Tameside Owls 63 - 58 Sheffield Steelers

18^th March 2007

West Hill School, Stalybridge

After the hectic and successful Eurocup qualifying round success in Madrid last week the Owls got back to domestic action in a top of the table clash against their arch rivals over many years, the Steelers. Sheffield had ex-Owl Peter Finbow and Colin Price back from playing in Europe in their ranks.

Following Sheffield's shock defeat against Wolverhampton Rhinos yesterday, Tameside had to win in order to guarantee second spot in the table. Defeat in their last two matches of the season against the Steelers today and in a fortnight's time at home to Wolverhampton could see them slip out of the play-off places.

First Quarter 16-18.

Sheffield desperate to avoid two defeats in a row brought their full contingent of players for this game. They set off in a determined mood full courting the Owls throughout the first half. Tameside to their credit however would not be bullied into submission. In a tight first quarter the teams traded basket for basket. The Owls looked to power forward Munn both on offence and defence as an outlet. Munn didn't disappoint as he proved to be almost unstoppable scoring all but two points of his side's score in this period.. Steelers Colin Price was not far behind as he contributed 12 in the opening quarter.

Second Quarter (18-19) 34-37.

The home side decided to ring the changes and brought on Garry Peel for Richard Pullen at the start of the second period. The game continued however to be tight as the teams kept trading basket for basket through the second quarter. Both Tameside and Sheffield were guilty of poor misses, bad shot selection and three second violations mainly through good pressure defence from both teams. Steelers to the credit managed to shut out Munn for the whole of the quarter. However Munn still was still influential as he provided a number of assists to his team-mates. Captain Johnson came to his team's aid with nine points from outside the key. Towards the end of the quarter with the scores tied at 34-34 Munn queried what he thought was a bad judgment call from referee Gregory which resulted in a technical against him. From the resultant foul and sideline possession Sheffield went into half-time three points to the good.

Third Quarter (19-4) 53-43.

The Owls came out in resolute fashion at the start of the third period. Munn quickly scored from under the basket only for Hayes to reply for the Steelers. Munn fed young McLeish for another 2 points and then Johnson hit one of his customary top of the keyway shots to make it 40-39. The first time Tameside led in the game since the opening four minutes of the match. Crisp play from the Owls saw Munn again fed McLeish who again made no mistake 42-39. Again Hayes replied for the visitors 41-41. The turning point in the quarter and for the rest of the match was when with 6:11 left on the clock, Sheffield's Colin Price picked up his fourth foul for an innocuous challenge on Johnson. Both sides had been on the receiving end of a number of strange decisions from the referees during the match, this one however was beyond belief. Steelers suffered as they had to take Price out of the game. Despite the efforts of Finbow and Hayes, with the departure of Price Tameside quickly established a twelve point advantage 53-41. To stop the rot Sheffield had to gamble and re-introduced Price late into the period.

Fourth Quarter (8-17) 63-58.

Steelers forced their way in the game as they once again pressed the home side all over the court. Some errors, forced and unforced saw two quick turnovers for the visitors who profited with two quick baskets. With 7:01 left on the clock it was still anybody's game, Owls led 55-49. Both sides then traded basket for basket as Tameside weathered Sheffield's late onslaught. What proved to be a tense end to the match saw Steelers run into foul trouble. The Owls kept their nerve to run out five point winners in an exciting and pulsating last five minutes.

Scorers: Munn 24 points, Johnson 13, Peel 12, McLeish 8, Mattison 4 and Pullen 2.

Sheffield's Price top scored in the game with 31 points with Finbow on 11.

Reported by: Zbigniew E Micek               telephone: 0161-624.0554     electronic mail: owls@dsl.pipex.com

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Having experienced disappointment and failing to qualify for the final stages over the last two years, an excellent team performance has seen the Owls qualify for the finals of this year's Champions Cup after dominating Pool C in Madrid this weekend (9th - 11th March 2007).

Oldham faced a tough task as they travelled to Madrid to take on the hosts CD Fundosa Once, Germans RSV Bayreuth (Italians GSD Anmic Sassari withdrawing at the last minute - no reason given), Belgians SV St Jan Brugge and Hyeres from France.

Apart from being run close by hosts CD Fundosa Once, Oldham had little difficulty in brushing aside the other three teams.

As usual the Owls made a slow start to the game but then kicked into overdrive as they contained Hyeres big forwards.

Thorn in past encounters with Oldham Phillipe Baye left the French club close season.

Once the Owls started penetrating with their inside game they began to dominate their opponents. When the inside game wasn't on then Oldham went to young guard Abdi Jama who hit an outstanding 71% of his outside shots.

Scorers: Jama 20 points, Munn 12, Thomas 12, Howley 8, Orogbemi 8, Pullen 6, Johnson 4 and Duarte 3.

This was the big one. If the Owls could overcome their Spanish hosts then they had a great chance of qualifying.

In a cat and mouse game Oldham never lost the lead. Fundosa having seen Jama's performance in the first match pushed him out towards the sideline, this however enabled Munn, Thomas, Pullen and Howley to get inside.

Fundosa's American Turek and local player Javiba were stopped from playing their usual game by some stout and resolute defence from the Owls. Once they nullified this threat Oldham never looked in trouble.

Scorers: Munn 21 points, Orogbemi 11, Thomas 8, Howley 6, Jama 4, Peel 2 and Johnson 2.

In a tight first half the Owls established a 25-21 lead. Excellent defensive teamwork from Oldham managed to shut out the twin threat of the Germans big forwards. Unable to get inside they had to resort to outside shooting.

By the third quarter the Owls had established a 46-29 lead. Oldham cantered home by 20 points.

Scorers: Munn 17 points, Orogbemi 12, Johnson 12, Jama 8, Howley 8, Thomas 2, Pullen 2 & Tarkenter 2.

Suffering from the ecstatic knowledge of having qualified for the finals from the day before, in a typically Sunday 9 o'clock Eurocup game both sides started sluggish. Brugge actually took the lead in the early stages. Once they got into gear in the third quarter Oldham took the game completely away from the Belgian side.

No scorers available.

Vice-Chairman and stalwart player Malcolm Tarkenter said, "What a great weekend it was with all the players contributing to the team success. It was a brilliant all round performance and it was a pleasure to be involved. We are back in the finals where we belong"

The Owls top the group and will be automatically seeded in the finals in Sheffield in early May. They will join host Sheffield Steelers as Great Britain's representatives along with last year's winners Germans RSV Lahn Dill & RSV Rollis Zwickau, CS Meaux from France, Spanish sides CP Mideba & CD Fundosa Grupo with Italians Santa Lucia Sport completing the line up.

Results and final pool C table are listed below:

POOL C - Champions Cup

Reported by: Zbigniew E Micek      Electronic Mail: owls@dsl.pipex.com        Telephone: 0161-624.0554

"Munn"ster returns to boost Owls squad"
 

Simon Munn Great Britain's power forward has returned to the club he left two seasons ago.

Simon departed these shores to play for top Italian side GSD Porto Torres of Sardinia. After a successful season at Porto Torres he transferred to another top Italian side Tabu Cantu who hail from Milan. After finishing top of their qualifying group of in this season's Eurocup, they beat this season's winners RSV Lahn Dill in the group stages of the finals but failed in the semi-final and finished third.

Now, due to a change in Great Britain's policy regarding British players playing abroad Simon has returned to the club where he made his name in late August.

This greatly boosts the Owls team despite ex-Great Britain guard Peter Finbow's departure during the close season. Finbow citing that he felt he needed a new challenge - he joins the Owls greatest rivals Sheffield Steelers.

A number of changes have occurred with regards to the club's background staff. Long time Team Manager Malcolm Jones has departed for a new challenge, taking on the same job at Chester Jets who play in the Second Division North. Emma Foden now takes on the mantle.
 

Mathew Foden the team's assistant coach is allowed to play with the team in the First Division North due to change in the Great Britain rules governing able-bodied players, which allows them to play at the highest level apart from Super League.

The Owls Super League squad will be boosted by the inclusion of Munn, whilst Sinclair Thomas (Wolverhampton Rhinos), Ade Orogbemi & Abdi Jama (Liverpool Greenbank) have re-signed for 2006-07. Fred Howley (Wolverhampton Rhinos) who left these shores to work and live in Thailand 12 months ago has returned to this country and his capture will help the Owls mount a serious challenge in Europe.

Owls kick off their National League season on Sunday, the 10th September with a home game against Liverpool Greenbank.

The Owls have entered a team into the Women's League for the first time in their history. The squad comprises of Alison Andrew (Denton), Jill Fox & Jo Harper (Sheffield Steelers), Nicola Frost (Bolton Bulls), Jadeleigh Marshall (Lancaster Bulldogs) and Sarah Newport (Bury Blue Devils).  A late addition is forward Jessica Pilkington (Sheffield Steelers).

The league will be held over three weekends, 1 in November (Stoke Mandeville), another in February (Belle Vue) and the final one in Stoke Mandeville again.

Great Britain Molten/Sportserve Wheelchair Basketball League - Division One North

TAMESIDE OWLS   70 - 41   LIVERPOOL GREENBANK

 

Sunday saw the start of the new league season with the Owls hosting Liverpool in the opening match.

Both teams showed a number of changes from last season, notably Liverpool losing influence coach and captain Sinclair Thomas who has moved to Wolverhampton Rhinos during the close season.

Tameside were without Great Britain power forward Simon Munn who was unavailbe for this game. Owls guard Peter Finbow had departed during the summer to arch-rivals Sheffield Steelers.

Despite this Tameside brushed aside the visitors with a devastating power display of controlled offensive basketball in the first quarter scoring at will almost settling the game 25-12.

The second period saw a number of changes in the Owls line-up but with the constant prompting of ball handler captain Johnson and aggresive forward play from Pullen & Garry Peel and with the introduction of guard Anthony Peel (who's self-imposed exile after a dispute with the league had come to an end) kept the pressure on the Liverpudlians. 16-6 to Tameside in the quarter, 41-18 was the half time score.

Coach Stainton ran the bench in the third quarter which disrupted the pattern of play but Greenbank could not close the defict despite the workrate and effort from guards Orogbemi and Jama. Tameside won the period 11-10. the score at three quarter time was 52-28.

The fourth quarter saw the introduction and debut of able-bodied Mathew Foden into the fray (the League allowing able-bodied players to play in the highest division for the first time this season), Liverpool's Jama was fouled out late in the match. However the game had been over as a contest long before, the game petered out, the Owls triumphing 70-41.

Scorers: Pullen - 19, Peel g - 11, Johnson - 10, Peel a - 10, Foden - 6, McLeish - 6, Woodward - 2, Duarte - 2, M Tarkenter - 2,  J MAtteson - 2.

reporter - Zbigniew E Micek

Great Britain Molten/Wheelchair Basketball League Division One North - 17th September 2006 : West Hill School, Stalybridge

Tameside Owls  63 - 38   Nottingham Jaguars

Tameside Owls played host to the Nottingham Jaguars in their second game of the 2006/2007 domestic season. The Owls had previously beaten Liverpool Greenbank in the opening fixture of the season by a score line of 70-41 and hopes where high that they could secure a victory against the Jaguars. Coach Stainton opted to start with a lineup consisting of G Peel, M Tarkenter, D Johnson, R Pullen and A Peel and this unit got off to a blistering start and soon found themselves 8-0 up thanks to 4 points from Johnson and 2 apiece from G Peel and Pullen. Nottingham’s Jon Hall opened their scoring account in the 4th minute and this was a signal to the Owls that Hall was ready to make a impact on the Jaguars offence. While Hall started to come alive for the Jaguars hitting three more two point baskets in the quarter, Tameside’s Garry Peel took complete control for the the home side and added another 12 points to the Owls total bringing the 1st quarter to a close .

Score line Owls 20-12 Jaguars

The 2nd quarter arrived and coach Stainton decided to make Sven Goran Eriksson style wholesale changes to the Tameside lineup with 4 substitutions being made from the original starting 5 and this move knocked the Owls out of their tempo. Nottingham tried to take advantage of the Owls dip in form with points from Hall (6) Blanche (4) and Harper (2) but while the Owls spluttered along in this quarter they still managed to bag 12 points themselves courtesy of Munn (6), Johnson (4) and Mcleish (2).

Scoreline at the halfway stage Owls 32-24 Jaguars

The 3rd quarter would prove to be the decisive period in this game and Nottingham knew that they needed a solid 10 minutes to give themselves any chance of narrowing the gap that existed after 2 periods of play. Likewise Tameside had to try and regain the momentum after a poor 2nd quarter to make the game safe.

Ex Great Britain players Dan Johnson and Garry Peel gave coach Stainton what he had demanded in his halftime team talk and within 1 minute the Owls had increased their lead by 4 points.

By the time Hall scored the Jaguars 1st basket in this quarter the Owls had scored 8 points themselves increasing their overall lead to 16 points with 6 minutes still to play in the 3^rd .

In the remaining minutes of the quarter Nottingham could only add 2 more points thanks to able bodied player Fox while Tameside increased the lead by firing another 9 points from A Peel (4), Pullen (2), Munn (2) and Duarte (1).

The score line with 10 minutes to go read Owls 49-28 Jaguars

The fourth quarter was edged by the home team who turned to Simon Munn for their points and he did not disappoint when hitting a quick fire 6 points in the 2nd /3rd minutes of the quarter. The Jaguars kept plugging away and would score 10 more points to give them a final points total of 38.

The final hooter blew with the scoreboard reading Tameside Owls 63-38 Nottingham Jaguars.

Oldham coach John Stainton will have been disappointed with the 2nd quarter phase of the game and other periods where the Owls lost their way but a big positive will be the fact that for the 2nd game running a big percentage of his team have found themselves on the score sheet or they played a big part in the overall outcome of the game. Nottingham will probably look back on the game and will be reasonably satisfied with their own performance especially when you consider they only had 5 players at the game and perhaps could not play a aggressive game.

Owls Scorers - Pullen 6, G Peel 16, Johnson 14, Munn 14, A Peel 6, Pullen 6, Woodward 2, Mattison 2, McLeish 2 and Duarte 1

Jaguars Scorers - Hall 22, Harper 6, Fox 6, Blanche 4

reporter - Anthony Peel
 

Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball League : Sunday 24th September 2006 - Linwood Sports Centre
 

WEST OF SCOTLAND 34 - 93 TAMESIDE OWLS
 

Tameside Owls travelled to Scotland on Sunday to play newly promoted West Of Scotland with a squad of only seven players. Missing from the line up was Great Britain power forward Simon Munn and guard Tony Peel.

Garry Peel and Richard Pullen soon got the scoreboard ticking for the visitors as the totally controlled the game from the start. West of Scotland had no answer to the forward play of the Owls. Such was Tameside's domination that all their squad got on court in the opening ten minutes. First quarter score 20-7 to The Owls.

Despite Tameside having to play both their one point players for the whole of the match they still commanded the court and with the introduction of able-bodied Mathew Foden into the fray in the second period they continued to score at will registering a 37-14 half-time score line.

As a contest the game was over and in the third period the away side continued to pile on the points (29).

The Owls rested both captain Johnson & Peel in the fourth quarter as coach Stainton gave all his squad valuable court time.

Scorers: Peel 22, Pullen 20, Johnson 16, Foden 12, Mattison 10, Duarte 7, Tarkenter 6.

With the final score of 93-34 West of Scotland were no match for Tameside Owls, who have now won all three of their opening matches.

They now have two weeks off and play host to West of Scotland at West Hill School, Stalybridge on 15th October, tip-off 2:00 p.m.

Reporter - Emma Foden

Oldham Owls v Steelers

Tameside Owls v Cougars

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Last modified: March 19, 2007