WILDCATS THROUGH TO SEMI-FINALS

Durham Wildcats maintained their winning start to the season with two victories over the weekend, which not only secured a place in the semi-finals of the Patron’s Cup but also ensured that they will have home advantage in that game.
Team Northumbria   (10, 28, 46) 64             Durham Wildcats       (29, 47, 64) 93
The Wildcats travelled to last season’s finalists Team Northumbria, on Saturday afternoon, and a storming first quarter gave the visitors a nineteen point advantage from which their hosts never fully recovered.
It took just eight seconds for last seasons Division 3 Player of the Year Paul Elderkin to show that he is shaking off the effects of his knee operation. That’s the time it took for him to win the tip for the Wildcats and then position himself for the return pass from which he drained the 3-pointer which gave the team a lead they were never to relinquish.
The home side did make a determined effort to get back on terms in the second half, and nine unanswered points hauled them back to 37-50, but the visitors regained their composure to restore an eighteen point lead at the final break.
Twelve unanswered points by Durham at the start of the final stanza sealed their superiority, and the 29 point victory was no less than they deserved.
Anthony Trigg top scored for the Wildcats, with 22 points, followed by Paul Elderkin, who hit 17 of his 19 in the first half. Every one of the nine players recorded points, with new Greek player Notis Chalkidis making an impression with 10 on his debut.
“The remarkable thing” commented coach Elderkin “is that we’ve still never managed to have a training session with the whole of this squad together!
“The starting five all know the plays that we use, on both offence and defence, and that gave us a blistering start.
“We stuttered a bit when we ran the bench, but there’s a lot more to come from this team when we really play together.”
Durham Wildcats       (23, 41, 63) 83             Mansfield Giants      (16, 35, 50) 63

There was no sign of the previous day’s exertions, on Sunday, as the Wildcats again raced into an early lead, with all five of the starting players contributing points in the 14-4 opening at Spennymoor. Mansfield, though, weathered the early storm, to cut the margin to seven at the first break, and, raising their defensive pressure in the second quarter, they unsettled their hosts and hauled themselves level at 27-all midway through the period. Durham regrouped, to pull ahead again, but by the interval the margin was only six points, leaving both teams optimistic for the second half. The Wildcats gradually edged away in a scrappy third quarter, extending their lead to fifteen, and held on to take a 13 point advantage going into the final stanza.

Still Mansfield would not be shaken off, and they fought back, keeping the game wide open, at 69-61 with four minutes to play.

The Durham players were clearly tired, but Mansfield were also beginning to show the effects of chasing the game for so long, and ten unanswered Wildcats’ points broke the game open. At 79-61 the result was secure, and the final 20-point victory secured the club’s first semi-final appearance in the competition, at the first attempt.
While one of Mansfield and Northumbria (who still have to play each other) could, in theory, still catch them, if Durham were to lose their last game, the Wildcats would still finish top having won the head-to-head. The team will now wait with interest to see who will finish second in the South Pool and thus come to visit on 7th February.
Coach Dave Elderkin was pleased with the weekend’s work. “The passing was crisper today than yesterday” he said, “but we definitely showed signs of tiredness at times.
“It’s really good to clinch qualification so early, and we can now look forward to another double-header next weekend. We should be able to enjoy the final Pool game, at home to Birmingham University, on Saturday, and I’m really excited at the prospect of seeing how we match up against First Division opposition when Leeds Carnegie visit us in the Cup on Sunday.”
Saturday’s game tips off at 7.00pm at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre, and is preceded, at 4.30pm, by the Fourth Division game between Team Durham Wildcats and Hull Wasps.
Sunday’s Cup game is at 3.00pm at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, and the club are looking for good support at both games.
Patron’s Cup, North Pool – current standings: