Basketball: Edinburgh Uni pick up full marks

Edinburgh UNIVERSITY enjoyed one of their finest basketball days when both men and women's teams beat the once mighty Loughborough in the Northern Premier Division of the British Universities Championship.

The only Scottish reps in the premier league, Edinburgh men faced a real crunch match at home against the Midlanders, who were fellow relegation candidates, both teams having won only once and the Loughborough success having come at the expense of the Capital students by a margin of nine points. So Edinburgh had to win by ten or more to ensure survival in the upper echelons and, with a full team at their disposal for once, they did it in style, winning 73-46.

Though Kings guard Mike Kirkpatrick was crucial to their win, there were big performances also from Estonian Gert Merisall, Ian Black, Liam McDaid and former Bristol Flyers centre Tom Hutchison, the last-named back after a frustrating two years out with a wrist injury.

Edinburgh women took just six players on the long six-hour drive to Loughborough where they won 77-56 to stay joint second with Northumbria in the division. They were led by Polonia Phoenix sisters Ali Mitchell with 24 and Cathy with 16.

Sarah O'Brien had the previous night helped Edinburgh Kool Kats reach the Scottish Cup semi-finals with a 65-51 win over Falkirk Fury at Portobello, where three other City of Edinburgh teams progressed, the Kings junior and cadet men and the Kings Chairman's Cup side. But Kool Kats just missed out in a junior women's tie to favourites St Mirren 44-41.

As forecast Kings had no opponents ready to play their senior men's quarter-final in a competition where Stirling Knights are beginning to emerge as a real threat to the more established clubs after a 96-79 away win over East Lothian Peregrines in a Scottish League game.