Going into the summer months not desirable
THE Vistra League show will go on after Guernsey’s return to normality – albeit with a later restart and fewer games than desired.
The Guernsey Basketball Association have culled a full round of games per division in their post-lockdown fixtures sheet.
Now there will be 27 post-lockdown fixtures rather than 95, the GBA’s Pete Beausire confirmed, the intention being to avoid playing into the summer months.
Gone, too, is the prospect of restarting on Friday week, with a later restart on 9 April allowing teams to get training in lockdown exit stage three.
‘It was more of a safety element – we thought we would be able to do some sort of training, but we have not been able to,’ Beausire said.
‘What we did not want to do is for people to go straight into games next week without even touching a ball.
‘We’ve basically said, “Right, everyone gets two weeks of training”, which has pushed everyone.’
This condensing of the season should allow players to complete their season by 17 May.
Ultimately, while summer basketball worked out just fine last season, Beausire does not want to make a regular practice of it.
‘People play summer sports, the weather’s nice, and do we want to be in the gym on a Friday night when we could be down at the beach?’ he added.
‘We have had to take a lot of considerations, and costs, as we are not at Beau Sejour, we are at St Sampson’s school, and playing all our games, that’s a lot of evenings.
‘Hopefully we can look forward to an uninterrupted season next year.’
Division Two had fulfilled exactly one round of a planned two when lockdown arrived, so teams there will settle their fate with a play-off series taking notes from US college basketball.
Elsewhere, including the intriguing three-horse race that is Men’s Division One, the conventional league structure will continue, albeit with fewer games.
Mayside will be the top flight’s busiest team with five matches lined up, starting on opening night against the non-counting Island Select.
Top-level action returns in earnest the following Monday night, 12 April.
Mayside clash with important rivals Le Mont Saint, but not before a Women’s Division double-bill where Praxis Pumas attempt to threaten champions Ravenscroft Ravens and Praxis Development take on the LMS Storm ladies.
