Retro Articles Now Exposed for All

Sept 9, 2020 9:36:23 GMT Solly said:

Sept 9, 2020 9:16:43 GMT @hersey427 said:

Before the heart-crushing loss against Australia at London 2012, we had a practice run with a different kind of heartbreaking loss against the Aussies in London 2011. There are times basketball sucks

Indeed an agonising loss. Hadn't realised that Patty Mills was originally a Trailblazer - Popovich has to be applauded for his patience with him. At many other clubs he would have been moved on after a big bunch of, at best, very ordinary appearances when spelling Tony Parker.

Joe Ingles is another Aussie who has really blossomed after in and out performances early doors in Utah.

While I'm here, I meant to comment a few days ago about how much your line in one of your recent pieces, a stroppy parish clerk who said that she felt basketball wasn’t “becoming of the village”, made I chuckle.   

But of course I have to be careful in the depth of my laughter because in this instance the said parish clerk happened to be a woomin. It comes to something if we all have to tread on virtual eggshells when we're in one of our favourite parts of the internet.

Snowflakes everywhere...

It's amazing what you can learn on my blog nine years after things happened. Mills was a #55 draft pick, I'd agree that playing for anyone other than Pops he could easily have disappeared into Europe or back to Aus. As I've said before, Ingles is the ultimate blue colour hard working player who's made the most of his talents.

When the madness has ended, I'll reveal the full tale of the lunacy that was Flampstead. I refused to speak to her due to fears of causing an international diplomatic incident.

And who you gonna call when you want to get a W.

And Worcester lined up a Trophy semi-final against Cornetto and his mates

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Sunday 05 February 2017

Surrey Scorchers 82-86 Worcester Wolves

Worcester Wolves have made it through to the BBL Trophy semi-finals after squeezing out an 86-82 win at Surrey Scorchers on Sunday.

A healthy 44-30 half-time cushion looked to be a sufficient foundation to see Wolves progress to a two-legged tie against Plymouth Raiders, but Surrey got up off the floor to take a 71-70 lead with three minutes remaining.

Coach Paul James praised his team’s ability to hold their nerve, saying:

“Earlier in the season we may well have folded under the pressure. There is now a strength of character in the side that comes out in tough situations.

“We built a good lead and played with a lot of confidence. But Surrey do well on their own court and never gave up.

“Sure, we bent a little but we didn’t break. I’m delighted that we came through an awkward spell and got the win.”

There was little between the sides in the first quarter. Jermel Kennedy spun to the basket to set the scoreboard ticking and Alex Navajas jumped off the bench for a couple of scores. Maurice Walker opened his account to close the period at 17-16.

A further five quick points from Navajas pushed the advantage to 25-22 as the second quarter began.

 
Andrew Bachman joined the fray with an outside success, Ashton Khan showcased his trademark slashes to the hoop, Navajas continued to fire and suddenly the lead had ballooned to 40-25.

By the end of the third period Scorchers had whittled their arrears down to 59-51.

Ex-Worcester forward Kalil Irving sank a triple to edge the gap down to 65-58, but then saw his afternoon end when arguing a referee’s call.

Navajas’ inspiring 19-point outing halted soon afterwards when the Spaniard picked up his fifth foul, denting Wolves’ structure. A burst of Surrey three-pointers drew the sides closer.

Though nudging ahead, the hosts were unable to pull away. Trevor Setty connected from distance and Danny Huffor pounced for a steal and conversion to regain the upper hand.

A series of Walker free throws were enough to see out the victory and delight a large bunch of travelling fans.

Walker was Wolves’ second-highest scorer with 17 points, as well as grabbing an impressive 15 rebounds.

Wolves travel to Plymouth for the first leg of the BBL Trophy semi-final this Wednesday (7.30), before returning to league action at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday (7.30) to greet Manchester Giants.

“We’ve come through another physical battle today,” added James.

“We’ll now get ready for another tough match at Plymouth. I’m pleased with what we’ve already achieved in this competition, but Wednesday will be just the first half of a tie that will decide who makes it to the final. We all want to stay in the hunt for silverware.”

That same week, Wolves hosted Manchester so my prog article for that game was written ahead of the rubbish display in Plymouth when I was still optimistic about a potential Trophy Final trip to Glasgow.

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A chance of silverware – hooray…

Yes, I know that our league season is far from over, but that BBL Trophy Final up in Glasgow is already tantalisingly reaching out its hand to us after our tip-top win in Surrey last Sunday.

I couldn’t make it to Surrey, though I did get to Sheffield on the preceding Friday – a couple of Yorkshire hotels had already been booked and paid for last weekend, prior to Scorchers replacing Leeds as our Sunday fixture.

Naturally I could not risk the ire of Mrs Solly and abandon our travel arrangements, so had to make do with laptop viewing of the wonderful live basketball tv service for our Trophy W.

Anyway, back to the Sharks match. It was all a bit of a nip-and-tucker early doors. Three minutes before HT we had a decent 46-36 lead. But it was soon pulled back to all-square by the interval.

After the break, only our inside game was functioning. In the final minute, we were up 77-76, but 77-79 down with fifteen ticks left and unable to profit from the last possession.

OK we certainly didn’t want to lose but perhaps, with hindsight, it may have helped with the focus for Surrey.

The individual breakdown -

Marek Klassen – 14pts. Traversed the court

Danny Huffor – 10pts. Middling

Trevor Setty – 5pts. Quiet

Alex Navajas – 5pts. Ditto

Jermel Kennedy – 14pts. Man in the paint

Mo Walker – 21pts, 11 rebounds. Ditto

Andrew Bachman – 6pts, 7 rebounds. Got stuck in

Ashton Khan - 2pts. Minutes limited by injury

Yes, I indeed missed a day.

The trouble is that my weekends are even busier than the (so-called) working week.

Yesterday I had a right sporting day, and today will likely be just as busy.

First up was (that oh-so-popular sport) Rugby League, Catalan Dragons vs Wigan in front of a 5,000 crowd in the south of France. Shame for the Dragons that they disappointed such a good turnout in including so many schoolboy errors in their sorry defeat

After that it was over to BT Sport for Grand Prix Speedway from Poland, again in front of a live crowd. And I was celebrating a cheeky few quid wagered on ex- Wolverhampton Wolves heat leader Fast Freddie Lindgren at 20/1

The speedway overlapped with the (tape-delayed) game 7 of Celtics/Raptors, so I had to switch my attentions between the tablet and the 55-incher and even had to fake occasional grunts of interest in whatever Mrs S. was twittering on about.

I then had to defy exhaustion to catch the Lakers rolling over the Rockets to progress to the Conference Final.

Oh yes, and throughout the day I also had to keep an eye on a great mountain day in the Tour De France.

Today I will be mostly be viewing sport.

1. A RL  Challenge Cup tie between Castleford Tigers and Hull.

2. The return of the NFL

3. More NBA

4. More Tour De France

and somehow keeping Mrs S onside - I'll likely encourage her (once she's dished up my Sunday roast) to sit in the back garden and read a ladies periodical.

Anyway, here's what happened when Worcester hosted Manchester in Feb 17.

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Friday 10 February 2017

Worcester Wolves 91-74 Manchester Giants

 
Ending a gruelling spell of four games in a week, Worcester Wolves found enough energy to see off Manchester Giants 91-74 at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.

Manchester came into the contest buoyed by a double-figure win in their last outing. Contrastingly, Wolves badly needed a reaction to their 78-96 reversal at Plymouth Raiders on Wednesday.

It was a couple of former Worcester players who made the biggest impact as the game began. Lithuanian Donatas Visockis sank a three-pointer and point guard Callum Jones took a bonus point after being fouled in the act of scoring, aiding an early 11-5 lead for the visitors.

Maurice Walker repeatedly ground his way to the basket in response, but Jones and Visockis would combine for another ten first-quarter points to maintain the gap.

As the period closed a hopelessly-misdirected inbound pass was seized upon by Manchester’s Sam Toluwase to leave Wolves trailing 22-28.

A stunning trio of three-pointers from Toluwase kept Wolves still in arrears at 32-37 at four minutes before half-time. But an equally-impressive burst of action from Wolves’ Danny Huffor would draw the sides together.

Dispossessing Toluwase at mid-court, Huffor slammed the ball home. A series of weaving drives to the hoop and accuracy from distance produced 11 personal points and nudged his team 43-42 ahead at the interval.

Jermel Kennedy debuted on the scoreboard after the break. With Huffor and Walker still connecting and a tighter emphasis on defence, Wolves began to pull clear.

A 65-56 advantage would expand further in the final period with Alex Navajas putting in a shift close to the hoop and Ashton Khan entertaining a large home crowd with several swirling successes.

Huffor and Walker topped Wolves scorers on 23 points apiece, while Jones led the way for Manchester with 18 points.

Coach Paul James was relieved to end Wolves’ busy spell with a victory, saying:

“The players looked very tired, very heavy-legged. Despite that, I’m pleased that we were able to do enough to get the win.”

Wolves will welcome back a trio of their former players to the University of Worcester Arena next Friday (7.30) when London Lions are the visitors.

Alex Owumi, Zaire Taylor and Kai Williams form the backbone of Lions’ team this year and will be keen to avenge a 100-71 slapping handed out to them by the Wolves at the Copper Box Arena in January.

Asked what he is expecting to see, James replied:

“I’m expecting to see another big turnout of our fans getting behind the great squad of players we have here in Worcester, and I’m expecting us to put another win on London.”

And here's what happened in that February 2017 hosting of Lions.

At that point of the season Wolves had the measure of a London side featuring players from Worcester's double winning team of a few years earlier.

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Friday 24 February 2017

Worcester Wolves 99-91 London Lions

 
Worcester Wolves are gaining ground on their play-off rivals in the British Basketball League after their latest victory at the University of Worcester Arena.
Friday saw a 99-91 win against London Lions that moves Wolves to a 10-12 win-loss record and seventh place in the table.

Lions and Plymouth Raiders occupy the two places directly above Wolves, with both clubs now bearing nine losses.

A large crowd was on hand, eager to see the return of three former Worcester stalwarts in Alex Owumi, Zaire Taylor and Kai Williams. It was Williams who starred in the early going.

Marek Klassen set the scoreboard ticking with a three-pointer, but Williams replied in kind. After Trevor Setty had bundled into him as he again took aim, he calmly sank all three of the resultant foul shots. Two more triples pushed his side into a 31-21 first-quarter lead.

The free-flowing nature of the night continued as Klassen was dead on the mark with three outside successes in as many minutes, dragging the arrears back to 37-39.

Latest signing Trey Zeigler grabbed his first points in a Wolves vest and handed off a pass for Jermel Kennedy to nudge the hosts in front.

Five points from Owumi and a single free throw success from Taylor closed out the first half and kept an entertaining pot boiling at 48-49.

It was more of the same in the third period as the teams took turns to score, with Wolves edging 69-67 ahead entering the last quarter.

New man Zeigler played a part in finally putting daylight between the combatants, swiping the ball away from Owumi and galloping to the other end of the court for a lay-up and a bonus free throw after brushing aside a clumsy challenge from Taylor.

Ashton Khan came to the fore with several bursts to the hoop, establishing a decisive double-figure lead as the match entered its closing minutes.

Kennedy and Klassen topped the scoring charts for Wolves with 19 and 18 points respectively. Khan and Danny Huffor notched 14 points, with Zeigler not far behind in a 12-point debut.

Williams impressed for London with 28 points, including seven three-pointers, while Owumi would miss all but one of his seven attempts from beyond the arc in his total of 14 points. Taylor struggled to make an impact with a mere four points.

Coach Paul James expressed his pleasure at the win, saying:

“It was a hard-fought victory. London took us out of our rhythm in the first half but I’m delighted at the way we kept our calm and toughed it out for a great win.

“Also, well done to Trey on his debut – he was lively in defence and now gives us another scoring option.”

Next Friday (7.30) will see Wolves’ BBL Trophy semi-final second-leg take place at the University of Worcester Arena against Plymouth Raiders, with James remaining confident that his side can pull back a 78-96 first-leg deficit.

“We’ve still got forty minutes of basketball to play. We’ve already had some big wins here in Worcester, against some really good teams.

“It will be fantastic for the club and fantastic for all of our fans if we can make it to the final in Glasgow.

“Another big crowd spurring us on, just like they did tonight, and absolutely we can do it.”

Sept 14, 2020 10:23:04 GMT @hersey427 said:

Surely you can remember Lions all the way back to Hemel,plus their year in Watford?

Maybe my wording about London's predecessors was a tad ambiguous. I indeed recollect the Hemel & Watford days.

Went a few times to both venues. I actually stayed in a few hostelries around that way in the 80s when working in the area.

At that time my employer used to dole out fixed hotel/meal allowances irrespective of where you stayed/dined. This incentivised me to (relatively) rough it rather than stay in the more expensive accommodation (Post House was a popular chain at that time), so I ended up in a few places of debatable quality.

One I recall was the Swan Hotel in Berkhamstead. Pokey room, decrepit furniture, a curtained-off sink & toilet in the corner of the room and, if you needed more than a splash and dash wash, a communal bath  across the corridor.

Yes it was basic, but it was probably only about £30-£40 for the whole week, including a sweaty breakfast 

And, as expected, Wolves were unable to haul back such a large first-leg deficit.

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Friday 24 February 2017

Worcester Wolves 90-83 Plymouth Raiders

Worcester Wolves’ coach Paul James praised a fighting performance from his players as they fell short of making it through to the BBL Trophy Final in Glasgow.

Facing the considerable task of overturning a 78-96 deficit from their first leg semi-final at Plymouth Raiders, Wolves succeeded in hauling back the arrears at several times during Friday’s return leg at the University of Worcester Arena, but could not do enough to hold onto their gains, winning 90-83 on the night, but ultimately dropping a dozen points below an overall success.

“I’m proud of the players,” said James. “They fought, they competed and they gave themselves the opportunity to pull back the deficit.

“We played the game at an amazing pace and with great intensity. There were a couple of spells where we lost focus and that hurt us, but it was always going to be hard to maintain our efforts at such a high level for the full forty minutes.

“Unfortunately, the damage was done in the first leg in Plymouth.”

A heightened level of concentration was on display from the opening tip-off. Marek Klassen and Maurice Walker tallied Worcester’s first six points, while at the other end players swarmed around attackers to hold Plymouth scoreless for three minutes.

A quartet of three-pointers from Jermel Kennedy and Trevor Setty boosted the hosts to a 28-17 first-quarter lead.

Alex Navajas came to the fore with seven quick points, Danny Huffor joined Setty in connecting from distance and, by midway through the second period, home supporters were on their feet to applaud a 43-25 advantage that put the scores level on aggregate.

Foul trouble became a factor as the half ended. Navajas and latest signing Trey Ziegler picked up their third fouls before the interval. Coach James was awarded a technical foul for disputing referees’ calls and Raiders took advantage to reduce the gap to 47-38.

Walker went to work close to the basket to widen the lead once more. A ferocious two-handed slam put Plymouth’s overall lead again in jeopardy at 55-38.

But when Walker was whistled for his third penalty of the match, accompanied by four infractions for Setty and Ziegler, Wolves’ momentum was disrupted.

An electric start to the final quarter decided the tie. Raiders’ guard Rhys Carter launched a long assist for a Cory Dixon alley-oop finish, then himself sank a three-pointer.

A Dixon dunk and further scores from Carter followed, prompting a large band of travelling fans to celebrate a 72-72 draw on the night, with six minutes remaining.

A late burst of action from Setty helped Wolves to a 90-83 win, but an insufficient total to progress to the Trophy Final.

Setty led all scorers with 26 points, followed by Walker on 20 points.

Wolves now face a quick follow-up with a Saturday visit to Surrey Scorchers, before returning to the University of Worcester Arena on Friday 10 March (7.30) to meet Leeds Force.

“Today has been very hard physically and mentally. We’re obviously disappointed to have lost out overall but, taken as a single game, we did well,” added James.

“We have to carry forward the positives from tonight for the rest of the season, beginning with our trip to Surrey.”

And here was my prog. article reflection on the Plymouth & Surrey wins, ahead of the hosting of Leeds.

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Eight wins from our last ten outings makes us a team in form.

Let’s hope that run of form has not been disrupted by the fortnight’s break since our Ws over Plymouth and Surrey.

It’s such a shame that our 90-83 victory vs Plymouth was insufficient for us to progress to the Trophy Final, due to our hugely-disappointing 18-point loss in the first leg.

We sprinted out of the traps to go 28-17 up after Q1 and by five minutes before half-time we had already dragged back all the first-leg arrears. Perhaps we peaked too early. Raiders had their run at the start of the last quarter and we just couldn’t do enough to win on aggregate.

After such a taxing night, it was a tough call to have to get back up again at Surrey the next day. But we did it. We again made a blistering start, racing to 31-14 ahead by the start of the second quarter.

Our hosts pulled within four points in the second half. However, we now seem to be made of sturdier stuff than earlier in the season, allowing us to push right back. Chocks away for a comfortable 89-77 success.

The player breakdown over both matches –

Marek Klassen – 15pts, 9 assists. Steady.

Danny Huffor – 40pts, 7 x 3ptrs. Incendiary.

Trevor Setty – 30pts. Can burst into life.

Alex Navajas – 14pts, 12 rebounds. Sturdy.

Maurice Walker – 36pts, 12 rebounds. Imposing

Jermel Kennedy – 28pts, 13 rebounds. Silky smooth.

Ashton Khan – 10pts, 8 assists. Contributed.

Trey Zeigler – 6pts. Ditto.

And next time out it was the same result, albeit with a closer scoreline.

Now ten wins from the last twelve, but with the league leaders coming to town afterwards...

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Friday 17 March 2017

Leeds Force 80-99 Worcester Wolves

Worcester Wolves continue to demonstrate that they are currently one of the hottest sides in the British Basketball League after sweeping to their tenth win from their last twelve games with a 99-80 triumph at Leeds Force on Friday.

A week ago, Wolves demolished Force 112-62, but it was a much more resilient Leeds outfit that took the court in front of their own fans.

By midway through the third quarter Worcester held just a slender 62-59 lead, before proceeding to score nearly twice as many points as their hosts over the remainder of the evening.

The teams traded buckets in the early going, with Wolves edging 21-20 ahead as the first quarter wound down. As the ball was passed around from player to player, it was Maurice Walker who found it in his hands with the shot-clock about to expire but steeled himself to sink a rare three-pointer.

Former Worcester forward Disraeli Lufadeju began the second period with a double of scores to draw matters back together at 26-26. Minutes later Lufadeju blotted his copybook when being dispossessed by Jermel Kennedy who galloped up-court for a spectacular tomahawk jam.

A 52-44 half-time advantage was insufficient to dampen Leeds enthusiasm, with seven quick points from Jermaine Sanders helping them back into contention.

But Force coach Matt Newby attracted a technical foul from the referees, allowing Marek Klassen to slot home the resultant free throw and Trevor Setty to drain a triple on the subsequent bonus possession.

Trey Zeigler and Danny Huffor confidently stepped forward for a series of scores, with Leeds’s turnovers and their inability to break through Worcester’s defensive walls finally deciding the contest.

Wolves coach Paul James praised his team’s resilience, saying:

“Leeds shoot the ball well on their own court. We knew they would be a different proposition from the side we beat by fifty points last week.

"We showed character and toughness to get the job done today."

Klassen and Huffor led the scoring with 19 and 18 points respectively. Setty notched 16 points, followed by Walker and Zeigler on 14 apiece. Kennedy’s 11 points rounded out six players tallying impressive double-figure returns.

Top-of-the-table Leicester Riders visit the University of Worcester Arena next Friday, 24 March (tip off 7.30 pm).

“I’m anticipating a fantastic game,” added James. “Us and Leicester have been the form teams of the last couple of months.

 
“We’re expecting our biggest crowd of the season to come along to what should be a great night.”