A very strong Sheffield Hatters came to the ABC on Sunday with a view to going through the 2017-18 Northern Conference programme unscathed. Their proud record became ‘scathed’ following a contest which was more thrilling than any Agatha Christie novel and was a wonderful advert for junior girls basketball. Every aspect of the encounter oozed quality. (That includes the after-game refreshments!) The game was played in tremendous spirit by both sides, it was superbly officiated by referees C Hindmarch and K Johnson plus table officials C Andrew and F Vourliotis and the standard of play was of a very high standard for this age group. Even the spectators made a positive contribution. They elevated the occasion with their enthusiastic support and were on the edge of their seats or benches throughout.

Things initially looked as bleak as the beast from the east (which put me in mind of a girl I once meant in Norwich many moons ago!). Sheffield’s starters are bigger and stronger than ours with 3 players who hold their own (in the absence of servants) in the u16 Premier League and they utilised their physical superiority and experience to power into an ominous 3-11 lead 5 minutes in.

I shook things up by way of a couple of changes in personnel and we upped our game significantly enough to win the remaining 5 minutes of the opening stanza 13-10. For a change, I won’t be mentioning any names in this report. There are 2 reasons for this – I don’t wish to single any individual out because  every Mystic deserves equal praise for this heart-warming display and I don’t want to give too much away in case any future opponents are so bored that they read this drivel!

The second quarter began almost as if it was the first quarter. Instead of a 3-11 deficit, it was a 6-11 one which put us on the back foot at 22-32 mid-way through the period. Did our young team have the resolve to dig deep to do what King Canute couldn’t do and turn the tide? Oh yes! They are so adaptable and determined that they did just that. A super-human all-round team effort amazingly restricted Sheffield’s talented sharpshooters to a measly 2 baskets over the next 5 minutes and actually rendered them scoreless for the final 3 minutes of the half. This enabled us to go in at half-time on a high at 34-36.

No prizes for guessing what happened in the first part of the third quarter. Offensively, Sheffield are far from predictable. When you come to grips with one aspect of their mode of attack they switch to another. Effective use of the high post caused us sufficient problems to go 11 points down before we put theory into practice well enough to counter it. We responded yet again with a 9-4 run to give us what Salford General Hospital used to be called. We were still behind, as we had been for the whole contest, at 49-55 but had shown so much mental toughness that even William Hill wouldn’t have accepted any bets on us coming out on top.

I, for one, remained optimistic. The girls had fought so hard to stay in touch and Sheffield had had – is that a stutter? – to battle for supremacy for much of the time that something had to give. I felt that a principle reason for the repeated patterns of the first 3 quarters was down to fatigue. Our opponents had used only 7 of their 12 players; we had used as many as 11. This could well be why they ran out of steam in the latter stages each time. If so, could we make them pay?

We could. We managed to prevent them pulling away during the opening 6 minutes of the fourth quarter but were still 5 down at 57-62 with only 4 minutes to play. What a time to go on an 8-0 run! We took the lead for the very first time in the 39th minute and showed great composure, togetherness and maturity in our end game to hold on to the slender lead we had forged. To limit a team with the offensive power of Sheffield to only 10 points in the final 10 minutes when the outcome is in the balance speaks volumes for Mystics’ never-say-die attitude. This was an outstanding display from our girls of which we should all be very proud.

Many thanks to all who helped in so many ways- again no names as I’d probably miss someone out.

Jim

Manchester Mystics’ Dominique Allen and Rheanne Bailey make the WBBL Stat Stars list for the month of February.

WBBL Stats Stars for February
Mystics’ Dominique Allen (@dom_allen12) has been crashing the glass, grabbing 14 rebounds per game (3rd)https://t.co/JjO13JKY0F pic.twitter.com/av4AwRka5Q — Manchester Mystics (@Mcr_Mystics) March 1, 2018

Allen grabbed an average of 14 rebounds per game (3rd).

WBBL Stats Stars for February
Mystics’ Rheanne Bailey (@rheannebailey) has been picking pockets, averaging 3 steals per game (2nd)https://t.co/JjO13JKY0F pic.twitter.com/qk4YMs2RRA — Manchester Mystics (@Mcr_Mystics) March 1, 2018

Bailey picked an average of 3 pockets (steals) per game (2nd).

8 out of the 10 Mystics on duty for last Sunday’s home game against Tameside Royals Juniors have at least 1 more year at U14 level. However, even they looked positively veteran compared to the aptly named opposition. For once, we actually out-heighted the other team and had a distinct edge in rebound potential. Lily Hayes, Esha Nayar, Eleni Vourliotis and Zara Masadeh-Tate all certainly took full advantage of this without having to stand on any boxes for a change.

In the absence of Charli Wroe, Kizzy Spence and Lily Gilronan, I detailed Daisy Bryan and Nia Molloy to share point guard duties with Lily H and Olivia Forster. Both Lily and Olivia both showed great maturity and a sense of ‘team first’ by willingly taking something of a back seat on this occasion. The composure and level of skill shown by Daisy and Nia, our 2 youngest players, bodes well for next season.

Even though we were facing, or more accurately, looking down at very inexperienced opponents, there were plenty of positives to be drawn from the game. Top of the list is the fact that no less than 6 Mystics scored in double figures with Jo Vourliotis, Esha and Emily Wood leading the way. That said, it was Lia Vourliotis who got us started as she, her younger sister Eleni, cousin Jo (we like to keep it in the family!), Esha and Lily moved the basketball quickly and accurately enough to register a creditable 18 points in the first 5 minutes, conceding 7.

This quintet were then replaced by the 5 bench-warmers- Daisy, Nia, Olivia, Emily and Zara. Their tally was marginally less at 16 but they did restrict Tameside to just 1 point. The second quarter followed on like most books written by Barbara Cartland- it was a similar story. The younger Tameside players had been unable to match up physically or skill-wise but, unlike for Ann Boleyn, no heads dropped and they never stopped hustling.

Nothing was to be gained by seeking to double our score after the break. Restrictions were laid own. Lily, Olivia and Emily made sure they were implemented throughout the remaining 20 minutes. Tameside deserve praise for their spirited display in the fourth period and can look forward to a far more successful campaign next time round.

Mystics now go from the equivalent of being faced with a very mild Thai Red curry to having to cope with a very fierce Vindaloo in the form of the undefeated Sheffield Hatters. Mad or not, if we can overcome them by 9, we will be seeded 2 for the play-offs. if not, it will probably be number 7 seed for us which is obviously less favorable but is by no means what Christopher Columbus thought America was – the end of the world.

As usual, thanks to all helpers and supporters. Hopefully, you will all be in good voice next Sunday at 12.30pm.

Jim

Many a true Lancastrian would rather be stricken with a bout of influenza than be required to cross the border into the land of the Yorkies. Poor Charli Wroe and Lia Vourliotis had to endure both last Sunday. Lia was nearly better, Charli wasn’t when we invaded Thrybergh to face a talented Hatfield side who, like Mystics U14s had already qualified for the last 16 round of the play-offs.

Charli’s pre-match coughing fit and the fact that I’ve seen more colour in a pint of milk, persuaded me not to start with her and to use her as one takes nasty medicine- in small doses. Nia Molloy was, therefore, given the unenviable task of marking the opposition’s excellent play-maker, A Racjan and what an outstanding job the ever-improving Nia made of it.

Against significantly taller opponents, Lily Hayes, Kizzy Spence and Emily Wood were initially detailed to compete on the boards. (Back not bill.) All 3 did remarkably well and gave up no second chance points. Due to her defensive expertise and ability to read the game, I asked Olivia Forster to do her best to subdue the player who top-scored for Hatfield when we played them earlier in the season. Olivia’s best turned out to be more than good enough.

I’m not a worrier but I was worried (= contradiction!) that the combination of being without a far from fully fit Charli, of having had no game last week and just one game in three weeks would have an initial impact upon our performance in an away fixture against a strong top 4 side. I was even more worried 10 minutes into the contest! Defensively, we were sound as a pound. Offensively, we were only worth a few pence. Our finishing throughout the first quarter was as efficient as a solar torch.

6-14 down and looking as out of sorts as an asthmatic without an inhaler, I toyed with the idea of singing the Billy Ocean classic, ‘When the going gets tough,’ to the girls. I decided not to for two reasons – I don’t know the words and my voice makes a similar noise to that of someone’s nails scraping across a blackboard. Instead, I re-assured them that Hatfield were playing as well as they good while we had yet to settle but we were still in the game. If we upped our defensive intensity a notch and did the simple things better on offense, we would be fine. We did both.

Each of the 8 Mystics who saw court time in the second quarter- the 5 starters plus Charli, Daisy Bryan, who, despite being 2 years young at this age-group, provided the stability and calmness we needed and Lily Gilronan who excelled in a most impressive debut – deserve enormous credit for steadying the ship and sending us on a scintillating 13-0 run during which Olivia and Emily hit top gear offensively. Everyone was now fully clued in to Hatfield’s preferred method of attack and how to counter it. This resulted in numerous 24 second calls from the 2 impressive referees and meant that we were good enough to transform an 8 point deficit into a 6 point lead at 25-19 by half-time.

As one can glean from how things had gone up to now, this was never going to be a game which saw a merry-go-round of substitutions – Hatfield employed just 6 players until the very last minute – but after the break, I did manage to use the 4 Mystics who had yet to appear and all 4 did well for us. 3 of the 4 – Esha Nayar, Eleni Vourliotis and Jo Vourliotis  are young enough to play at u14 level next season. All 3 have shown that once they have served their apprenticeship, as most first year National League players do, they have the potential to make major contributions next season. On this occasion, Esha and Eleni showed just how much their individual and team defence has improved recently with faultless displays in this discipline. Jo is more inclined to catch the eye on offense and she showed some nice touches once again. The other member of the quartet, Lia Vourliotis was as diligent as ever and fitted in competently in the latter stages to help seal a deserved victory. The selfless attitude of these 4 committed players will be duly rewarded in games to come.

To restrict a team with the scoring potential of Hatfield to less than 40 is no mean achievement. To do so using all 12 available Mystics is even more impressive. Well played everyone. Many thanks to my assistant James and our brilliant team managers, Sam and Carys for all their assistance and to all parents/supporters/taxi drivers for all you do for our team.

Jim

The Manchester Mystics U12s held a four team tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Amaechi Basketball Centre. There were two Mystics teams and a team from Sheffield and a team from Northants taking part.

Due to a visiting team pulling out of the tournament, the Mystics were split into two equal ability teams of seven players, Manchester Blue (Daisy who missed the first game, Elizandra, Ciara, Maisie, Rae, Ruby, Paige and Ferne) and Manchester Red (Emily, Carina, Izzy, Bella, Maria and Kady).

Despite this the players had some great performances and showed tremendous spirit and their commitment was outstanding.

Teams played four 7 minute quarters, with a five minute half time, with stopping clock and one time out per half per team, otherwise normal basketball rules applied.

Results:

12:30pm

Court 1: Manchester Blue 42-35 Northants

Court 2: Manchester Red 36-21 Sheffield

1:50pm

Court 1: Manchester Blue 41-30 Sheffield

Court 2: Manchester Red 41-27 Northants

3:10pm

Court 1: Manchester Blue 31-30 Manchester Red

Court 2: Sheffield 20-19 Northants

We would like to thank both Sheffield and Northants for participating in the tournament.

Many thanks to all the parents for their support with table duties, preparing food for the visiting teams and taking care of kit.

Lancashire Spinners could be a reasonable name for a NW folk group as well as a thriving basketball club. Thankfully. there was no such music playing last Sunday when we arrived at Elton High School’s pristine new sports hall where it is twice as warm as the old one which doubled as an igloo.

A victory would enhance Mystics U14s prospects of a home tie in the last 16 round of the play-offs in early April. It duly arrived thanks to an excellent first half display, during which Charli Wroe and Olivia Forster were outstanding.

Blessed with a squad of 13 players who all display superb attitudes and commitment, when we are faced with opposition we are expected to beat, I like to offer 1 or 2 places in the first 5 as a reward to those who don’t normally start. Esha Nayar started in the previous game and did well. This time, the honour to accompany Charli, Olivia and Lily Hayes was bestowed upon cousins Eleni Vourliotis and Jo Vourliotis. They did not let themselves, or anyone else, down.

This new combination looked at home (even though we were playing away) defensively but a bit like everyone on a cruise – all at sea – on offense. This was hardly surprising given that we had no game the previous week, this particular 5 had rarely, if ever, played together and 3 of the 5 are a year young. With the score at 4-4, I introduced regular starters Emily Wood and Nia Molloy. We immediately sprung to life like a 5 star mattress with 14 unanswered points in under 5 minutes.

We were equally dominant throughout the whole of the second quarter which meant that the outcome was in little doubt by half time at 43-13 with all 12 Mystics having shown their true worth. (In diamonds, not lire.) This huge lead persuaded me to largely ignore the formidable services of Charli and Olivia for much of the remaining 20 minutes in order to give others the opportunity to do what the sun does. (Shine.)

We didn’t find it as difficult as trying to eat soup with a fork but did find it hard going without them, only winning the third quarter 11-10 and the fourth 16-15. We suffered from a lack of movement and poor finishing on offense while defensively, our relatively small line-up struggled to keep 6ft +++ Rebecca Smith off the offensive boards. She scored 18 of her 22 points in the second half.

That said, there was still plenty to admire from our perspective. Lily and the super-athletic Kizzy Spence stood out for their exceptional defensive rebounding, Eleni, Nia, Esha and Lia Vourliotis showed a pleasing ever-increasing ability to play help defence without fouling unnecessarily while Emily and Zara Masadeh-Tate did most of the scoring. 2 of our youngest players, Jo and Daisy Bryan again held their own at both ends of the court and with 7 players returning to play at this age group next season, the future looks brighter than any citrus fruit.

Unfortunately, we are again without a game next week which is hardly good preparation for the week after that when we travel abroad to South Yorkshire to play fellow play-off contenders, Hatfield.

Jim.

Thanks to James and Sam for their help on the day and to all supporters for getting behind our team.

I’ve gone for a slightly different approach for this week’s report on Mystics U14 at Tameside Royals. Instead of labelling players by name, I’m using letters. This means that instead of doing housework, DIY or gardening, you can spend your valuable leisure time matching the letter to a player. If this goes well, I’ll probably branch out into doing party games!

Several Mystics arrived carrying niggles as well as their bags but such is their commitment that each one was resolved to play their part for their team. Player A is experiencing dental problems but she ignored those to open the scoring and be a part of a near faultless team effort in the first quarter. B is hampered (not the Christmas variety) with more deformed fingers than a crushed box of Cadbury’s biscuits. Even so, she rebounded like a demon at every opportunity. C also turned up with dodgy digits yet played the game of her life in the first half, drawing gasps from the crowd with her athleticism.

D has to monitor herself constantly but once again put this aside to give her all and show what a good passer she is. E has been unwell for longer than I can remember (which could be as little as 5 minutes ago) but you would never know it by watching her play. She made a nuisance of herself- in a good way – at both ends of the court and is almost back to her best. F has a poorly back but did not let that stop her doing all she could to make a positive contribution. Her attitude is exemplary.

G gave us her usual assistance thanks to her thoughtful posting up and ability to go right or left. H again played with a maturity way beyond her years and shot more accurately than Wyatt Earp. I (not me, the letter) had to work hard to counter the aggressive double team thrown at her. Almost inevitably, her undoubted class and ability ensured that she did so to devastating effect.

J has more energy than a pack of Duracell batteries and today she showed her ex-team mates what they are missing with an excellent all-round performance. K once more proved what an intelligent player she is. (That narrows it down!) Her decision making, passing and defensive rebounding were as good as ever. Our team is blessed with more than our fair share of talented individuals who can turn a game on its head. Suffice to say that L did so in this encounter with an incredible display.

So what did all this add up to? Tameside’s best moment in the first quarter came very early when they equalised at 2-2. The next 9 minutes for them was like my house when I took the last apple and orange out with me to come to the game – fruitless! Our team played at a level that bordered on faultless and some of the passing had to be seen to be believed. It resulted in a 23-2 lead after 10 minutes. Our dominance extended into the second quarter so that by half-time we led 49-12.

With 12 Mystics to try to cater for (which sounds like a large dinner party), I used more subs than our enemies did in World War 2 for the rest of the game. Consequently, we understandably lost much of our fluency during the third period and Tameside did well to take advantage, showing commendable resilience to only lose the quarter 16-15. I stayed with my revolving door policy in the fourth. It could have resulted in a repeat of our players not knowing whether they were coming or going but to their credit, our less experienced members equipped themselves admirably to win the final quarter 18-8.

Thanks to James, Sam and Carys for all they do and thanks also to our wonderful band of supporters who are always there for us.

Jim

Sometimes stating the obvious makes the person who stated it easy to ridicule. For example, when a Dutch former manager of Manchester United made the deeply profound comment that whoever scores the most goals wins the game, most people who heard him must have wondered why no one else had ever thought of it. (As well as thinking he was speaking double Dutch!) On other occasions, hopefully, stating the obvious can emphasise a valid point. Here goes. Basketball is a team game. I say this, not to distinguish it from badminton but because the concept of team is a major reason why Mystics U14 I came out on top of the scintillating encounter with a powerful City of Leeds Gold at the tastefully named Carnegie Arena last Saturday.

Leeds have several very skilful individuals, plenty of fleet-footed players and bags of scoring potential. This enabled them to score 62 points against us. Mystics also have several very skilful players but also have mental toughness, a willingness to share the ball and look for the simplest thing to get the job done as well as a commendable team spirit. This enabled us to score 80 points against them. Here endeth the lesson!

There were, of course, highlights – the outstanding defensive contributions of Olivia Forster and Kizzy Spence, the rebounding of Eleni Vourliotis and Esha Nayar, Charli Wroe’s eye-catching, tireless display, Nia Molloy’s shooting, the offensive movement of Emily Wood and the passing of Lily Hayes. That said, this was essentially a victory achieved thanks to positive input from all 11 available team members so well done, also, to Jo Vourliotis, Daisy Bryan and Zara Masadeh-Tate for playing their part in helping us to a thoroughly deserved victory against tough opponents. An honourable mention should also go to our 12th player, Lia Vourliotis who crossed the border into foreign territory (Yorkshire!) despite injury to be part of her team.

Many thanks to my assistant coach James, to team managers, Sam and Carys and to all parents/relatives/fan club members for you terrific support. Tameside Royals next!

Jim