County Cup (Preliminary Round Game): Specsavers Wear Vally Wolves 70 Norton B 52.

Division Three: Young Houghtonians 103 East Durham and Houghall College C 29; Norton B 61 Durham Saints 67.

Womens Division: Tyneside 92 Durham Knights 29; Tyne and Wear Cadettes 75 Nunthorpe Boro Bruins 95.