BBL All Stars

Surrey Scorchers emerged victorious in a thrilling final to emerge as the BBL All Stars champion at the Copper Box Stadium in London.

The Scorchers defeated last years’ treble winning side Leicester Riders in a close contest which eventually finished 36-33 to claim their first piece of silverware in 10 years.

MVP Jordan Williams was his side’s standout performer, creating the plays which saw Scorchers to group wins over Worcester Wolves and Bristol Flyers after they’d lost their opening fixture 43-30 to Flyers. Having started the tournament with a defeat to Bristol Flyers, Scorchers looked set for a tough afternoon at the Copper Box Arena.

In the semis Scorchers dispatched of Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 34-24 while Riders put out defending champions London Lions 36-26 to set up the final.

Scorchers, won over the crowd and battled it out with Riders for 12 gripping minutes but the two sides couldn’t be separated, needing an overtime period. In the additional 60 seconds it was MVP Williams who made multiple big plays down the stretch as Scorchers took the £25,000 title 36-33.

The British Basketball All-Stars Championship included 12-minute games, a 5-point line and a Golden Buzzer Power Play – where everything for the next 2 minute period is worth double, in an adapted game created by Matchroom with the intention of adding excitement and end to end action, as the top eight BBL teams battled it out for their share of a £100,000 prize fund.

Results:

Double Elimination Stage

Worcester Wolves 6-45 London Lions

Bristol Flyers 43-30 Surrey Scorchers

Glasgow Rocks 40-45 Esh Group Eagles Newcastle

DBL Sharks Sheffield 30-24 Leicester Riders

Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 31-25 DBL SharksLondon Lions 29-21 Bristol Flyers

Sheffield Worcester Wolves 17-49 Surrey Scorchers

Glasgow Rocks 22-37 Leicester Riders

Bristol Flyers 27-36 Surrey Scorchers

DBL Sharks Sheffield 20-31 Leicester Riders

Semi-Finals

Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 24-34 Surrey Scorchers

London Lions 26-36 Leicester Riders

Final

Surrey Scorchers 36-33 Leicester Riders

FAST 5 Netball

On Saturday October 13 the Fast5 All-Stars netball competition heads to the Copper Box Arena to showcase the most exciting tournament in British Netball. 

The teams are now confirmed and will feature defending champions Loughborough Lightning, Surrey Storm, Strathclyde Sirens, Severn Stars, Team Bath, Manchester Thunder, Benecos Mavericks and Wasps Netball.

Some of netball's greatest players have flown in to fill All Star positions and combine with some of the brightest home-grown talent for the 2018 British Fast5 All-Stars Championship. Brand ambassador and newly-appointed director of netball for Surrey Storm, Mikki Austin, will also don the mid-court bib.

The tournament features 12 minute matches, a five-point line for those brave enough to shoot from distance and a Golden Buzzer offering double points during their two-minute Power Play. Unlike traditional netball, teams are made up of five rather than seven players and shooters have the opportunity to net long-bombs from a five or three-point zone, or they can play it safe for one point under the net. All eight teams will play at least two games across five hours as they battle it out and see who will take home the title, the trophy and the £25,000 winner's cheque.

All Stars Basketball

This Sunday sees one of the highlights of the British Basketball League season take place with the All-Stars Championship at the Copper Box Arena, London. Eight of the BBL’s best teams will compete in one of the most exhilarating tournaments in sport.

Each match will last 12-minutes, with features such as an all-star 5-point line and a Golden Buzzer Power Play promising an incredibly action-packed afternoon, showcasing some of the finest basketball talent the UK has to offer.

Defending champions London Lions will be joined by BBL treble winner Leicester Riders, Esh Group Eagles Newcastle, Glasgow Rocks, Surrey Scorchers, Bristol Flyers, Worcester Wolves and DBL Sharks Sheffield.  

The draw for the double elimination stage of the British Basketball All-Stars Championship has been made, with London Lions to open their title defence against Worcester Wolves. The second match of the afternoon will see Bristol Flyers against Surrey Scorchers before Radisson RED Glasgow Rocks take on Esh Group Eagles Newcastle. Finally, the draw pitted Sheffield Sharks against Leicester Riders in match four.

The tournament begins at 1pm on Sunday, October 14th at the Copper Box Arena, London and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Mix throughout. The British Basketball All-Stars Championship starts with a double elimination group stage comprising a total of ten matches. Win your opening match and you’ll face another winner for a place in the semi-finals, while teams who lose their opening matches face off to remain in the competition.

After each side has played two matches, those with one win and one defeat play a third match with the winner advancing to the final four. London Lions won the inaugural British Basketball All-Stars Championship last year, beating Newcastle Eagles 26-25 in an enthralling final. Justin Robinson was MVP on the day and Lions will be hoping he can help fire them to a successful defence this weekend.

This past weekend saw a historic weekend for Great Britain’s Wheelchair Basketball teams with the men emerging victorious against the USA, whilst the women fell just short in the final and the Netherlands in the Wheelchair Basketball World Championship finals in Hamburg.

The GB Men defeated the Rio Paralympic champions for their first global gold medal, claiming a 79-62 win over the USA.  The men had gone down 66-59 to the USA in the pool stages but 17 points apiece for George Bates and Harry Brown saw them avenge that defeat in the showpiece. Sunday’s showdown was the third time the USA and Great Britain battled for the world title. The US came out on top in the previous ones, in 1994 and 2002.

There was never more than a basket or two in it in the opening quarter and in a tough, physical encounter, GB led by eight points in the second quarter - 38-30 - before the USA brought it back to 38-33 at the interval. In the second half, the momentum stuck with Great Britain, and US coach Ron Lykins searched for a rotation to match the British as they extended their lead in the third quarter. But it was to no avail. Five GB players scored double-digit points: team captain Philip Pratt (12 points), Harry Brown (17), Greg Warburton (15), Lee Manning (12) and George Bates (17). Jake Williams (15) led the USA.

The GB women on the other hand struggled to get a foothold in the game and eventually succumbed to a 56-40 defeat to a Dutch side that had already beaten them in the Pool stage of the competition. This match was also a rematch of the Rio 2016 Paralympic bronze medal game and was the first time that either side had made the finals of the World Championships, with the Netherlands’ previous best finish being a bronze in 2014.

They struggled to get their shots away and the Dutch were able to capitalise and go in comfortably ahead at half-time. But GB never gave up and top-scorer Robyn Love's shooting helped close the gap to 34-30 with two and a half minutes to go in the third quarter. That was as close as it got as six fourth-quarter points from Bo Kramer and a big contribution from Mariska Beijer saw them claim victory. Love finished on 12 points with eight apiece from Helen Freeman and Amy Conroy.

Molten are delighted to announce our formal partnership with Totally Netball, the leading Netball organisation in the Midlands who will now be using Molten Netballs across all of their leagues.

Totally Netball is all about giving Netball back to ladies who loved playing when they were younger but allowed life to take over. Having only started in 2017, Totally Netball have gone from strength to strength having already expanded to 10 leagues in 11 locations.

Molten are the proud leaders in the design and manufacture of sports equipment including the acclaimed Molten netball, the official ball of the Fast5 All Stars Netball - the renowned world and British shortened version of the game - of whom Molten are one of the official sponsors. The Molten balls were recently used at their Inter League Tournament, held at the Northampton Girls High School.

Brett Daynes, Director of Totally Netball, said; “I recently met with Gary Cartwright, the National Sales Manager of Unicorn Products Limited and we are both really looking forward to our future relationship. We used some of the Molten balls at our recent tournament and had very positive feedback from the players and umpires.”

Anybody looking to join a Totally Netball team should visit https://www.totallynetball.co.uk/ for more information on how to get involved.

Alternatively head to https://www.playwiththebest.com/netball/netballs.html to see our full range of netballs.

This past weekend saw the fourth instalment of the Hoopsfix All-Star Classic return in style after a year-long hiatus in front of a sell-out crowd at the Brixton Recreation Centre.

Molten supply the ball and have been proud sponsors of the event since its inauguration in 2014 which showcases some of the finest young British basketball players over two matches, called the Underclassmen Game and the Class of 2018 Game.

Several big names of the sport were in attendance in the 700-strong crowd including Great Britain and England seniors, Commonwealth Games silver medalists, GB's performance director, Basketball England’s pathway manager, BBL players and coaches as well as legends of the game in the UK.

The first game of the day saw Team Black run out 85-71 victors over Team White in the first-ever Underclassmen game. Ade Adebayo took MVP honours, helping lead his side to victory with GB junior internationals Mate Okros and Hosana Kitenge also adding 11 points apiece in the win.

Adebayo commented: “It was a great feeling to win MVP after working so hard - it was a humbling moment. I really enjoyed playing and it was such a fun atmosphere, too, which made it amazing."

Meanwhile in the Class of 2018 game, GB Under-18 Brian Amabilino-Perez took MVP honours in the with 20 points - including 11 in the fourth quarter - along with 10 rebounds to lead Team White to a thrilling 85-88 win over Team Black.

Sesan Russell added 19 points in the win for Team White including a pair of clutch free throws down the stretch to leave the opposition needing a three for overtime and Josh Edwards’ effort rimmed out at the buzzer.

The two teams would go into the final quarter level at 62-62 to leave the contest evenly poised with the intensity picking up at both ends. Amabilino-Perez began to make his mark with eight points including a huge throwdown to send the sell-out crowd wild. Micheal Anumba and Edwards, who combined for 39 points, kept their side in contention with the game still tied at 76-76 with 3:46 remaining.

But a dramatic four-point play from Edwards provided a thrilling finish with Team Black down 85-86 with 15.1 seconds left on the clock. Russell held his nerve from the foul line and it would be enough to hold on for the win for Team White.

“I didn’t expect to be MVP, but it was a great feeling,” said Amabilino-Perez – who also featured in the event in 2016. “It was a really great event and it was good to see all of the British basketball talent coming together. “The game was awesome with a really great atmosphere so it was a pleasure to play in.”

Photo Credit: Mansoor Ahmed

Sevenoaks Suns have won back-to-back play-off finals after defeating Leicester Riders 69-44 at the O2 Arena.

The Suns were led by League and Play-Off final MVP Cat Carr who scored 19 points in addition to her 8 assists and 8 rebounds. Carr was helped along the way by Chantelle Pressley adding 12 points and Judit Fritz 10.

Sevenoaks hit the ground running, racing to a 7 point lead at the end of the first quarter before shutting the Riders out to take an 18 point lead into halftime, up 38-20, with Carr scoring 15.

Leicester attempted to mount a comeback in the third quarter, at one point reducing the deficit to 15 points, before the Suns rallied to extend their lead to 20.

Unfortunately, that rather put the nail in the coffin for the Riders and despite a spirited effort in the final quarter, they were unable to match Sevenoaks once again and finished the period trailing by an additional 5 points, meaning the Suns finished the match 25 points ahead.

Holly Winterburn who was the only member of the Riders to make double digits, scoring 12 points, with Sevenoaks’ defence proving too strong, holding Leicester to just 25% shooting from the field and only 16% from three. Leicester’s issues were compounded by the dominating way the Suns out-rebounded them at both ends of the floor.

The Suns collected their fourth title in two years, the club’s consecutive double, having already secured Championship honours at the end of April.

The Leicester Riders secured their third trophy of the season and their second treble in as many years as they defeated London Lions in front of a crowd of over 10,000 people at the O2 on Sunday.

Led by Trayvonn Wright, who was awarded MVP honours, the Riders ran out 81-60 winners over the Lions in the BBL Play-Off Final.

Wright scored 11 points, adding 13 rebounds and 2 blocks to help the Riders produce a dominant display over the crowd-favourites.

The Lions held a slender lead after the first quarter, but were soon after shut out by a terrific defensive display by the Riders, who regained the lead in the second quarter thanks to a 10-2 run, allowing Leicester to go into halftime 39-28 up, scoring almost twice as many points as their opponents in the quarter.

As the Riders began to heat up, the Lions shooting began to freeze over, as they were unable to recapture the lead in the second half.

Leicester edged a scrappy third quarter 19-15, which also saw London’s veteran centre Flo Larkai ejected from the game after a scuffle with Leicester’s Shane Walker, although in truth it had little bearing on the result.

15 points down and just a quarter left in the match proved too much for the Lions to overcome, despite posting their highest points tally in any quarter, as they were once again outscored by the Riders as they cruised to a comfortable victory.

The Riders continued their terrific defensive form throughout the second half, forcing London to shoot just 34% and only 10% from beyond the arc in the match.

Meanwhile, JR Holder (20), Pierre Hampton (19) and Leicester’s retiring captain Tyler Bernardini (17) did the majority of the damage for the Riders, who at one point had a lead of 25 points.

Brandon Peel (22) and GB international Paul Guede (10) were London's main men with Guede's second-quarter threes proved to be the only ones the Lions hit in the entire game.

The result for the Riders meant that they have now won 8 of the last 12 available trophies whereas the Lions have now reached the final twice in 3 years, being defeated both times.

Sevenoaks Suns and Leicester Riders have made the Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL) Play-Off Final after breezing through their respective semi-finals.

The two finalists finished on the same amount of points this year in the WBBL Championship, setting up what should be a thrilling final. The Suns have made the final for the second year in a row, having won the competition 

In the end, Sevenoaks ran out very comfortable winners with the match finishing 73-48, with Captain Catherine Carr picking up 23 points along the way.The Suns were up against the Nottingham Wildcats and the first half was a tight affair, with Nottingham only 1 point behind the Suns at half-time. However, the Suns came out all guns blazing in the third quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 22-5 which essentially cemented their place in the final before the final quarter even began.12 months ago.

The Wildcats can be please with their seasons work, however, having picked up the WBBL Cup earlier in the season.

In the other semi-final, the Leicester Riders defeated Sheffield Hatters to make the final for the first time in their history and will be joining the men in representing the club at the O2, after they too won their semi-final.

The Riders overcame an 8-point deficit from the first quarter to consistently outscore their opponents for the remaining three quarters, eventually running out 71-64 winners.

Holly Winterburn top scored for the riders with 17 points and she was ably supported by her teammates whereas Hatters Forward Gianna Woods did the bulk of the scoring with 21 points, but she didn’t receive the enough support to defeat the Riders.

The final takes place this Sunday, 20 May 2018, at the O2, with the women’s final tipping off before the men’s final.

It was another fantastic round of British Basketball League (BBL) Play-Offs this past weekend, with the London Lions and Leicester Riders emerging victorious in their respective semi-final matches.

The Lions, who finished second in the BBL Championship, were unable to get past Glasgow at home in the first leg as the match, quite incredibly, finished in a 78-78 tie. London’s catch-and-shoot game plan ultimately let them down, attempting 35 3-point shots compared to Glasgow’s 18 attempts. Their poor shooting allowed the Rocks to make a late comeback from which the Lions were unable to surpass.

The Lions made sure to avoid a repeat of the first leg, this time knocking down their shots to beat the Rocks by 14 points in the second leg. London’s recent pedigree in the Championship seemed to pay dividends as the 2015 finalists battled back to brush passed the Rocks team, largely thanks to six players managing double-figure scoring returns, including Jonathon Thompson who made 7 of 9 shots from the field.

Despite boasting a winning record against London in the regular season this year, the Rocks were unable to mount a comeback akin to the first leg, meaning that their wait to reach the Finals will continue, having not been there since 2010.

Joining the Lions will be perennial favourites Leicester Riders who showed their pedigree by sweeping Bristol Flyers to win with an aggregate point’s difference of +23.

The Riders made light work of the Flyers in both legs, showing why they won the BBL Championship so convincingly this year.  The Riders will be hoping to create history by securing the BBL treble in back-to-back seasons, having already won the BBL Championship and BBL Trophy this year.

Despite Bristol’s best ever BBL season, in which they finished in their highest position in the Championship and made the ¼ finals of the BBL Trophy, they were no match for the Riders.

The final between the Leicester Riders and London Lions takes place this Sunday (20 May 2018) at the O2 in London. The Lions will be assured of plenty of local support and will be looking to make up for their last appearance at The 02 three years ago, having lost to Newcastle on that occasion. The Riders, on the other hand, are firm favourites having won 11 trophies in 6 years under Head Coach Rob Paternostro.The Flyers took an early lead in the second leg match, only to stand-by and watch as the Riders reduced and then surpassed the deficit with a 10-0 run early in the game to take a lead that they never let slip. JR Holder impressed for the Riders with an 18-point and 10-rebound double-double.

The Molten Corporation announced the global partnership between Molten Corporation and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) last week.

Molten will supply its Molten BGG7X and BGG6X for the official game ball for all world competitions as well as the zonal qualifying tournaments directly leading up to them. The first time the balls will be used in partnership with the IWBF will be the 2018 World Championships taking place in Hamburg, Germany later this year.

Click here to purchase your very own BGG6X and BGG7X basketballs.

Kiyo Tamiaki, President and CEO of Molten Corporation, said: “It is our great pleasure to execute our partnership with IWBF, allowing Molten basketballs to be used as the official game ball for competitions at the global level. Wheelchair basketball is such an exciting sport both for players and audience. We are honoured to be an IWBF global partner.”

Ulf Mehrens, IWBF President, said: “Over a number of years FIBA have been the provider of our game balls. We are very proud to have signed a new agreement which directly involves Molten and makes them the first global partner of IWBF. In Molten we have found a long-term and traditional partner who will not only ensure we have the best basketballs for our main world competitions and zonal qualification tournaments but will also boost our efforts in increasing the exposure of the sport worldwide. I’d like to thank FIBA for their role in the agreement and their overall support.”

Jo Richards, British Wheelchair Basketball’s Development Director feels that this will be a beneficial partnership for the NGB and its clubs: “Over the Rio cycle, post London 2012, we have strengthened our relationship with Molten and Unicorn Products Ltd. They are strong advocates of wheelchair basketball and the development of the game within the UK.

“Since the London games, Molten has been a critical partner of British Wheelchair Basketball. They have enabled us to support and service the 300% increase in participation. Their continued support of our clubs is representative of their belief and investment in the strength of wheelchair basketball in England and the home countries.”

Alex James, Marketing Manager, Molten UK & Ireland believes in the power of the game in the UK: “We are delighted to announce the continuation of our successful partnersip with British Wheelchair Basketball. “It has been a privilege to be a partner of British Wheelchair Basketball’s over the last five years and witness first-hand the unprecedented increase in popularity of the sport. “Given the success achieved within the sport over the last four years, we are excited to join British Wheelchair Basketball as they begin the journey towards Tokyo and beyond.”