Kinloss Eagles swoop to clinch Highland League basketball league with Army team star joined by his son in edging out Highland Bears to glory
A father-and-son combination helped a Moray club win the Highland Basketball League in a thrilling finish.
Kinloss Eagles, represented by members of the 39 Engineers regiment from the town’s army base, edged out reigning champions Highland Bears in the final match of the six-team tourney.
Among the victorious squad were soldier Martin Clarke and his 15-year-old son Tyler, who has represented both England and Scotland in youth internationals.
Moray Sports Centre hosted the competition, which was sponsored by North East Financial Planning, a firm whose chartered financial adviser Darren MacDonald played for the host club Moray Mavericks as well as presenting the trophy to the winners.
The Mavericks entered two teams, with their Masters team comprising mainly of players aged 40 and over and a squad of young prospects.
Kinloss and last year’s winners Highland Bears were joined by Caithness Vikings and Inverness Falcons, with every team playing each other over two halves of 12 minutes.
Both Highland and Kinloss remained undefeated in their first four games, setting up a winners-takes-all final match between the teams.
The lead changed hands several times until the very last minutes when some clutch plays by Kinloss led to a three-pointer, then a three-point play after an Eagles player was fouled taking a lay-up to ease the Moray club to victory.
That brought joy for Martin Clarke, who plays basketball for the Army and led Kinloss to victory, accompanied by his son Tyler, a former Inverness Lions and Forres Tigers player who has played in home international competitions for Scotland and England.
He spoke about the event, which has been hosted by Moray Mavericks for the past two years, helping to form a bond between his regiment and the surrounding area.
“It was a great honour, both personally and professionally, to take part in the Highland League,” Martin said.
He thanked the Mavericks club for staging what he described as a “brilliant” competition.
“ This opportunity allowed members of the 39 Engineer Regiment to connect with the local community, building relationships and friendships through a shared love of basketball.
“On a personal note, it was a special moment to fulfil a long-standing ambition of competing alongside my son for the first time in a competitive tournament - just in time before my body gives up on me.
“Every game we played was challenging and of a high standard, but the final match was particularly tough.”
The opening match was between the two Moray Mavericks teams, senior and junior. It was closely contested at first, before experience told and the Masters built up a lead to see them to victory.
Moray Mavericks chairman and event organiser Graham Stewart said he felt this year’s league built on the success of the previous year’s venture.
“We had even more qualified officials on the day and most games were played in a competitive environment with respect towards the officials and other teams,” he said.
“Hopefully others will come forward to continue to develop senior basketball across the area as the event shows the potential of basketball in the area, with the interest and talent that need opportunities for competitive basketball.”
He encouraged anyone from the area interested in getting involved in basketball to contact him on graham@moraymavericks.com or through the club’s website.