03.30.2010
SONICS were missing sharp shooter James Edwards, defensive guard David Smith and Mason Poore as well as Power Forward Josh Mortimer. However, SONICS had a strong team with Amir Boucena, Desta Rudder-Smith, Preye Ozeke, Louis Burford and David Emsden starting as well as having a deep bench with Rauni Barros, Patrice Mulowaye, Ayo Toye and Franky Marulanda. WITNEY also had a strong side with Tom Shore, Gould and Ridgill leading the team offensively. Read more
03.23.2010
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
03.20.2010
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.
03.11.2010
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.
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
02.21.2010
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
02.07.2010
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.
12.16.2009
Witney Beat Oxford Blazers 87 – 59
Witney came into this game knowing that a victory was needed after a bad run of results, and after a great effort on Friday Witney got just what they deserved. They started hard, and had their best defensive quarter in the first. The starting 5 were Luke Gould, Tim Kenyon, Matt Jura, Dave Shrimpton and Owen Workman. Witney played to their strengths, which was height and power in the middle, and Matt Jura, Dave Shrimpton, Mark Ridgill and Owen Workman exploited this to great effect. In fact, Owen and Matt scored over half of Witney’s points between them. The Blazers only real threat was #15 M Sofiyani, who kept going through the middle and dropping floaters over the big men. A great all round effort from Witney ensures maximum points, and the least amount of points for the Blazers to climb the table. Witney’s offense improved each quarter, scoring 18 in the first, 22 in the 2nd and 3rd, and 25 in the third. Game MVP goes to Matt Jura once more for an absolutely incredible display in the post, and showing why he has become a regular starter as apposed to a bench player from last season. Read more
10.13.2009
Witney lose to Brize by a large margin after some lack luster defending in the first half.
Despite coming back and equaling the RAF in the second half, it was too late to stake a claim for the win. Top scorer Tom Shore had a great game, and gets Game MVP with 17 points, including 4 3 pointers, 3 of them coming in the first quarter! Other honorable mentions to Mark Ridgill scoring 4 on his debut under difficult circumstances. Last season’s MVP, Owen Workman chipped in with 6, much lower than last seasons avg of 15ppg. Matt Jura played really well with 6 points also, and Barry smith and Gary Sollis had 4 and 3 respectively.
Next game is home to Thame Tigers in the cup, and Witney will expect an answer to such a poor performance. Lets hope they can provide it!
