The Flames lost their home match against the University of Chichester (Monday night). The match was rather physical with Chichester proving to be a tough opponent right from the tip-off. Proof of the physicality of the game are the various newly acquired bruises on the Flames bodies! The final score was 46 - 68 to Chichester.

The Flames seemed a little taken aback by the amount of contact and the harshness of our opponent during the first quarter, when Chichester managed to get ahead by 18 points – a blow we did not manage to recover from, as Chichester ended up winning by 22 points. That being said, after we came to terms with our opponent’s rough game, we stepped up ours and played well the remaining 3 quarters with the Flames losing the second quarter by 4 points (16 - 20), wining the third quarter by one point (10 - 9), and losing the last quarter by only one point (13 - 14). Pity the first quarter had to count! It could have been a different story had it not been by the shock of the initial quarter.

All things consider, the Flames performed respectably, pulled together as a team instead of getting demoralised after the first quarter, worked hard on defence, and created a lot of opportunities. Highlights of the Flame’s performance were how the team got together to work on not allowing Chichester to increase the gap on the scoreboard and how, faced with a very physical game, the Flames did not match our opponent’s challenges and did not end on team fouls. We maintained a cool head and tried to do a good job on court. We could have done better offensively, as we incurred several unforced errors, granting our opponent easy turnovers. Also, we had many scoring opportunities but the ball just was not "cooperating" and we did not manage to materialise all the chances we had right under the basket! Still, to finish the blog entry on a positive note, we should be very proud of our team ethos and hard work. Now that we have our wonderful coach Anne working with us and a large number of very committed players, we will continue to improve and hopefully win some more games this season. 

As you guys know, we are bringing back The Flames Xmas Raffle this year. We are now selling raffle tickets for only £1 and we have some awesome prizes already confirmed. We will continue to collect prizes until Christmas so you will have loads of chances to win stuff! The draw will take place early January 2013. We are sure these prizes will definitely help the lucky winners beat the January blues!

As part of a community basketball club we rely entirely on our members’ efforts at fundraising to keep the team alive. We all pay a membership fee to join the league and a monthly fee to cover the cost of our court and referees, table officials, etc. With the money raised we hope to finish paying our kit, buy some more equipment (i.e. new balls, bibs, warm up t-shirts, etc.), and continue growing as a team. The Brighton Phoenix Basketball Club was established in 2011 and this is the Brighton Phoenix Flames second season. We have a core of committed and very enthusiastic players, but running a team is a constant struggle in many levels. Being the new kids on the block means we cannot become complacent and therefore, we work hard at continuing to grow by reaching more people and fostering the spirit of community though sport.    

Now, enough of the waffle, and let us get down to the list of prizes confirmed so far:

1. A £30 voucher for the Chilli Pickle.
2. A canvas print from PEP the Printers.
3. A two-course meal for two at the The Five Bells Inn.
4. A chocolate panettone from Carluccio's.
5. A hamper box from Bill's.
6. A hamper box from Recipease.
7. A bottle of mulled wine.
8. A £20 voucher for Nick Rivett Sport.
9. Adult tickets (x2) to the Worthing Thunder.
10. A £30 voucher for Merkaba Cocktail Bar.

Thank you to the companies listed above for supporting sport initiatives in Brighton & Hove with their generous donations. [For more information on these companies click on their name, it will take you to their website]

To purchase tickets or to donate prizes for The Flames Xmas Raffle 2012, please contact us:

[e] brightonphoenixflames@live.co.uk

[m] 07951 845 076

The Flames lost their second away game of the 2012-2013 Season on Monday night against Holbrook Allstars in Horsham. We got off to a good start and managed to get ahead in the game during the first quarter. However, the Allstars solidified their defence and executed well-drilled offensive plays thereafter, which left us trailing behind the subsequent 3 quarters.  It was a rather low-scoring and tough match, with both teams appearing cautious in attack and very intent on playing hard defense . The Allstars seemed very confident as the hosting team and the Flames, despite our solid defence and determination, could not consistently convert the few Allstars’ turnovers. There were also too many unforced errors on the Flames’ side which we know we can improve on.

Notable scoring contributions on the Flames’ side: Kara – with her post moves and long-distance shots! Whop, whop!

In spite of the Flames good performance, the Allstars were the worthy winners of the match.

We will continue to work on our defensive intensity, offensive accuracy, and general fitness. Wait for the rematch!