CT vs Heaton Hawks 15/12/12

Saturday 15th December 2012: Cheadle Thunder 26 - 41 Heaton Hawks

Not much to say about this game - and I didn't get the chance to get a copy of the scoresheet so I don't know who scored what.

Hawks deserved to win, though Thunder didn't play badly but unfortunately the way the game was reffed made the whole thing a bit of a farce. Thunder were down to three players at the end, though the chances of playing a sensible game had vanished quite a long time before we got to that stage.  Very disappointing.

CT vs Heaton Venom, 08/12/12

Saturday 8th December 2012: Cheadle Thunder 26 - 29 Heaton Venom

Half Time: Cheadle Thunder 10 - 16 Heaton Venom

Not a game of two halves, but for Thunder definitely a game of two parts.  For the first ten minutes, Cheadle looked like they'd barely played basketball before.  Venom players were left unmarked in the key, or allowed to stroll in and score easy baskets.  Passes went astray and, as Venom built up a ten point lead, it looked like the game might be a big embarrassment.

After about ten minutes, Barry called a time out and had a quiet chat with the team - as Barry tends to do - and Thunder remembered how to play.  From that point on, Cheadle had the edge for the rest of the game.

Had Thunder played the first ten minutes the way they played the last 30, they would have won comfortably.  Unfortunately, they didn't and it's the whole game that counts - despite closing the gap to as little as two points, Thunder couldn't quite get ahead and Venom ended up winning by three.

When they were playing well, Thunder did all the right things.  Venom were closely marked, closed down and mobbed in the key - they went from being able to take comfortable shots at their leisure to being blocked time and again.

In attack, Thunder were good.  Both sides had their share of speculative shots from too far out, but in the second half Thunder were slightly better at creating space, passing the ball and driving into the key.

Today also saw the return of Kane - a founder team member of Cheadle Thunder who left the team a couple of years ago.  Kane had a good first game back, even making a basket.

Points scored:  Joshua - 10, Sean - 6, Joe - 6, Sol - 2, Kane - 2

Venom points scored: #9 - 11, #5 - 6, #10 - 6, #7 - 5, #11 - 1.

Thunder man of the match: Josh who came out as top scorer as well as taking the Point Guard position and taking quite a few defensive rebounds.

CT vs Lapwings, 1/12/12

Saturday 1st December 2012: Cheadle Thunder 23 - 37 Lapwings

Half time: Cheadle Thunder 13 - 14 Lapwings

Going up against a national league team was always going to be tough - although Thunder lost, the team played well.  The first half was another tight one with Thunder just ahead most of the time and Lapwings just edging in front at the death.  In the second half Lapwings speed and shooting skills proved too much, with a few quick baskets and a couple of three-pointers putting the game out of reach.

Thunder didn't give up though, and in the last few minutes they again kept up with Lapwings and pegged them back.

In some ways the game was a frustrating one, but there were lots of positives.  Thunder's passing (accuracy and speed), offensive and defensive rebounds and scoring ability against a determined opposition was a world ahead of where the team was six months ago, as was the reading of the game.

Had this game happened at the beginning of the year, Thunder would have been pinned back.  As it was, they made their own fair share of breaks and defended well against taller and faster opposition.

The attack team of Joe, Sol and Josh kept the pressure on with regular breaks, moving the ball around well, while Dan, Tom and Matt not only defended strongly but moved the ball around quickly in attack.  The whole game was played at breakneck speed with both sides constantly working to score the next basket.

Points scored:  Joshua 11, Sol 8, Joe 2, Tom 2.

Thunder man of the match: Dan for some really impressive interceptions, passing and defensive rebounds against tough opposition.

CT vs TV Spartans, 1/12/12

Saturday 1st December 2012: Cheadle Thunder 23 - 18 TV Spartans

Half time score:  Cheadle Thunder 10 - 9 TV Spartans

A cracking game that wasn't settled until the last 30 seconds, and a good win for Thunder against top-of-the-table Spartans.

Last week saw Thunder lose their game against Heaton Falcons right at the start: Falcons had opened up a 12 point lead at half time and although a much stronger Thunder performance in the second half pulled it back to a five point game, it wasn't enough.

This week, five man Thunder took on Spartan's eight man squad and it was always going to be a tough one if they'd fallen behind.

The first half was neck-and-neck as first one side and then the other opened up one or two point leads.  Thunder played superbly, working hard to neutralise the two taller Spartans players, harrying at every opportunity.  The defending was strong - Thunder have really got the hang of closing down the opposition and playing a physical game.

At the other end, Cheadle struggled to break down a well-disciplined Spartan defence, but scoring on the break plus a couple of well-taken longer shots saw Thunder go into the second half with a critical one point lead.

The second half was nearly as tight, but despite having no subs, it was Thunder who looked the livelier team. As errors started to creep into Spartan's game, Thunder stayed ahead by between two and six points.

Towards the end our master tactician and coach Barry made sure Thunder slowed the game down - forcing more errors and fouls from Spartans that resulted in Joe securing a few more points from free throws at the end.

Man of the match goes to Joe, scoring 16 points - one of those happy days where everything seemed to go in.  Sol's shooting was good and Joshua was particularly strong in defence, making life very difficult for Jay - their big number 34.  Matt and Tom's work was superb - quick passing, strong defence and lots of interceptions stopped Spartans playing the game they wanted to.

Spartan's strongest players were their top scorer #10 (Dan) and the two taller players #34 (Jay) and #7 (Ravi).

Points scored:  Joe - 16, Sol 5, Josh 2.

Fixtures, 1st December 2012 to 5th January 2013

Sat 1st December 2.20pm Thunder vs TV Spartans

Sat 1st December 6.30pm Thunder vs Lapwings

Sat 8th December 2.20pm Thunder vs Heaton Venom

Sat 15th December 1.30pm Thunder vs Heaton Hawks

Sat 5th Jan 11am Thunder vs Lapwings

Fixtures 10th to 24th November 2012

10th November    1:30 PM  - Heaton Hawks

17th November  11:00 AM - Lapwings

24th November    1:30 PM - Heaton Falcons

Ct v Tameside Lightening 27/10/12

Saturday 27th October:  Cheadle Thunder 65 - Tameside Lightning 3

(Half time score: Cheadle Thunder 30 - Tameside Lightning 1)

At the start of the game Thunder were outnumbered in every respect.  On the court we had just four players: Joe, Josh, Dan and Matt.  Lightning had about ten.  Off the court, the Lightning benches were packed with parents, our bench was empty.

But once the game got underway it was a different story.  Thunder were bigger, stronger, fitter, faster and simply much better than their opponents. Lightning would come forwards and time and again, Thunder stole or intercepted the ball with Joe and Josh tearing down the court to put away two points.

All four players gave 100% and it showed - even with a player advantage and Thunder tiring towards the end, Lightning never broke the boys down.  When Lightning got their one free-play basket towards the end of the game, Josh had restored the points difference within ten seconds.

Joe scored an excellent three-pointer in the second half, but everyone more than played their part.

Although it was another easy game against less experienced opponents, four-man Thunder can be proud of how they handled it.  If the team plays that well and gives that much for 40 minutes in future, they'll be beating much better teams.

Iain Roberts

[Thanks Iain. My apologies for late posting. Bob]

CT v Elemonators 20/10/12

An easy match for Cheadle against a new and inexperienced team made a good start to the season. Final Score 69:7 to Cheadle. Hopefully this will set a trend!

Pressure of work has left me with no time to do a full report this week, and for the next few weeks (at least) I'm not going to  able to post more than the results. Anyone who wants to have a go at a report is welcome, just email me the  peice and I'll post it. This includes you too lads!

See you

Bob

CT v Southside Hornets 29/09/12

First Half:

Although they looked lively right at the start of the game, CT had a poor first half. Hornets took full advantage of a lazy Cheadle defence, with #32, #24 and #7 scoring easily and freely with very simple play, often from a rebound. Joe and Sean made some good transitions, and “Usual Suspect” Josh made some good drives, but Cheadle looked too cautious and too uncoordinated in attack to cause Hornets many problems. (And too many long-shots simply gave the ball away).

Half time Score: CT 9:29 SH

Second Half:

Cheadle put up a stronger defence in the second half, with Matt looking especially obstructive, and the whole team making an effort on rebounds - not often we see this! The work paid off, halving Hornets score rate. Cheadle looked much sharper in attack too; good, fast passing up and cross-court out-manoeuvred the opposition, leaving the key open some simple lay-ups from Sean and Josh. When it worked, it looked good, and the team looked like a team.

Final Score: CT 19:45  SH

Stats:

Points: Josh 9; Sean 6; Joe, Tom 2 each.

Shots: Josh 11; Sean 14; Joe 7; Tom 5; Sol 1

#32 and #7 were the big scorers for Hornets.

Boomerang Award:

Joe takes the boomerang this week with 7 rebounds, one ahead of Matt. Is this the beginning of a grudge match?

On paper the whole team did better on the rebound this week. I counted a total of 32. But only 8 of them were in the first half (when SH scored 29) , 24 in the second (SH scored 16). I'll let you draw your own conclusions from this.

See you,

Bob

CT v. Thames Valley Spartans 22/9/12

Match Summary:

Cheadle won control of the ball straight away and Sean took a field goal in the first minute. Spartans were quick to fight back, and with the giant #34 and tiny #14 making most of the play they were soon ahead and forcing Cheadle's foul-count to the limit. Nevertheless, for most of the first half Cheadle had their share of the play, defended reasonably well, but looked shaky in attack. With Usual Suspect (Josh) away for the game there seemed to be a reluctance to attempt a drive into the key against solid TVS defence.

At the end of the first half Cheadle's game started to fall apart, and it didn't come together again throughout the second half, and at times Cheadle seemed to be playing “every man for himself”. A lot of shots were made, but most of them very long, and few of them went in. TVS meanwhile ran rings around what was left of Cheadle's defence and scored freely. Not a great show.

Final score: Thames Valley Spartans 35: 10 Cheadle Thunder

Stats:

(Not very accurate this as I missed a couple of minutes of the second half..)

Points: Sean - 6, Joe - 4.

Shots: Sean - 11, Joe - 4, Karl - 9, Sol - 4, Matt - 4, Tom - 1.

TVS #34, 14, 22, 23 were the strongest players.

Boomerang Award:

The BA goes to Matt this week with 6.

Not a lot of action this week on the rebound, especially in the second half. With a team that usually scores when they get the ball that's a mistake we can't afford to make.

Special Mentions:

Well done to Karl for defensive play in the second half when the rest of the team had run out of energy. 

Sean was hot on interceptions and steals; at one point stealing from giant #34, making the transition and scoring. Way to go!

CT v Heaton Hawks 15/9/12

First Half:

Cheadle made a flying start. Josh won the tip. Before the Hawks had touched the ball Sean made a basket in the first minute, followed by another a minute later.

For the next 5 minutes Cheadle kept on the attack. Good rebound work and interceptions gave them most of play against a determined but defensive opposition. Then the Hawks finally ground into attack. Their forwards, #12 and #30, presented the big problem for Cheadle, both of them accurate shots and tall enough to play over CT's heads. Despite some active defence from CT, Hawks coordinated well to get the ball to these two players and gradually pulled ahead.

Half Time score: Cheadle - 8: 13 - Heaton Hawks.

Second Half:

Second half began with CT caught on the wrong foot, #10 making a quick score pretty much unopposed. But strong defensive play by Matt and Josh soon blunted the Hawks' attack. CT took control of the court, and took their opportunities. A great basket from Sol and a cool sequence of 3 from Joe put CT ahead in the 7th minute, 16:15.

Then Cheadle let #12 score easily in a moment of relaxation. All of a sudden Hawks were back in the game, #12 and #10 pushing their score up to 23 before CT found their feet again. And it was a great recovery: the lads were fighting for every ball, going after every rebound and really working as a team. 2 baskets from Sean and another 2 from Joe put Cheadle ahead 25:23. with just 3 minutes left of the game.

The final 3 minutes left supporters gasping, cheering, and sobbing. Cheadle had plenty of chances, but forgot to watch out for the Hawks' main chance, #30. He just hung around at low post on his lonesome and waited for the ball to come to him. It did, twice, giving Heaton Hawks the game.

Final Score: Cheadle - 25: 27 - Heaton Hawks.

Stats:

Cheadle:

Points: Joe - 10; Sean - 8; Josh - 4; Sol - 3.

Shots: Joe - 12; Sean -10; Josh - 6; Sol - 9; Matt 5; Tom - 3: Karl - 2.

HH:

Shots: #30 - 10; #12 - 8; #10 - 4; #7 - 2; #5 - 1. (I suspect the missing 2 pts were #12)

Special Mentions:

Defence Award: goes to Josh for his aggressive, physical marking of #30; without it HH could have rolled over us in the first half. That #30 eventually lost his temper and made an outrageous foul against you just shows how well it worked, Josh! More, please, everyone.

Transitions: Sol was back in blinding Super-Colliding form in the second half, getting the ball up court before the Hawks had turned on their particle detectors. A huge contribution to the catch up in the second half.

Interceptions: Joe and Sean looking smart this week.

BOOMERANG AWARD:

Joe takes the Aboriginal stick this week with 8 rebounds, 2 up on last week. (Josh and Matt weren't far behind. Overall improvement since last week - 6)

Bob's Thoughts:

We could have won this match and we should have. The main problem for us was #30 and #12, two players who were tall and could shoot. What we didn't do was take advantage of their weaknesses. #12 (the tall dark kid) was muscular and quite fast, but his mobility was poor - if there was a player in the way he generally couldn't get past. #30 was just plain lazy, waiting for the rest of the team to send him the ball. Josh did a great job marking him. If someone else had done the same job when Josh was off court we'd have won the match.

C U L8ER, ANDY & HARRY:

Very sadly Andy has had to step down from his role as the coaching team, due to work.

Many, many thanks from me and Tom (and I'm sure from everyone involved with the team too) for all that you've done over the years. We may not have said it too often but we're very grateful. Good luck with getting the bank-balance in order.

And so-long to Harry too! I'll miss those amazing pursuits down court, H. I never did work out how you went so fast without moving your legs.

Don't be afraid to come back and see us, both of you, and all the best,

Bob

CT v Lapwings2 9/9/12

First Half:

In an exciting start to the match Sean won the tip for Cheadle and Sol took the ball down for a shot in the first few seconds, catching Lapwings out and promising a good match. But Lapwings took the rebound, quickly recovered, and only Harry was fast enough to catch up with #8 before she scored a few seconds later.

This set the trend for a difficult first half for CT. Though there was some good play from the lads, there just didn't seem to be enough of it in defence to stop #6 and #14 scoring or enough in attack to convert some good transitions into baskets. Too often both attack and defence were left to just one player, as if the team hadn't seen each other for weeks!

Nevertheless, it wasn't a complete walkover, CT had their share of possession. Best basket came early from Josh - a good drive into the key straight through Lapwings' defences and a simple, neat layup. Classical! Sean (x2) and Joe scored too.

Half-time score: Lapwings 25: 8 Cheadle

Second Half:

CT started in high style with an aggressive attack leaving Lapwings outrun and outwitted from the whistle. Sol took the throw-in; Sean took the ball up-court and made a good pass to Joe cross-court; Joe drove into the key and it was in the hoop a few seconds later. Whoa, Smartypants!

A great start, and the lads kept up the pressure. Cheadle missed a few rebounds (we miss you, Boomerang!) but some great work from Matt on interceptions gave Cheadle most of ball and most of the baskets. Joe, Sol(x2) and Tom took the score to 27:18 at 10 minutes: CT had added 10 points for Lapwings 2!

In the next 7 minutes Lapwings got back into the game with tiny #11 and enormous, blonde #14 making most of the play. Cheadle defence was slow to respond at first. Kudos to Tom for repeated tackles on #14, slowing down her score rate, but with 3 minutes to go Lapwings had re-established their lead at 39:24. Though Cheadle attacked well and kept possession the girls tightened up their defence and held onto their lead.

Final score: Lapwings 43: 26 Cheadle

Stats:

Points: Joe - 10; Josh - 6; Sol, Sean, Tom - 4 each.

Shots: Sean, Joe - 10 each; Sol, Josh - 5 each; Dan, Tom -3 each. (accuracy not guaranteed here!)

Couldn't keep track of Lapwings' scores but their most dangerous players were #14, #6 and #11.

Special Mentions:

Matt for some brilliant interception; Harry for speed in defence; Tom for taking on #14 - in one tussle she lifted him off his feet by the ball; very nasty.

BOOMERANG AWARD!

Josh, Joe and Sol tie with 6 rebounds each, but a lot of rebounds missed in this match. Everybody needs to be looking for the rebound (you know who you are!). Let's see a bit more contention for the award this week.

See you on Saturday,

Bob.

Fixtures and News

Fixtures:

8th	September	03:10 PM	v Lapwings 2
15th	September	10:10 AM	v Heaton Hawks
22nd	September	11:50 AM	v TV Spartans
29th	September	11:50 AM	v Southside Hornets
6th	October		PLAY-OFFS

Match Saturday 2/9/12

Only 2 Cheadle players turned up, plus Andy. Dynamic Allstars had about 8 players - obviously so dedicated they don't go on holiday.

So Tom and Matt F played in a scratch team with the help of a couple of wandering players, the smallest of Allstars and Tom the ref. It was a bit of an odd team varying from over 6 ft tall to under 4 ft! Never mind, it was a game. Allstars won by about 50 to 35.

Bye-Bye Boomerang:

We'll all miss you, Matt, especially in the key. Can't see that kicking a ball is ever going to catch on, but good luck with the football anyway.

And thanks to Dave for his scoring and stand-in coaching over the years.

News from Me:

I've not been keeping you updated because I was a bit busy last term, but hope to keep up to date this term. Apologies to my very many fans.

I'm thinking, in honour of absent friends, to start presenting “The Boomerang Award” every week for player who does best on the rebound. Cheadle expects every man to do his duty!

See you Saturday,

Bob

CT v TV aces 10/03/12

First half

Though they played with a lot of energy and mobility from the start of this match, CT found it hard to defend without totting up the fouls and hard to attack against TVA's full court defence Cheadle made some fast transitions, but their shooting looked rushed and nervous. TVA, on the other hand, looked relaxed, playing their typical game aimed at getting the ball to #31 or #23 at low post.

After 10 minutes of play a smart(ish) series of passes up court gave Joe first basket for Cheadle. A couple of minutes later and exceptional steal by Sol - so fast that the TVA player didn't seem to know where the ball had gone- gave Josh the chance to draw a rare foul from the opposition and a point from the free throws. Dan did some good work in defence towards the end of the half, which cut the TVA score rate a bit. Overall the high points for Cheadle were few and far between.

Half time score 18-3 to TVA

Second Half

Again, the half started with CT very much on the defensive and totting up fouls, TVA getting the ball to their leading players in a workman-like way. Tom got a cheer for a surprise long-shot at 4 minutes - out of the blue and looking very casual. Joe and Josh managed to find the hoop too in the last few minutes. CT really didn't have an answer to TVA's simple game.

Final score 42:9 to TVA

Stats:

CT: Joe - 4, Josh - 3, Tom 2

TVA: #23 (formerly #0) and #31 both scored 16+ points; #5 - 6+

Pros and Cons:

Brownie points to everyone for individual effort. Sol was flying, and both he and Joe made some great steals. There was a lot more effort from everyone on the rebound. Dan was making good use of his height defending against the taller TVA players, but there was some physical defensive play all round from Cheadle - as shown by the team hitting the limit on fouls in each half!

What was missing was in attack - the ball didn't make that vital transition up the court quickly enough, giving TVA time to regroup. Too often the whole team was bogged down on one side of the court with no-one on the other side to take a pass.

Nevertheless we held TVA down to well under 50 points, which is a first. I think they looked a bit miffed. Bonus!

CT v Southside Hornets 3/3/12

First half:

Sean, Tom, Josh, Harry, & Matt A were first in for Cheadle.

Hornets pressed hard at the beginning, but Cheadle scored first at 3 minutes - Sean making a longish shot from a fast cross-court pass by Tom. Then a good pass from Matt A 30 seconds later gave Josh the chance to make it 4:0. Hornets pressed all the harder as a result, and finally, after 5 minutes, they broke through dramatically with 3 baskets made within 60 seconds (#7 and #24).

After a time-out CT couldn't quite get back into the same form they'd started with. Though Josh did score again (great passes here from Matt A and then Harry) Cheadle were on the back foot defensively and were lucky that Hornets' leading players couldn't make the free throws.

With the score at 12 minutes 10:6 Joe, Matt F and Dan came on to join Josh and Harry. The new line-up attacked more, but were unlucky with their shots, Dan, Joe and Harry all had near misses and Josh couldn't quite get his free throws in this week . Matt A, coming back on to replace Matt F (too sick to play) made a final after-time penalty point to finish the half.

Half time score: CT - 7; SH - 16

Second Half:

With Josh and Harry off on a hike (!) and Matt F sitting the rest of the game out, the rest of the match was up to Dan, Joe, Sean, Tom, and Matt A.

SH came on strong at the beginning making 4 baskets (#7 and #10) in the first 5 minutes against poor opposition from CT, who seemed not to have the energy even to run back in defence, let alone launch an attack. But after a time-out the team pulled itself back together and at 8 minutes Sean made a good basket after outpacing the opposition up court, and Tom added a second from his favourite position in low-post.

SH responded with 2 quick baskets but some good defence by CT blunted the sting of the Hornets' attack (ha-ha!), and they often looked confused when CT were attacking - Joe's basket at 10 minutes was made from a throw in by Dan that left the defenders in the wrong half of the court.

In the last 5 minutes of the game there were signs that CT were getting tired, and SH #7 made 3 easy baskets against a relaxed defence - though without Matt A marking him he may well have scored more. But the final 2 minutes were Cheadle's: great basket from Joe, leaving the pack way behind; and Matt A's excellent mobility and persistence in the last few seconds gave him the final 2 points.

Final Score CT - 17; SH - 39

Stats:

CT: Joe, Sean, Josh - 4 each; Matt A - 3; Tom - 2

SH: (very difficult to see the numbers on this team) #7 - 20 or more; #24 - 6+; #10 - 2?

Pros and cons:

Very good start by Cheadle with attacking play that SH couldn't counter. After SH broke through and scored 2 baskets quickly CT seemed to lose their nerve, and hardly contested the 3rd. But the team did pull itself back together fairly quickly. Not such a quick recovery in the second half - it took 5 or 6 minutes and a chat from Andy to get the team up and running again. But after that it was a pretty good fight-back from a line-up who had been on court for most of the game.

There were a lot of good passes in this game, quite often leaving SH out of position and creating opportunities for CT.

When we played Hornets in November last year the score was 38:12, so a slight improvement on first sight. But CT had 2 players absent, 2 leaving at half-time, and another too sick to play more than a few minutes, so we upgrade the improvement from “slight” to “definite”

The reduced squad did lead to players getting out of their comfort zones - Dan in attack and Tom driving into the key, Sean and Joe both getting into Matt A's territory and picking up some good rebounds.

And on that subject, best moment of the match for me was Boomerang claiming a rebound from a scrum of four SH players all fighting and jumping for the same ball. And looking cool with it. Well, if f you've got it, flaunt it, I suppose.

CT v Southside Flyers 25/02/12

First half:

Cheadle looked out of the game for the first 10 minutes, weak in defence and unable to attack effectively against Southside's relentless full court press.

After the exchange, and with SF 14:0 ahead, Cheadle started to play a little, Matt A collecting a few rebounds and Matt F doing some strong man-marking to cut the SF score rate.

With 3 minutes to go, and 20 points down, CT briefly went on the attack, getting the ball up-court with some good fast passes that left Southside out of position. Josh and Matt A both made 2 baskets each but Cheadle relaxed in defence again, and the Flyers matched them point for point before the whistle

Half time score 8:28

Second half

Cheadle started well with quick baskets from Joe and Matt F, but they were too slow to respond when SF turned on the heat and were soon on the back foot again. They could keep the opposition off the paint, but their unwillingness to mark close-up and tackle let Southside show their considerable skills at the long-shots.

In the last 10 minutes of the match Cheadle seemed almost to have given up hope of attacking against SF's high pressure tactics. There were a couple of good plays from Cheadle at the end of the match - but Southside, after playing full court for 40 minutes could afford to relax and celebrate.

Final Score: 20:55

Stats:

CT: Matt A - 6; Josh, Joe - 4 each; Matt F, Sol - 2 each. (I'm missing 2 pts here: anyone care to claim them?)

SF: #5 - 14; #8 - 13; #12 - 6; #4, #20 - 5 each ; #7, #16 - 2 each

Bob's View:

Cheadle lost 19:55 against this team last time, so this wasn't a great result. There were some good moments for CT, but they were moments and they were few and far between.

In defence, Cheadle didn't counter SF's long-shots - the Flyers made 4 three-point goals in this match, and often scored from just inside the three point line. Though it might not work against teams who specialise in set-ups, against this team if everyone on court had got down to some closer, more active, more physical marking around the key we could have seriously cut their score-rate. Yes, I did say everyone.

In attack, SF's tireless full-court man-marking broke most Cheadle attacks, even before they reached the halfway line. There were some CT attacks that worked well though, so it's worth asking why.

One of the earliest started from a surprise pass from Dan out of a scrum of SF players - the ball was passed so quickly up the court that SF were left out of position and behind. After almost 10 minutes of lack-lustre play, Cheadle suddenly looked like a team.

Sol was unlucky with that shot, but the play showed up a weakness of the SF game - their excellent marking foiled long drives, but it could leave them out of position against a fast, mobile, passing attack. When Cheadle made that sort of attack, they usually made chances and often scored.

But not often enough. Most often, Cheadle were too laid back, waiting for the ball to come their way. Against strenuous man-marking, attacking players always need to be on the move, making themselves hard to mark, finding themselves a good place to receive a pass.

And I do mean always. And I mean everyone!

Fixtures March 2012

3rd March   9:20 - Southside Hornets
10th March 8:30 - TV Aces
17th March 9:20 - NR Kings

24th March - Play-Offs TBA

CT v NR Dynamos 18/02/2012

First Half:

Cheadle started the game at high pace and caught NR Dynamos napping. An early basket from Tom and a free throw from Josh put CT 3 points ahead after five minutes with NRD still to score. Then the dynamos turned up the aggression with some strong driving from #5, #9 and #13, clocking up the points and forcing fouls. Although Joe, Josh and Sean did some good driving too, the tight NRD defence left very few holes (though Sean did find one of them).

After an exchange with 7 minutes to go the new CT line-up found it just as difficult to defend against NRD's forceful attack, though good positional play from Matt A and pacey baskets from the Super-Collider showed that there were some weaknesses in Dynamo's defence.

Half time score: NRD-21; CT – 9

Second Half:

CT made a poor start to the second half, looking tired in the face of a ferocious NRD attack. The ball rarely left the danger zone for Cheadle. Again, expert driving into the key by #9,#5, and #13 caused the damage, adding 10 points in the first 5 minutes. Then CT got their defensive game into gear and slowed the score rate, though still giving up possession too easily. Joe made some good drives (and 2 points form free throws) but CT still looked unsteady in attack.

8 minutes of loose play at the end boosted the scores for both sides. In the free-for-all CT added 9 points, including a 3 pointer from Josh, and a near 3 pointer from Matt A in the last few seconds. But, with #9 making the most of CT's reluctance to chase him up court, NRD, still at full throttle, added 17.

Final Score: NRD – 52; CT -22

Stats:

CT: Josh – 6; Joe, Sean, Sol – 4 each; Tom, Matt A – 2 each.

NRD: #9 – 26; #5 – 12; #13 – 10; #8 – 4;#14 – 2.

Pros and Cons:

Good start to the match, with a lot of enthusiasm and lively, attacking play, that seemed to catch NRD off-guard; then some determination to carry on attacking when NRD recovered.

The main weakness was not putting that energy and determination into defence too. When NRD attacked forcefully, CT didn't have an answer. #9 was a great shot, but he wouldn't have scored 26 (half the points for his side!) if he had been marked consistently. In attack, with the “usual suspects” as exceptions, CT often looked reluctant to drive.

Nevertheless there was some attractive and exciting play from CT all the way to the end – it kept us entertained. And I'll just mention that when Cheadle played NRD in November last year the score was 77:2!

And Finally:

Many thanks to Barry for standing in as coach this week - not a bad job, or at least none of the lads complained to me. And the "Special Energy Drink" seemed to work pretty well - perhaps we should try "Double- Strength" next time.

Tom's basket (a long shot from near the corner) was first in the match, but he didn't know he'd scored until we were on the way home - he'd collided with a defender when he took the shot and fell flat on his back, so he didn't see it go in. He was scowling when he got up, but he does that whether he scores or not. Presumably this is why Malcolm used to call him “Smiler”.

Dan seems to have made an enemy of ND #9 – at least they seemed to be having a staring competition at one point, or perhaps it was just #9 who was staring, and Dan was ignoring him. Or perhaps Dan was doing some subtle marking – not sure. Whatever you were doing to keep him out of play, Mr Crab, keep up the good work.

CT v. NR Kings

First half:

First few minutes of the match both teams looked sluggish - relaxed for the school hols perhaps? At five minutes Joe was fouled and made a point. At this point NR Kings stopped being relaxed. Their #13 took the lead, driving through an open hole in the Cheadle defence to score easily. Then he tried it again, drew a foul from Tom and scored 2 from the free throws. Then he did the same again, putting NRK ahead 6:1. As the tally of fouls mounted Cheadle started to look jittery in defence, and NRK took advantage, #8 and #10 taking the lead and driving into the key and to the basket almost unopposed. “Killer” Matt F gets an honourable mention for single-minded pursuit and one-on-one defence Too often he was single-handed, with other players just not running or tackling.

Half time score CT 1: NRK 18

Second Half.

CT came out with more aggression, and made a good start, with Sean scoring in the first minute. Aggressive play from Josh forced fouls from the opposition. Cheadle were very much in control, making 5 points in the first 10 minutes while NRK managed only 1. It's fair to point out that NRK had their most dangerous players off court at the beginning and their return made the last 10 minutes much harder for Cheadle, though not quite the whitewash of the first half, with good baskets from Joe and Sol.

Final score CT 10; NRK 30

Stats

CT: Joe, Josh - 3 each; Sean, Sol 2 each.

NRK: #13 - 11; #8 - 7; #9 - 4

Bob's opinion:

The first half was a bit of an embarrassment, with the team looking very lazy. Without Matt F's efforts the score could easily have been 1:30 at half time. Too often, both in attack and defence, the team let a single player take the strain, and were prepared to saunter down the court after him. It wasn't a good look. And the lack of attention to rebounds left the supporters tearing their hair out (Don't worry, Barry, it'll grow back... probably). We were lucky that NRK were bad at it too.

It did take some guts to come back and play better in the second half. The score in the second half was 9:12 to the NRK, so not a bad come-back by Cheadle. Even #13 was kept under control. This is what the team can do, we just need to do it from the start of the match.

And commiserations to Tom, sent off for fouls in the last 5 minutes. Don't be put off. Better to try a tackle and fail than not to try. Practise will get it right.

CT v TV Aces 04/02/12

First Half:

Though #0 (no-kit) made a quick basket for TVA in the first few seconds Cheadle began the match strongly, looking more mobile that their opponents with some good passing and stealing. Joe was working hard, but unlucky not to score. Harry looked aggressive in the key. TVA kept trying to make a fast transition and an easy basket but Cheadle players kept matching them for speed. Not always! #0 and #31 did break through at 5 minutes, but Sean made a quick basket a few seconds later and Cheadle recovered quickly.

At 10 minutes, leading by just 6:2, TVA finally realised that they were not going to have an easy ride. Using the simple tactic of passing the ball to their deadly #0 in high post they started racking up the score. CT defence responded slowly and clumsily. There were a few fouls here by CT, though, mercifully, #0 lacked accuracy at the free shots. After five disastrous minutes, and 20 extra points for the Aces, baskets from Matt A and Joe helped pull Cheadle back together again – only allowing a single penalty point from #0 before the whistle.

Half Time Score: TVA – 27, CT – 6

Second Half:

TVA made a strong start, with their taller players #0 and #31 taking easy shots from high post, and adding 19 points. Cheadle still found it hard to defend against this tactic, though there was some aggressive jostling for position in the key and points from Sean and Matt A.

After time-out at 10 minutes, CT came back to play a smarter defence until the end of the game, cutting down the blistering TVA score rate. Joe, who looked tireless in this match, did some great steals, and Matt A got physical in defence. The teams seemed well matched at this point, with no score from either side for almost 7 minutes. The game loosened up in the last 3 minutes, with scores from Joe (cool free shots!), #0,#31and a final basket from Sean a few seconds before the end.

Final score: TVA – 53, CT – 14

Stats:

CT: Sean – 6; Joe – 4; Matts A&F – 2 each.

TVA: (approx.) #0 – 30+; #31 – 9; #24,35 and 36 also scored

Pros and Cons:

Cheadle were mobile at the start of the game, aggressively intercepting and stealing, and getting at least as much of the ball as their opponents. Faced with this type of play TVA found it hard to organise their game.

When CT let the pace slacken TVA scored again and again, and pretty much by the same method every time. Given his height it was hard to stop #0 scoring when he was right next to the basket with the ball. But aggressive play form CT stopped his team-mates from getting the ball to him. TVA didn't seem to have many other tricks, so if CT had kept up that active aggression throughout the game we'd have seen a very different score. (I do appreciated I was sitting down, lads, and you had to do the running around!) 

But looking back we lost 80:7 to this crew last November so we're heading in the right direction.

Special mentions:

Harry, and Matt F for some speedy pursuits down the court. Sol, we know you're fast too, try not to go through the wall next week, they may ask us to pay for the damage.

Tom, I'm still not sure whether barging smaller players around the key area is a legal move, or whether the officials just didn't notice. If you're sure it's legal why don't you try it on #0 next time.

And hard luck to Matt F that his final shot, flying when the whistle went, didn't quite make it. Try that again when the scores are level.

See you at the weekend.

Bob

Fixtures 11th - 25th February

11th Feb 9:20 Southside Hornets court 1
18th Feb 8:30 NR Dynamos court 1
25th Feb 11:00 Southside Flyers court 2

CT v Team X 31/1/12

 

(Apologies, didn't get the name of this team, I'll correct it anon, Southside Hornets?)

First half :

Matt A, Tom, Sean, Dan and Sol were first out for Cheadle against a depleted Team X of only 4 players. Sol made the first basket for Cheadle after four minutes of slow play, and this seemed to wake up the opposition, who responded with aggressive play and quick baskets from #7 and #31, driving through an out-of-focus defensive line. CT did recover their sense of direction for a while, and went on the attack, but missed a lot of chances, looking nervous in the key and taking too many long shots. Excellent rebound play, interceptions and steals from Team X took advantage of CT's loose play, with only some lightning defensive runs by Sol and Matt A preventing further losses. At the exchange, after a very easy basket from #31, the score stood at 7:2 against Cheadle.

Matt F, Joe, Josh and Harry came on at the 10 minute mark, with Matt A staying on court. The New line up seemed to get more into the game, holding their opponents back, but could not stop #7 driving into the key for a quick 2 points. The game moved up a gear after a basket from Harry in the 14th minute prompted a determined CT attack. Joe was looking smart. A good steal and transition and a spot-on pass set Josh up with the chance to drive in and score. Then he was driving in, forcing a rare foul (unlucky with the free shots ); then he was working some good passes with Matt F to score. Boomerang was, as always, picking up those rebounds, but CT's defensive play was just not active enough - #24 kept on driving to the basket and scoring to the last few seconds

Half time score 15-8 to Team X.

Second Half

Sol, Tom, Dan and Sean came on, and Joe stayed on to join them. Team X looked a tired at the start- and who can blame them! - and couldn't stop Sean making a long transition and quick drive to the basket in the first minute. Joe made a lot of the attacking plays at the start and was unlucky not to score. But with the ball going up and down the court it was Tom who managed (twice)to be in the right place to score. But Team X were still driving aggressively through CT's defence and more than matched Cheadle's score. At exchange the score was 14;25.

Josh came on to make another single-handed long transition right down the side of the court for a quick basket, that Sean followed quickly followed up. #24 drove to the basket and matched both. The game became a bit of a scrap towards the end, with a lot of falls and fouls. For a side that had played the whole match a man short, Team X looked fresher, still running hard to intercept, still driving hard and daring Cheadle to foul them, still scoring. Matt F did some smart steals and did some good driving at the end of the game and rewarded with a basket in the last seconds, but this still left the final score a very disappointing 21:40.

Stats:

Josh - 5; Tom, Sean - 4 each; Joe, Harry, Matts A&F - 2 each.

#24 was clearly the best player for Team X, #7 and #31 were joint second.

A Big Dollop of My Opinions

Yes, some good play was done by all....... BUT

Not enough drive! Against a defence of just 4 men we should have been driving in for the basket and forcing the fouls. This should have been a game where Cheadle went strongly on the offensive. It wasn't. Team X had 4 players, but they were all prepared to drive into the key and dare Cheadle to obstruct their shots. If all 9 players for Cheadle had been as brave it would have been a different result. And lads, it's not as if Andy hasn't made this point before.

And not energetic enough on the defence. It's not enough to take up a good position and get in the way, the point of defence is not just to stop the opponent from scoring, its also to get the ball back! The defence looks static and lazy. This isn't going to work against the teams we're playing now. Getting in the way isn't enough. Rebounds, steals and interceptions won the game for Team X. Yes, that means wearing out your trainers, and doing a lot more work for not much glory. Tough. Everyone needs to do it.

Sorry to rant, but I'm disappointed that CT didn't use this chance. 

Inshallah, I'll see you at weekend.

Bob