Report 1/2
Mystics U14 I’s basketball bonanza began, for some, with a non-national league game at Reddish for who ever which meant a number of our number would get number and number as the day progressed due to being part of in 3 games in 6 hours. Fortunately, those involved are as fit as fiddles and came through with flying colours. (To my chagrin, I have used two expressions there which make no sense to me. Is a fiddle any fitter than, say, a trumpet and has anyone ever seen colours fly?)
I digress, as I often do. Back to our first game, versus Lancashire Spinners (who sound far less fierce some than if they were named Lancashire Fast Bowlers. Our starting 5 of Adele, Christiana, Emmanuela, Darcie and Elsa is as well-balanced as an Olympic athlete performing on the beam. If they felt they had something to prove, they proved it in emphatic fashion in the opening 5 minutes. A breath taking burst resulted in an 18-2 lead. Just about everything this talented quintet served up was worth 3 Michelin stars.
The early introduction of Emmy Chichi, Maisie W and Alycia did not hinder the quality of the basketball on show as we dominated the first quarter 24-9. Olivia and Gabby then made cameo appearances early in the second period and both looked as sharp as new pencils. Although Spinners tightened up somewhat on defence and benefitted from being gifted a host of free throws, we pulled away further to go up 42-20 by half-time despite being in foul trouble.
Aside from the major contributions from our more established ‘Magnificent Seven,’ I was most gratified to have confirmed the faith I had in those who came off the end of the bench. The trust I have in their ability is far greater than that I witnessed when I saw a man who was teaching a friend to drive. He was evidently doubtful of the driver’s capabilities because he got into the passenger seat wearing a crash helmet!
Foul trouble did slow us down after the break (which was just as well because some of our fast breaks were in danger of incurring a speeding fine.) As an aside, which I wouldn’t mention if we had lost, a foul count of 21-5 against us, with no fouls at all called on our opponents in the entire second half (which is as likely to happen as me turning water into wine) is bewildering. It baffled me even more than the fact that Belgians have chosen to speak French when they don’t have to, why this country has only one Monopolies Commission or why any sane person supports Spurs!
With a lead as comfortable as a de luxe mattress, the second half was principally about trying to keep our noses in front while giving our less experienced team members a good run. And run well they all did to make this a genuine all-round team display against opposition who performed far better than the did in our pre-season friendlies against them. It was heart warming to discover that no less than 5 Mystics registering double figures. This makes thing far more problematic for opponents than facing a team with just one or two dominant scorers.
Obviously, there is much still to work on, particularly movement off the ball at both ends plus a tendency to over-dribble but early season signs are far more encouraging for us than they are for a local Premier League football outfit while they have Erik ten Excuses in charge!
Report two to follow as soon as I recover from word processers cramp and return home after my flu jab at 12.10.
Report 2/2
With the 12.30 fixture over, I had just enough time to dally with possible indigestion by hurriedly cramming a sandwich and an apple into my chops (not at the same time). The orange would have to wait until later. Up next were Liverpool U16s at 3.00. If I said the U14s were playing up, you would be forgiven for thinking they were being a nuisance. Far from it. James and I (not myself!) consider ourselves fortunate to have inherited such a delightful group of athletes (and parents).
Being faced with players who, in some cases are 3 years older than 6 of our group and 2 years older than our ‘seniors,’ I was anxious that the u16 conference could be too demanding physically. If this encounter (which didn’t turn out to be either close or of the third kind with it being our first u16 fixture) is anything to go by, I should save any anxiety I may have for how difficult it is likely to be for me to cut my own toenails in years to come!
The early skirmishes did give the impression that the contest would be as tight as anyone from Leeds, Bradford, Hull or Halifax etc. (For anyone hailing from Yorkshire, every pound is a prisoner!) Tight that is, until Adele and Christiana found their Midas touch towards the end of the first quarter. With Elsa, Emmy and Darcie looking as impenetrable as Fort Knox on defence, we deservedly established a 21-11 lead.
Chichi (nearly a dance!) then came into her own at both ends of the court in the second period as she and Darcie took over as our main scorers. Special mention now also goes to Aila and Alycia for scrapping as hard as prize fighters on defence to help us go into the break 35-26.
I still didn’t have time to eat my orange but that was a small price to pay for a performance that was as impressive as the Taj Mahal (the palace in India, not the curry house in Rusholme!) On a slight downside, we were once again alleged to have done (by the same referee or by his twin brother?) more fouling than an untrained dog. This was to result in having to do without the highly valuable services of Christiana for a great deal of the second half. It would have been a much bigger deal had not Emmy stepped up so efficiently in the same role. (Position not ham or cheese.)
When a team has a decent lead, being more liberal with substitutions becomes easier. I’m pleased to report that our least experienced players in Morgan, Maisie I, Zoe and Aila all contributed positively in the second half. Maisie gave nothing away on defence. (Maybe she’s from Yorkshire?) Morgan finished proceedings with 2 nicely taken baskets. Zoe fitted in extremely well on offence to provide 3 assists for Chichi and Aila continued to contest every loose ball as if her life depended on it.
It would be remiss of me not to mention what an outstanding job Elsa did to curtail the genuine threat of Liverpool’s dangerous centre M Forsyth. All 11 Mystics who represented our club in this game echoed the achievement of a slightly different 11 in the u14 game in that they all played with skill, intensity and togetherness. The 68-38 victory in the second match was far more deserved than being shoved up into the House of Lords by some of our recent Prime Ministers without merit. Always good to end on a controversial note!
Sincere thanks to Annmarie, Lorna and Mike plus our excellent table officials for all they did for us. Likewise, to our wonderful parents/potential assistant coaches for their magnificent support. Two u16 games next week- Leicester at home on Saturday and Derby away on Sunday. Please let us know of any unavailability as soon as possible.