24.03.2010
Injury update
by Owen
Just a few updates on the injury side – Luke Gould took a bad knock to his ankle in last nights game and will require a late fitness test before next weeks game against the sonics. We all hope he is able to play!
Owen Workman took a knock o his knee last night on top of his existing injuries, but hopes to be fit to play next week. A back injury that kept Tim Kenyon sidelined for a couple of weeks seems to be clearing up. Other than that, there are no new injuries as of yet.
23.03.2010
Witney came into this game knowing how tough the Eagles are, after a comfortable win for them last week.
The starting five (Matt Jura, Owen Workman, Luke Gould, Tom Shore, and Tim Kenyon) had a torrid first quarter that finished 7-26. the second wasn’t much better in which the Eagles held Witney to just 3 points. At the end of the half it was 10-51.
A few positives to take from the game are that Witney countered the trap that the Eagles slaughtered them on last week, but then panicked once in the Eagles half.
The game finished 26-107 in favour of the Eagles.
Other positives were Owen Workman finally hitting top gear, albeit whilst nursing various injuries including groin strain, twisted knee and ankle and a sit of the flu. Owen gets game MVP scoring 11, getting 9 rebounds and a few assists. Honorable mention to Mark Ridgill who performed tirelessy at 4 spot, setting up Matt Jura who unfortunately shot a low percentage tonight.
Witney host the Sonics next Tuesday at Wood Green so make sure you come along and show your support for the last game of the season!
Owen Workman – 11
Gary Sollis – 5
Tom Shore – 4
Matt Jura – 4
Luke Gould – 2
Dave Shrimpton, Mark Ridgill and Tim Kenyon – 0
20.03.2010
Witney host Brookes Eagles
by Owen
Witney will host brookes eagles tuis coming Tuesday 23rd March. Witney played these guys for the first time on the 10th march and got thouroughly beaten. Why not come along and show your support! Court opens at 8pm tip off is at 8:15pm @ wood green school.
11.03.2010
With the season coming to an end this month, Witney are looking ahead to the off season with big plans in mind!
With the potential return of Naeem and Jazz Hussain, and newcomers with great talent, Witney could be looking at a stronger season next year. So we ask all players interested in joining us, to come along to training and try out.
Next home game is on the 23rd against Brookes Eagles with the Sonics visiting the week after.
10.03.2010
Sometimes, it’s a matter of physical ability. No matter how mentally tough you are, or how much experience you have, it’s always gonna be tough to beat a team that’s younger, faster and more talented.
Oxford Brookes Eagles used an up-tempo offence and stifling defence to beat the Houstons 119-55 at Abingdon College. After racing to an early 14-2 lead and withstanding a gritty 2nd quarter comeback by Witney, the Eagles went to their full court press in the fourth to close the game out. “We just couldn’t cope with their speed”, guard Tim Kenyon commented. “The biggest problem was, how do we break their press?” asked forward Owen Workman. “The size of their guards gave us problems in the backcourt, which made it difficult to attack their defence.”
As is their custom, Witney regrouped at the start of the second period and made a strong comeback, cutting an 18-point deficit down to 9. The Eagles were held scoreless for several possessions as the Houstons found their rhythm offensively and forced a number of turnovers on the defensive end. Oxford were forced to look to their starting five to regain momentum, and managed to push the lead back to 19 by the end of the half.
Witney continued to have sporadic success offensively in the third, scoring down low and drawing fouls. Problems resurfaced defensively though, as Oxford used sharp ball movement and broke out for fast breaks to leave the visitors flagging. Midway through the final quarter the Eagles executed their full court press to put Witney away, with guard F Brobby scoring 19 of their last 21 points.
Witney were once again led by forward Matt Jura, who lit up the Eagles big men for 28 points. Backing him up were point guard Gary Sollis with 8 points, including two deep threes, Workman with 6 points and Kenyon with 4. Swingman Luke Gould provided his trademark hustle and continued to fearlessly crash the boards and lead guard Tom Shore anchored the backcourt and did a good job handling the ball. Oxford Brookes were paced by Brobby, who led all scorers with 39 points.
03.03.2010
Witney Fade against Old Rivals
Witney came into tuesday nights home game against Tham knowing that a Win was required to finish above them come the end of the season. Witney’s starting 5 were Matt Jura at Centre, Mark Ridgill and Luke Gould at forward and Gary Sollis and Tim Kenyon at Guard. They started well, and were 1 point up at the end of the 1st. Come half time and Witney were down by 3. This was not the end of the world as Witney were confident they could pull it back, but in the 2nd half and mainly the 4th quarter, Witney didn’t score well and gave away cheap baskets. Onto the positives, Matt Jura kept his MVP form which meant he once again wins Game MVP! Luke Gould came into the starting line up and did not dissapoint, chipping in with an above average points total and 19 Rebounds! Gary Sollis also put in a good performance, hitting a couple of important treys. Tim Kenyon was looking solid once again and chipped in with some valuable points. Another positive was for Owen Workman to get in a few minutes as he is still suffering from a viral infection and managed 5 points and 3 outstanding blocks with about 5 minutes playing time.
Honorable mentions to Dave, Mark and Alan for providing support in the post, and offering Matt Jura plenty of Assists!
Witney travel to Tham tomorrow (Thursday) looking for a Win which could determine who finishes 5th, which looks to be between Witney and Thame at the moment as the blazers and heat have fallen behind by too much and don’t have the necessary experience to finish the season strong.
Matt Jura – 16 points
Luke Gould – 13 points
Gary Sollis – 8 points
Tim Kenyon – 6 points
Owen Workman – 5 points
Tom Shore – 3 points
Dave Shrimpton – 2 points
Alan Davey and Mark Ridgill – 0 points
21.02.2010
Witney played Oxford Stealers, who only brought 6 players for their visit to WGS Arena.
Despite this, Witney got outplayed by the reigning champs, even though Witney continue to perform better against the Stealers than against any other Oxford Team.
After the first quarter, Witney were down by 4 which was unfair due to how hard Witney were running the Stealers. Witney’s only downfall was their accuracy. They were taking the right shots, but no-one seemed to be able to make a basket! The 2nd quarter, Witney were outscored 16 – 8 which was Witney’s worst quarter offensively. It finished 72-51 to Oxford Stealers after a run out in the 4th where Stealers out scored Witney 23-16. Witney will take positives but are still fielding injured players. Matt Jura with a dislocated finger, Owen Workman with Shin, ankle and wrist injuries and with the flu, and Dave Shrimpton with the flu.
Despite this, Witney put in a proud performance with most assists coming from Owen and Dave in order for Matt to Top Score again.
Matt Jura – 12
Owen Workman – 9
Gary Sollis – 9
Luke Gould – 6
Tim Kenyon – 6
Tom Shore – 5
Dave Shrimpton – 4
07.02.2010
Witney travelled to Aylesbury for the second time this season with effectively half a squad. 3 Members were ill, one was injured, and there were only 6 members who travelled.
Witney started with Dave and Matt in the post, Owen at Small Forward and Tim and Luke at guard, with Shorty on the bench. Witney started hard and led the Heat by 10+ in the first quarter. By half time the Heat had got themselves back into it, their points coming mainly from fast breaks. But in the end, Witney held out to a comprehensive victory, taking them to 5th in the table with 2 games in hand against the next 2 teams, Aylesbury and the Blazers.
Matt Jura – 25 points
Luke Gould – 12 points
Owen Workman – 12 points
Tim Kenyon – 9 points
Dave Shrimpton – 4 points
Tom Shore – 2 points.
01.02.2010
Images from previous season
by Matt
Hi Guys
I have found more images from the Witney Houstons past – see the gallery 2008 -2009
31.01.2010
Below are the new fixtures for the games that were postponed :
Tuesday 09/02/2010 Witney Houstons vs Oxford Stealers Tuesday 8.15pm Originally Postponed Due To Snow
Thursday 04/03/2010 Thame Tigers vs Witney Houstons Thursday 7.15pm Game originally postponed due to no officials available.
Tuesday 23/03/2010 Witney Houstons vs Brookes Eagles Tuesday 8.15pm Game originally postponed due to Snow
