Pirates torn apart by Sharks
By Chris Deacon
Essex Pirates 72 (23, 32, 46)
Sheffield Sharks 99 (30, 47, 77)
UEL scorers: Anderson, 10; Sing, 4; Gachette, 3
Essex Pirates looked sluggish as they fell to defeat against the Sheffield Sharks in a game marred by controversial refereeing decisions.
Essex Pirates Coach Tim Lewis said “The referees really affected the game, we didn’t lose the game because of it but when you’re at this level you can’t have games like that.”
In the final quarter Essex Pirate Jamell Anderson was hit hard by Marcus Stout but the officials kept him in the game. Essex guard Colin Sing was equally frustrated with the referees “They had a really bad game, I mean some of those calls they made weren’t accurate at all.”
Commenting on the three UEL players in the side Lewis said “Jamell had a great game defensively, Colin came through towards the end after playing really well yesterday and Zac looked a little tired and out of sorts today.”
Sheffield nearly ran away with the game in the first quarter as Stout came up with 13 points in ten minutes. However, an 8-0 burst from the Pirates meant they stayed in contention.
The second period started with a swift eleven no reply for the Sharks with Essex really on the back foot. Points from Dan Briglia brought the game under control but the half time score left the Pirates trailing by 15.
Two outstanding threes from Stout opened the third quarter in style as Sheffield stormed ahead. Steve Dagostino continued his blazing form in the league with a tidy seven points before the buzzer. Essex looked to Walid Mumuni to save them some dignity this period as he matched Dagostino’s seven.
Sam Toluwase was the stand alone hero for the Pirates in the fourth quarter as his 12 points, including a 6-2 and 8-3 run, meant the Sharks didn’t have an easy ride to the finish.
MVP was taken by a Shark but classy rebounding performances from UEL boys Colin Sing and Jamell Anderson should be acknowledged tonight.
Essex now have to look for their first win of the season against Cheshire Jets next week to avoid an abysmal winter. Coach Lewis believes they can turn a run of zero in twelve around “They’re on a slippery slope at the moment and struggling a little bit so we have to stick to our game plan, stick to what we set out and could see some points come Christmas.”
Chris Deacon is a Sports Journalism student at the University of East London
Sports Programmes
- BSc Sport and Exercise Science
- BSc Sports Coaching
- BSc Sports Development
- BSc Fitness and Health
- PGCert Sports Rehabilitation
- MSc Exercise Science and Health
- MSc Sports Management
- MA Sports Media
- MSc Sports Media
