COLLINS Stewart did the double over Le Mont Saint on Saturday’s opening day of the season in Division One of the Yorkshire Guernsey League. In front of more than 100 spectators on the Beau Sejour balcony and in what was billed as the clash between the two title contenders, Collins Stewart Inferno defeated Le Mont Saint Subaru 76-57.
That was before Team Collins Stewart comfortably overcame Subaru’s stable mates Le Mont Saint Fiat 55-44.
‘It was good, we grounded it out,’ said Team Collins Stewart coach Jeff Stuart.
‘It wasn’t the prettiest match to watch I’m sure but it’s good to get a win in the first game. We’re not looking to be the prettiest - we’re just looking to get the job done as a team.
‘I’m very happy with the way that the team worked for each other.’
It was a match in which Collins Stewart quietly went about their job, racking up points among their players, while Fiat were huffing and puffing and were not having as much success as their opponents.
Collins Stewart’s Paul Wilkes is making a real name for himself and must have a good chance of a place in the island team.
The Aussie lawyer was prepared to do the dirty work under the boards but could also pull back to shoot the shots.
He ended up as his team’s top scorer with 10 points along with young Scott Rowe, who came to the match straight after playing in goal for Guernsey in the under-21 Muratti, and Andy Stephens.
Another player who looked good for Collins Stewart was last year’s second division most valuable player Joel de Woolfson.
With his tall, skinny frame, he resembled NBA legend Reggie Miller as he hit the shots and found his teammates with deft passes.
For Le Mont Saint on the other hand, their top scorer was their captain James Tracey.
The New Zealander hit 13 points, with Nick Leale weighing in with 10.
But it was not enough.
‘I’m mostly disappointed that we didn’t perform as a team,’ said Tracey.
‘They played a good intense game and we struggled to find consistency against that intensity.’
For the first three quarters of the earlier match between Le Mont Saint Subaru and Collins Stewart Inferno, it was neck and neck with the score 55-52 to Inferno at the end of the third.
The Adam Farish-coached side then exploded in the final 10 minutes when Subaru’s Rachid Frimat was fouled out, leaving his side with no point guard to run the show.
Inferno hit another 22 points while Subaru could manage only a measly five.
Inferno’s energetic guard Jason Hooper top scored with 24.
‘It was a massive first win for us,’ said a delighted Farish afterwards.
‘To be honest we had a lot of issues before the game with people turning up late and people turning up with the wrong kit, so I kicked off with them and they went out there and took out their aggression in the match. Everyone worked hard for each other.
‘It was a close game and the scoreline doesn’t reflect how close it was. There were a lot of big battles around the court and we won enough of them to win the game.
‘We’re just going to go out and play the way we want to play.’
Article posted on 5th November, 2007 - 12.00am
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