November 2024 will hopefully be remembered in Donegal as the point in time where the local masters game started to take hold.
Letterkenny Blaze Mens’ over 40’s have been in operation for over 25 years, training and playing regularly amongst each other with the occasional competitive game thrown in.
Buncrana Buzzards, established in 2019 and playing out of the Youth & Community Development Club on Castle Avenue, are hoping to follow suit and grow the game in the Inishowen area. They currently have an over 40s team with numbers on the rise week on week. The hope is for this team to compete in International masters’ events in locations such as Galway, Dublin, Cardiff and Milan.
To aid the men’s over 40s teams, both of these clubs recently set up a series of fixtures, home and away, to gauge where they currently are in terms of competitiveness.
Letterkenny Blaze
Tuesday the 5th November witnessed Game 1 for Pádraig Barrett and The Blaze at their home court in Loreto Convent, Letterkenny.
An edgy and somewhat calm start to the game, where both sets of players took time to settle and get a feel for their opposition, was replaced from the second quarter onwards with a fast-paced and sometimes frantic game roaring up and down the court. The Blaze were in front for most of the first half, with The Buzzards clawing back to level the scores midway through the second quarter, only for the home side to pull away again and open up a healthy 7 point lead at the halfway mark.
More of the same ensued in the second half as both sides improved upon their first half showing and began to play with a bit more freedom and expression. It was during these final two quarters that the game was at its closest, with the Buzzards drawing to within 3 of their opponents deep into the third. As the game reached its final minutes, The Blaze’s experience of competitive basketball was combined with some fine individual play to open up a 9 point lead, which they maintained right up to the final buzzer.
Best for the home side were Colm Nibbs; Steve Cannon, Conor Boyla & Serhii Melnikov.
Keeping the side going for the visitors were Tom Sliageris, JP McGonigle, Nerius Narmontas, Mickey Healy & Matthew Arthur.
On Monday 18th November Game 2 took place in the Buncrana Youth & Community Development Club.
A different game by all accounts, the Blaze marched into an immediate lead of 9 points within the first quarter, a combination of fine shooting from the visitors and sloppy defending from the hosts among the reasons for this. This rich vein of scoring continued for the visitors and they were able to build on their solid lead by adding 2’s and 3’s at will for the duration of the second quarter.
The third and fourth quarters were of a similar theme, although the intensity did increase as the Buzzards fought harder to keep within touching distance of the Blaze. The hosts once again, as in the first fixture, were able to pile on the pressure and the lack of big game experience in the closing plays went against the home team with the Blaze running away with the game on a 45-19 score. Quite the gap in scoring and one that will be looked upon as a marker for future games for the Buzzards.
The Buzzards had notable performers in Marius Narmontas, Viktor Kondratiev, Gavin McConnell, Stephen McGonigle, and Niall McFadden.
Solid outings for The Blaze from Declan Sweeney, Cian Walsh, Steve Cannon, Yevhen Chepel and Adonis Bugui.
The second game was made all the more enjoyable for both sets of players with the inclusion of our official referees – Kieran Temple & Gerald McGahey. Many thanks to those two lads for doing such a brilliant job on the night.
Buncrana Buzzards Team:
Tomas Sliageris; JP McGonigle; Nerius Narmontas; Marius Narmontas; Mickey Healy; Matthew Arthur; Niall McFadden; Gavin McConnell; Viktor Kondratiev; Martin McDermott; Joe Gallanagh, Stephen McGonigle; Stephen O’Sullivan; Brian Murray.
Letterkenny Blaze Team:
Declan Sweeney; Steve Cannon; Conor Boyle; Colm Nibbs; Mario; Ejder Akkoc; Yevhen Chepel; Serhii Melnikov; Stanislau Drabysheuski; Cian Walsh; Adonis Bugui; Pádraig Barrett.