Bedford Bulls One Fixtures

Peterborough Premier Division and Founders Cup Fixtures 2008/9
Sat 11 Oct	KL Iron Wolf	90-55	Bedford Bulls	7.15pm	PP
Sun 26 Oct	Wellingborough Phoenix	67-55	Bedford Bulls	3.15pm	PP
Thu 30 Oct	Bedford Bulls	80-70	Cambridge Cats	7.45pm	NFC
Sun 9 Nov	Bedford Bulls	63-68	Luton Flyers	8.15pm	NFC
Sun 16 Nov	Bedford Bulls	v	Vytis	8.15pm	PP
Sun 23 Nov	Bedford Bulls	v	Luton Flyers	8.15pm	NFC
Sun 30 Nov	Bedford Bulls	v	KL Iron Wolf	8.15pm	PP
Mon 8 Dec	Cambridge Cats	v	Bedford Bulls	TBC	NFC
Fri 12 Dec	Luton Flyers	v	Bedford Bulls	8.15pm	NFC
Sun 14 Dec	Wellingborough Phoenix	v	Bedford Bulls	3.15pm	PP
Sun 25 Jan	Vytis	v	Bedford Bulls	6.15pm	PP
Sat 31 Jan	KL Iron Wolf	v	Bedford Bulls	7.15pm	PP
Sun 1 Feb	Cambridge Cats	v	Bedford Bulls	TBC	NFC
Sun 15 Feb	Bedford Bulls	v	Vytis	8.15pm	PP
Sun 1 Mar	Bedford Bulls	v	Wellingborough Pheonix	8.15pm	PP
Sun 15 Mar	Bedford Bulls	v	KL Iron Wolf	8.15pm	PP
Sun 29 Mar	Vytis	v	Bedford Bulls	6.15pm	PP
Sun 5 Apr	Bedford Bulls	v	Wellingborough Pheonix	8.15pm	PP
18-19 Apr	Play-off semi-final
26-Apr	Play-off final

Match Reports 

09/11/08 (Founders Cup)

Bedford Bulls One 63 Luton Flyers 68.

Bedford Bulls One let one slip away as they lost there calm at critical times in the game and where plagued by foul trouble thoughout the game. Luton Flyers team was made up of primarily ex national division 2 and 3 players who had just enough experience to close out the game.

During a cagey start neither side could get into there rhythm quickly but Bedford managed to get the scoreboard ticking over with some accurate shooting from there Lithuanian centre Edvinas Slavinskas who finished top scorer in the game with 22 points. Bulls offence started to get going with some purposeful player movement and strong screens being set and a strong man to man defensive effort kept the score close at the end of the first quarter (15-17). Luton kept plugging away at a post game and hit a couple of long range efforts as the exterior defence helped out.

The second quarter saw both benches get used and the game started to develop with both sides working out who the oppositions scorers where tried to make suitable adjustments. Bulls continued to play man to man defence and Flyers mixed it up between man and zone. Both sides started to frustrate each other and scoring opportunities where at a premium, Bulls relied on some individual brilliance from Slavinskas and started to get points production out of Sigitas Bukelis and Lesniak. The half time score was 31-36 in favour of Flyers

The game began to boil in the third quarter with personal fouls mounting up and pateience beggining to waver, the referee's where calling it tight. Two starters Roberts and Slavinskas both had to leave the game at times due to foul trouble. Bulls let there concentration slip and a combination of technical fouls, players leaving the bench and player confrontation led to two technical fouls being called against Bulls and an unsportsman like foul being called against Slavinskas. This compounded a poor quarter for Bulls who had already picked up a technical foul early in the quarter after a referee no call. Behind some smooth ball movement and fastbreak points Flyers had extended there to lead to 47-59.

The final episode in the game saw some sterling defensive work from Bulls forward's epecially Lesniak who recorded two blocks, one spectacularly pinned on the backboard much to the pleasure of the thirty strong crowd. Bulls guard's started to get things going on both ends of the court in particular Bukelis and Silkauskas who scored 9 and 7 respectively in the quarter. Flyers began to wilt under the pressure only scoring 11 points in the quarter but Bull's ran out of time with Slavinskas fouling out late on in the game.

Hopefully a lesson learned by the Bull's who will do more to keep there calm and focus there attention on there defensive intensity rather than the referee.   

30/10/08 (Founders Cup)

Bedford Bulls One 80 Cambridge Cats 70.

Bedford Bulls One got there Founders Cup campaign off to a good start after beating an under strength but spirited Cats side.

Cats started the brighter and raced out to a 17-10 lead behind some excellent shooting from A.Sullivan, however Bulls pegged them back and went in to the break with 23-17 advantage after 10 unanswered points. Edvinas Slavinskas was the main protagonist with 13 first quarter points.

The second quarter was a solid affair with both sides trading baskets especially Peter Charlwood fof the Cats who had three 3s in the period, however Bulls stayed positive and moved the ball against the Cats zone and increased there lead to 10 points at half time. Martin teivans did the damage in that quarter finishing with 10 points.

After the break the teams again traded baskets but the Bulls kept their noses in front and pushed there noses infront by 13 at the change of period with Donatas Silkauskas and Edvinas Slavinskas keeping the score ticking over a DJ O'Neal handing out some excellent assists.

In the final period Bulls pushed the score out to 73-50 at one point but then took there foot of the gas and the final four minutes was an untidy affair with key players on both teams fouling out and Bulls offence stuttering the Cats stepped up there defence and narrowed the score to 8 points but the Bulls held on by hitting a couple from the line and closed out the game by 10 points.

A satisfying performance from Bulls One shows that they have some excellent young players and reliable veterans on the team and are looking to progress in both the Founders Cup and Peterborough Premier League.

Scorers Bulls One: Edvinas Slavinskas 30, Martin Teivans 16, Donatas Silkauskas 13, Allan Morling 8, Mateusz Lesniak 7, Ben Roberts 5 and DJ O'Neal 1.