FRIDAY’S night Yorkshire Guernsey Division Two knockout match between Manzur and Goldridge Estate Agents had the hallmarks of being an explosive affair. It marked the return to action of Neal Bewey, who had been suspended from the game for nearly a year after he headbutted Chris Lamb during a league match last season.
The incident also saw Manzur’s player-coach Bewey given a one-month prison sentence.
Lamb now plays for Goldridge and the pair had to line up opposite each other in Friday evening’s cup match at Beau Sejour.
Although passionate and hard-fought, there were no problems, much to the credit of everybody involved.
Goldridge won the match 73-44 and Bewey was gracious in defeat afterwards and towards Lamb.
‘It’s all history now - there was no animosity between us,’ said Bewey.
‘They played really well. We were second-best on the night.
‘They deserved to win.’
While the attention might have been on Bewey and Lamb at the start of the match, it was soon shifted onto Goldridge’s Shekouba Sesay.
The 31-year-old, originally from Sierra Leone, arrived in the island at the start of the season having played semi-professionally with former British Basketball League side Worthing Bears.
Athletic, left-handed and tricky, like San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili, he has helped put Goldridge at the top of Division Two.
With his powerful drives to the basket, he ended up as top scorer in the match with Manzur, with 32 points to his name.
‘I’m enjoying it. I didn’t realise there was so much basketball over here,’ he said.
‘That was the most competitive game we’ve had all season. I know I can step up to Division One, but at the moment my loyalties are with Goldridge.
‘We can step up as a team. We’ve got enough quality.’
Thanks to Sesay, Goldridge went into the final quarter 54-40 up.
The last 10 minutes were a tight affair, but Manzur just could not do enough to make up the difference.
‘I’m very pleased it was an excellent performance,’ said Goldridge coach Mark Huntington.
‘It was another excellent performance from Shek. He’s just been amazing all season and hopefully the island selectors won’t ignore him because he’s in the second division.’
Earlier on Friday night in Division Three, Shooting Starz had got the better of Capital PVC and RGF who are mainly made up of Elizabeth College players, racked up their first victory of the season in Division Two as they beat the Island Women 66-62 in a close match.
‘It was good team play. Normally we play as individuals,’ said RGF’s Lawrence West.
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