CAUK in Havering

During the school holidays Champions Academy held a 2 day basketball camp at Campion School for children in school years 2-7. Over 50 children attended on each day of the camp, ranging from beginners to ‘Havering Fire’ players who have been attending Champions Academy sessions for over a year.

The camp is part of a new basketball development programme being run by Champions Academy in partnership with the Campion School.

Head Coach James Merchant, who has been working in local primary schools in Havering for over 2 years, said “Campion School have provided us with an exciting opportunity to expand our basketball programme in Havering and get more young people enjoying the sport.”

Weekly training sessions will be taking place at Campion School every Thursday, starting on May 1st, and a monthly school league is also underway as well as another holiday camp planned for May 27th. For further information please contact coach James Merchant on 07900602380.

Crunch Time at CAUK

The half term holidays saw 80 children from local schools participate in the Easter ‘Crunch Time’ basketball sessions.  Champions Academy ran daily sessions for both boys and girls from school year groups 2-7.  The club, based at Shenfield High School, offered five days of quality basketball coaching and competitions for children of all abilities in their newly refurbished facility. 

The camp complimented the weekly training sessions organised by Champions Academy within local primary schools and at the club offering the chance for children of all ages to improve their basketball skills.

The next camp is planned for 28th-30th May.
Anyone interested in playing basketball from complete beginner for fun, or at a more competitive level see www.championsacademy.co.uk.

Brentwood Fire’s Historic Playoff Weekend

For the first time in the club’s 18 year history Brentwood Fire will be represented at the National League Final Four Competition. This past weekend the Fire Under 13 team beat Baddow Eagles in the National Quarter Final and will now join three other clubs from around the country at RAF Cranwell to decide the best Under 13 team in the country.

It was a bumper playoff weekend for the whole club as the Under 18, Under 16, Under 14 and Under 12 squads all played knockout games.

Under 18
Finishing the regular season as CHAMPIONS of the South Conference the U18’s played at home to the Sevenoaks Suns who finished 4th in the South Premier. The game was a roller-coaster affair from start to finish with the FIRE gaining the biggest lead of 9 points during the first half. With two minutes remaining in the game the Suns established a 4 point lead and seemed to have the momentum. As with so many games recently the FIRE U18 just do not surrender and lead by Will Ashby and Ali McCann they clawed back to be 1 point ahead with 3.6 secs remaining. Sevenoaks had the ball to win the game but turned it over to the delight of the home crowd. Final score 70-69.
Next up is a visit to TASIS in the last 16 who breezed past the Torbay Tigers by 106 - 36.

Under 16
Towards the end of their regular season the team lead by Coach Ben Eve put a string of wins together in the South I Conference to finish 2nd and clinch a playoff place. Their reward was an away game against the Spelthorne Atoms who had finished top of the South II Conference. In the 1st quarter FIRE created an ensemble of good scoring opportunities, however the shots were not falling in for them. At the other end of the court the Atoms were able to breakdown the visitor’s defence and establish a commanding lead which was extended into the second quarter. The response from Fire was positive and they fought back to win the 3rd quarter. However the damage had been done and it was to late to rain in a 30 points deficit. The Atoms finished the fourth and final quarter 106 - 64 winners.

Under 14
After a regular season of ups and downs in the South II League, the Under 14 squad travelled west to play the Reading Rockets in their first round playoff. With both teams playing in the playoffs for the first time it was unsurprising that the start of the game was a tense affair. Both teams struggled to convert their scoring attempts as they settled into the game. It was Fire who settled first, putting together a run of baskets to finish the first quarter 8 points up. A healthy exchange of points during the second quarter left the game completely open with Fire just ahead by 2 points. Another even quarter followed the half time break, and it was not until the last 6 minutes of the game that Rockets pushed far ahead. Unable to stop the Rockets fast break, Fire began to struggle to match points for points. Despite valiant efforts from the entire team to snatch back the lead the final score ended 74 - 62 in favour of Rockets.

Under 13
Just like the Under 18’s the Under 13’s finished top of their league, which earned them a favourable draw in the first rounds of the playoff. Before this past weekend they had brushed aside Northants Thunder 127 - 74 in the first round and Reading Rockets 122 - 30  in the second. This set up the quarter final game with local rivals Baddow Eagles.
Both teams were hyped up for the game, but it was Fire who turned the hype into points. They hit 32 points against Baddow in the 1st quarter, 16 of which were scored by Rich Hall. In the second quarter the lead began to slip away as Baddow narrowed the gap to 10 points by half time. As though they were answering Baddow’s come back in the second quarter, Fire went on an 18 - 2 scoring run after the break. From then on the game was plain sailing for Fire who ran out a 78 - 59 victory, Rich Hall finishing with 28 points and Joe Lockwood 26.

The u13 Final Four will be held at RAF Cranwell on the 29th March where Fire will be playing against Ellesmere Port Panthers in the semi-final. The other semi sees the Leeds Tigers take on the Newham All Stars.

Well done to every player who represented Brentwood Fire this weekend.

Champion Conquers Hell

After months of anticipation, training and excitement Hell Run 2007 finally came around to wreck it's unique brand of havoc on the legs of 3 thousand brave/stupid runners.

The bright sunshine of Sunday morning was a blessing to everyone who travelled to the Longmoor Army Training Base in Hampshire. Had it been raining, the prospect of running 10 miles in and over the hills, bogs, sand banks and lakes may have been off putting.

Representing Champions Academy in the trail run was coach Matt Shurlock who was raising funds for the development of Champion's new home at Shenfield.

As the starter gun fired a flurry of fireworks shot through the air which due to the bright sunshine were a little wasted, other than to startle the already confused pair of dogs watching from behind a fence.

The course started out quite gently as the course wound through the forest for the first 3 miles. Calm before the storm.

After this all manner of hill was traversed. Little hillocks complete with grassy tops right through to 30ft boulder incrusted mini-mountains. This selection of barriers lead the runners back round towards the start. However it was far from over. Swerving to the left the course ran straight through the Bog Of Doom. This was a gentle canter through waist deep black sludge which not only sapped all energy from the runners legs but also left all clothing below the chest sodden with dirty smelly water. Nice.

Another 4 miles skipped past over the rough tracks right up to the final challenge, The Hills of Hell, an assault on a 15ft bank composed entirely of sand.
Sodden, tired and sweaty each person had to run up the first slope, trot along the crest and then back down just metres from where they had just ascended. The course designer felt it was appropriate for this to be repeated four times.

And then it was to the final mile. The sense of relief evident on each runner's face as they turned into the final straight turned to a big muddy grin as they crossed the finish line.
Matt managed the course in 1 hour 24 min, which placed him 145th over all.

Already preparing for Hell Run 2008, Matt is searching for volunteers to join him next year, as well as some water proof socks.
Thank you to everyone who donated some sponsor money to the pot. If you would like to add to the kitty please speak to any Champions staff member.

We will post the total raised once it has all been handed in.

Thanks again,
Champions Academy

August 21st, 2007

Open Club Sessions September 2007

Open Club sessions become fully booked very quickly, so we’re giving you this early opportunity to reserve your place for next term. All sessions will be held at Shenfield School Sports Centre, commencing week beginning Monday 3rd September.               Download Booking form

Towers Triumph at U’11 National Tournament

The 4th Annual Champions Academy U’11 National Tournament took place this weekend at St. Martins School in Brentwood. 6 teams competed in the day-long league and playoff competition.
The league ran throughout the day with each team playing each other once.

After the league games had been completed the standings for the playoffs were decided. The fifth place playoff game was competed by Crawley Cagers and Havering Fire, both of who were making their first appearance at the competition, whilst Brentwood Fire had both their U’10 and U’11 Girls team competing in the third place playoff.

The playoff final was contested by Brentwood Fire U’11 Boys and Towers. Towers had beaten Fire earlier in the day on their way to recording a flawless 5 wins from 5 games league result. The game started nervously as both teams made a number of turnovers and missed shots. As they settled into the game some great basketball began to emerge. Towers, using their much superior height, were able to command the boards at both ends and soon turned this possession into points.
Despite the height difference Fire pushed and hustled the game, creating a number of baskets through great team offence, Jacob De’ath notching up a serious number of assists.

Lindon Bobb, probably the most effective player on the court, was able to run the Tower’s offence, either dishing off pin point passes to his team mates or taking the ball to the hoop himself. If there was no option to go to the basket he was more than comfortable shooting from the perimeter.

With 5minutes left on the clock, Fire put on a string of 10 points to claw back the Tower’s lead and briefly go ahead. However the aerial dominance of Towers meant they were able to quickly reclaim the lead and push the game beyond the home team.

At the end it was Towers who took home the trophy they had won two years ago.

This was one of the last major events for Champions Academy at St. Martins before they move to Shenfield School at the start of June. It was a great success and Champions Academy would like to thank the many people who helped make it so.

The Final Playoff Standings were;
1. London Towers
2. Brentwood Fire U’11 Boys
3. Brentwood Fire U’11 Girls
4. Brentwood Fire U’10 Boys
5. Crawley Cagers
6. Havering Fire U’11

Champions Academy 8th Annual Sponsored Shootathon

Monday 21st - Friday 25th May 2007

We will soon be staging our Annual Sponsored Shootathon to see who are the hottest shooters in Champions Academy UK and raise funds for some exciting new plans for the future.
Over the past few years we have been able to purchase items such as electronic score-boards, a sound-system, team kits, baskets for schools and some of the funds have helped train coaches to a higher standard.
As of June 1st 2007 we have the opportunity to refurbish the Shenfield Sports Centre.
You can help us create a fantastic players and parents social area at our new facility.

The shootathon challenge is to score as many as you can from 100 attempts (50 lay-up shots & 50 shots at spots around the basket). Highest scorers in each age group will have the chance to win a FIBA Molten match ball.

This year we have some special prizes for the highest fund-raisers....

Unique CAUK tracksuits
BBL Guildford Heat VIP Tickets
Outback Steakhouse family meal

You can be sponsored per basket or as a total amount no matter how many you score.

All players who improve their score from last year will receive a certificate.

PART TIME CATERING ASSISTANT/S REQUIRED

£4.45 - £6.00 per hour, reviewed after training period
Flexible Hours between 5 – 9pm weekdays (school term)
Jobshare welcome.
Some weekend and holiday work available

Champions Academy UK are moving to Shenfield Sports Centre on the 1st June 2007. With our development plans for the café and social area we are looking for a number of staff to launch this project.

Staff will play a vital role in developing and delivering a fantastic food, beverage and leisure experience for all those who visit Champions Academy. Your readiness to work as part of a team will compliment your ‘hands on’ working style.

Experience in a customer facing role is desirable but we are interested in talking to people who are helpful, show initiative, confident in talking to people and enjoy the buzz of a busy environment. Experience of catering work would be advantageous but not essential, as training will be provided.

Benefits: Flexible working, development opportunities and working with a successful and forward looking organisation.

For further details and a full job description contact Carol Cannon or Alex Potter on 01277 214548.

HELP NEEDED - WORKING PARTY - 1st /2nd JUNE 2007

On the 1st June we move to our new home @ Shenfield Sports Centre. During the 1st/2nd June we will be cleaning and making some basic renovations to the facility. Could you spare an hour or more to help?
Please contact Carol Cannon on 01277 214 548 or carolc@championsacademy.co.uk

SURREY SUCCESS FOR FIRE U14’s

            BRENTWOOD FIRE    47             LANFRANC     45

          (SURREY CENTRAL VENUE LEAGUE U14 FINAL)

After finishing the season unbeaten in the Surrey Central Venue League  and Play-offs Brentwood Fire met Lanfranc in the final.
Both teams suffered from a nervous start with numerous turnovers and only one basket apiece in the first four minutes. Fire also failed to convert three out of four free throws but thanks to six points from Renaud Von-Wielligh  finished the first quarter two points up at 9-7.

Playing Pasarelle rules , Fire’s second five came out blazingat the start of the second quarter , racing to a 19-9 lead due to sensible passing from point guard Lucas Solkhon and six points from Luke matthews. Unfortunately Fire then went off the boil just as quick allowing Lanfranc back into the game. The quarter ending with Fire down by one at 19-20.

The second half started slow with neither side giving any ground and the first four minutes saw baskets being traded and the score level at 25-25. Fire then moved up a gear with point guard and captain Douglas Bennett combining well with guard Paul Jarvis , each player scoring eight points apiece during the next eight minutes putting Fire into a 45-34 lead with six minutes left on the clock.  Lanfranc suddenly woke up and only good defensive play by Fire enabled them to keep their lead at 47-43 with two minutes left. Intelligent running down of the clock by Fire and two missed free throws by Lanfranc saw fire victors at the final whistle 47-45.

Although neither team played to their usual standard it was a thoroughly entertaining final played in good spirit and both teams were heavily applauded during the presentations by a enthusiastic crowd, both for their basketball and their sportsmanship.
All of the Fire team contributed to a winning performance but mention must go to Paul Jarvis and Douglas Bennett for their strong all round performances with Douglas Bennett being named MVP by the match officials.

The Brentwood Fire team on the day was: Paul Jarvis (13 points), Douglas Bennett (11), Renaud Von-Wielligh (9), Luke Matthews (8), Lucas Solkhon (3), Tom Smith (2), James Mason (1), Ian Flemming, Sarah Cozens, Sam Payne and Chris Lloyd.

Champions on FIRE

Brentwood FIRE Under 16’s, part of Champions Academy, secured their place in the National RAF U16 Playoff quarter finals Saturday, after an extremely hard fought match away to Haringey Warriors.  They now travel to Derby to take on the Derby Trailblazers this coming weekend, hoping to book a place in the RAF Final 4 to be played at RAF Cosford on 12th May.

With a lot at stake the game started at a frantic pace, with the Warriors taking an immediate 4 point lead.

It took a little time for FIRE to settle into the action; however they soon imposed themselves on the game and began to build up a healthy lead. The team was aided by over 60 supporters who had travelled over from Brentwood to lend their vocal support throughout the game.

Warriors never looked like conceding the game and continued to chase and harass throughout. Most of FIRE’s points were coming from their powerful post players, James Gaskin (14 points) and George Callender (16 points) who formed an unstoppable force under the hoop throughout the first half. It seemed that every time they received a pass from the on-form guards Sam Horti and Will Ashby they put points on the board.

Going into the fourth quarter FIRE had lost James Gaskin and George Callender who had been so effective in the first half. Gaskin picked up his fifth foul early in the third quarter and had to sit out the remainder of the game having already made a big impact.  Callender was eventually sidelined after a series of knocks and bumps as well as a bad case of cramp.

As the game ran towards the finish FIRE’s discipline and control shone through and Warriors picked up a string of technical fouls.  Captain Ryan Kudyk (14 points) guided FIRE to victory with 10 points scored in the final 2 minutes including 4 points from the free throw line.  Ben Warden top scored with 19 points and Josh Edridge contributed a further 10 points.

Throughout what was a turbulent game, FIRE maintained both focus and discipline which was clearly fed through to them by Head Coach James Potter. As tempers flared towards the end Coach Potter kept his team’s minds on the task in hand and a 10 point win does not describe how hard fought and well won the game was.

The final score ended Warriors 72 - FIRE 82.

A bus will be running to Derby this Sunday 29th and anyone interested in travelling to support the FIRE should contact Champions office on enquiries@championsacademy.co.uk .

Champions would also like to hugely congratulate Coach Matt Shurlock who ran in the London Marathon Sunday and finished in just over three and a half hours running for chosen charity Shelter. Matt would like to thank everyone who sponsored him as well as the people who came up to London to cheer him on in the heat.

Our move to Shenfield Sports Centre

As you may be aware Champions Academy, received the offer to manage Shenfield Sports Centre and after careful consideration we decided to embrace the opportunity.

We have experienced many great years at St. Martin’s School and would like to express our gratitude to all those who have assisted and become involved in our club.

The Sport Centre will not only accommodate our full basketball programme but allow us to further develop. Some of the ways it will benefit members and parents are:

• Attached toilet and changing facilities
• Café and social area for parents and players
• Reception area
• Additional holiday activities
• Additional youth club nights at weekends
• Further adult sessions
• Gym facilities

As you can see it is an exciting move and will benefit us all in various and different ways.

You can download a feedback questionnaire and please do not hesitate to make suggestions and talk to us about any concerns you may have. We would appreciate you returning it as soon as possible to help in our planning.

Yours Sincerely,

Alex Potter

WEB RELEASE No. 1 - Shenfield Sports Centre

Champions Academy UK have recently received the offer to manage Shenfield Sports Centre. After careful consideration we have decided to embrace this opportunity and will move into our new home on 1st June 2007.

The Sport Centre will not only accommodate our full basketball programme but also allow us to further develop our expansion. As members of Champions Academy you can look forward to extended facilities which will include :- connected changing rooms and toilets, social area with cafeteria, fitness room, entrance foyer with welcome/information point

We have experienced many great years at St. Martin's School and would like to express our gratitude to all those who have assisted us and become involved with our club.

U13's
London Towers @ Brentwood Fire

A weekend of two halves for the Under 13 team that provided a win and a loss that put them 5th in the table. On Saturday, London Towers travelled to St. Martins with a 100% start to the season to continue.

Fire started the game just as they had done two weeks ago against East London Royals with strong organised defence that harassed and hassled the opposition. This coupled with bountiful fast breaks meant Fire answered each Towers basket with two points of their own. At the close of the first quarter the Towers were leading 19 – 21.

At the start of the second quarter Fire continued taking their game to Towers and began to edge out a lead. However with 5 minutes until the half time break Towers gave it back and went on a 12 point scoring run with no reply. Whilst still maintaining a good offensive approach nothing was going through the ring for Fire and conceded 28 points, scoring 9.

After a rest in the break Fire re-started as they had begun the game, pressing Towers and hitting them with an aggressive offence. Towers quickly reached team fouls as Chris Chapman and Tom Gibbs continued to drive at the basket. The score in just the 3rd was 15 – 18, but it still left Fire 22 points behind. More baskets followed in the final quarter with Lucas Solkhon reaching 18 points. The final score ended 57 – 88. MVP was awarded to Chris Chapman.

U13's
Brentwood Fire II @ Brentwood Fire

The Sunday fixture was played against the Brentwood Fire Under 12’s. With most of the U’13’s having represented the U’12’s in the same fixture last season the team knew what was expected from this game, but also knew how keen the U’12’s would be to win.
The first points of the game went to the U’12’s with Rich Hall hitting 2 from 2 free throws. The U’13 took their time getting into the game as U’12’s kept up with them throughout the first quarter finishing 12 – 8 behind their elder club mates.

In the second quarter the U’13’s woke up and started to put some serious scoring runs together, Cameron McIntosh and Sarah Cozens finding the net well. After half time Megan Smith kicked of the scoring, finishing a great passing move. Megan continued to make things happen notching up 3 assists and 6 points. Its was all about the number 8’s in this quarter as the U’12’s Fraser Knox helped his team add another 12 points to the score line.

The final quarter of the weekend saw the most points of the game. Lucas Solkhon and Jordan Maze wracked up a grander lead for the U’13’s whilst Henry Austin added to his final points tally of 9. It ended 92 – 38.

The Under 13 MVP was awarded to Lucas Solkhon who sank 30 points.

Brentwood Fire Topple London Towers

U16 Boys Premier South
Brentwood Fire        101-92        London Towers

 Both teams went into this game looking to extend their unbeaten runs so it was set to be a hard fought game. Brentwood declared their intent by going on a 9-0 run and by the end of the quarter they had extended their lead by 13  points. 28-15

The Towers came out for the second quarter with a full court press and caused Fire to turn the ball over several times and within 4 minutes the Towers had pegged the score back to a 1 point game. The Towers couldn’t keep up the intensity though and Will Ashby, George Callender & Ben Warden clocked up 23 points between them to extend the lead to 6 points. 55-49

The third quarter saw Fire open their lead up to 15 points after 6 minutes with Ryan Kudyk adding 6 points to the kitty. But the Towers weren’t going to give up without a fight and once again they reduced Fires lead back to 7 points by the end of the quarter.  75-68

Fire held their nerve well in the last quarter and Josh Edridge joined the party by clocking up 8 points in the last 5 minutes. The Towers never got within 8 points of Fire and the game was won more comfortably than the score probably suggests. 101-92

Will Ashby 25;   George Callender 24;   Ben Warden 19;   Ryan Kudyk 12;   Josh Edridge 11;   Sam Horti 4;   James Gaskin 3;   Dave Bolton 2;   Jordan Berry 1.

Five Boys make East England squad Update.

The boys travelled to Lilleshall to play in an inter-area tournament last weekend. They finshed 5th overall. All boys that played in the tournament will now train at the APC's where, if picked, they will represent APC South in a Tournament at Walsall where the England selectors will pick the future U16 England squad.

Under 15 Boys South I

           Brentwood Fire             57  -  77             East London Royals

Always one of the toughest fought games of the season, East London journeyed to Brentwood with a score to settle, having recently lost in a close contest against Brentwood's (undefeated) U16 cadets a few weeks before.
 
Brentwood got off to a good start, taking an initial 4 point lead, with a basket from big man Jack Brown and a couple of free-throws from captain Will Ashby. Fire found this lead hard to maintain as East London's size and athleticism seemed to cause them some problems. London went on a 14-0 run before the Fire players were able to answer and they were sixteen ahead at the end of the 1st quarter.
 
Brentwood came out in the second period "guns blazin" helped by some inspired defense from the Fire backcourt. They managed to outscore london 18-15 and began to dominate the game.
 
Fire kept it close in the second half but it seemed that the damage done in the first quarter was too much to recover from. Final score East London 77, Brentwood 57. Brentwood top scorer was Centre Jack Brown (17 points). Also posting good numbers were Captain Will Ashby (15points) and Man of the match Tom Stainer (16 points).
 
Overall performance from Fire showed a lot of promise for this season. I'm sure we'll take them down in the playoffs.

Under 13 Boys South

           East London Royals            71  -  38             Brentwood Fire

Brentwood Fire U’13s kicked off their season with an early morning game at East London Royals this Saturday. Travelling to Whitechapel with a small squad was always going to make this a difficult game. But despite this Fire hit the ground running with an excellent passing game that swept pass the opposition with each of the starting five finding the net with ease. However the pace of the Royals as well as their consistent rebounding quickly took the game back. At the close of the first 10min the score was 22- 16, Tom Smith and Tom Gibbs contributing 5 each to the Fire tally.

The second quarter saw Fire’s small 7 strong squad suffer, as Royals were able to replenish their team with fresh legs. Some good play from Fire was not rewarded as their points to shot ratio started to slip to an uncomfortable size. The team were pleased to welcome Cameron McIntosh who made his debut mid way through the second quarter and along with Jordan Maze started to contest the Royals dominance of the backboards.

As the lead extended Brentwood heads dropped a little and the third quarter carried on in a similar way to the second as Fire failed to convert the chances they created. The last 10min were more similar to the first as Fire ignored the strong points deficit and continued to attack with aggressive drives from Chris Chapman and Sarah Cozens. Royal’s M.Umala,who had to sit out most of the second quarter and all of the third having clocked up 4 fouls in the first 10min, came on again in the fourth, fouled Cozens on her way to the basket and walked straight back to the bench again. Whilst finding the net more often Fire were still leaking points at the other end. It finished Royals 71 – Fire 38.

MVP goes to Tom Smith for his consistent hard work, great ball handling and the team’s highest scorer with 13 points.

U’13s next game takes them to north London to play Haringey Warriors on October 28th.

U16 Boys Premier South
Brentwood Fire        58-52        East London Royals

Both teams went into this game with unbeaten records and both had inflicted heavy defeats on their previous weeks opponents so it was set to be a good contest with Brentwood Fire the slight underdogs.
In the first quarter Fire struggled to come to terms with the height of the Royals players and struggled to pick up anything on the rebound. Brentwood Fires’ Ben Warden picked up 4 points but also found himself on 3 fouls and when they finished the quarter 10 points down at 10-20 you would have been forgiven for thinking that the writing was on the wall for Brentwood Fire.

Whatever coach Potter said after the first quarter certainly seemed to work as Fire came out all guns blazing in the second quarter. Will Ashby buried a 3 pointer, Ryan Kudyk , Josh Edridge & Sam Horti added to the kitty with 15 points between them & at the end of the half, Brentwood Fire had turned a 10 point deficit into a 4 point lead, the score 36-32. East London Royals now knew that this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

At the start of the third quarter it was the turn of East London Royals to turn it on & after 5 minutes the Royals had regained the lead by 4 points and Fires Ben Warden, who had done a great job on the rebounds against players 5-6 inches taller than himself was fouled out. Coach Potter introduced 14 year old, 6’ 4’’ Jack Brown to disrupt the Royals rebounding dominance & Brentwood Fire managed to steady the ship finishing the third quarter 3 points down at 45-48.

The fourth quarter was incredibly tense with East London Royals drawing first blood but then David Bolton found his range sinking a 3 pointer in the fifth minute to pull the scores level. With the crowd now at fever pitch and 90 seconds on the clock Josh Edridge got the steal and drove to the basket to put Brentwood Fire 2 points up. Could they hold on now for 45 seconds, yes they could, East London Royals failed to convert their chance and David Bolton fired his second 3 pointer of the quarter home and closed out the game.

Brentwood Fire have a 2 week break now and will face London Towers on 4th November 2006.

Five Boys make East England squad
Five of the ten players selected to represent the East of England 1993 squad are from Brentwood Fire Academy. Well done to Dougie Bennett, Chris Lloyd, Luke Matthews, Sam Payne and Lucas Soulkon. These players will go to an inter-area tournament in the last week of October at Lilleshall. We will let you know how they get on…

RAF give us their support
The RAF have given the club a substantial cash grant and will also supply some team kits for the coming season.
The RAF had applications from 72 clubs totaling £130,000. The amount that was actually available was £40,000 so not all applicants were successful but thankfully the RAF decided that LIV Brentwood Fire was a worthy cause and gave the club a substantial grant plus RAF kit which will be available later on in the season.
If anyone is interested in finding out more about over 70 different available careers with the Royal Air Force they can visit the RAF website by clicking on the RAF logo.