Newcastle Eagles Women’s Super League Basketball team has secured a sponsorship deal with Newcastle International Airport who will adorn the front of their 2024/25 jerseys. Unfortunately this didn’t help the Eagles women to get off to a flying start in their opening pre-season game.

Faced with a very tough, talented and well-organised Sheffield Hatters side, Head Coach Matt Newby’s roster looked a little off the pace and were dominated pretty much from the first buzzer to the last. That was though to be expected after only a week’s practice and a first coming together on-court.

They say pre-season is for getting minutes under your belts, learning to play together and adapting to the coaching staff’s demands and requirements. In that respect Newby may well be satisfied that he has seen his side at first-hand and will have plenty of things to work with and learn from.

The Hatters on the other hand had already played a pre-season friendly up in Scotland against a much-fancied Caledonia Gladiators. That game had ended in a very rare occurrence in professional basketball. A draw!

With the sides tied at 56 points apiece at the end of four quarters both coaches shook hands on a tied game as they decided against five minutes of overtime. A creditable agreement but at least both sides got 40 minutes of hard-hitting basketball into their bodies.

Given that evidence and the fact that Sheffield had a short rotation of only eight players in this game perhaps there were just too many factors that went against Newcastle on a night where the Hatters shooting percentage particularly inside the paint was just too hot for the home side to handle.

The visitors also dominated on the boards 48 to 34, assisted 29 times and stole the ball an incredible 17 times making the turnover count massively in their favour alongside the other statistical categories. But despite all that it won’t be doom and gloom in the Eagles camp and no panic button pushed.

There were encouraging signs within the roster that will have pleased Newby and caught the eye. Tierra Hodges last season’s double-double machine was at it from the off as she announced her return to black and white with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Shannon Hatch was very solid on debut with 15 points and Abby Lowe was also in double figures with 10. Of the new imports Kendall Currence showed good team attributes and defensive qualities with 8 points and 4 assists and Jada Gunn with 8 points improved as the game progressed.

At times the Eagles especially on the interior struggled with the power and size of the Hatters forwards and with the opposition guards also shooting well from outside it was a very solid all-round team performance from a side that looks very well put together for the season ahead.

Of the eight that suited up six made double figure contributions with Lashayla Wright-Ponder leading the way and equalling the Eagles’ Hodges with 20 points. Emma Gandini had 18 points, GB International Georgia Gayle 16 and Eden Nibbelink who was impressive early in the game 15.

The Eagles had gone down 5 to zip from the start and took just five seconds under three minutes to register their first basket, a deuce from newly appointed captain Chloe Gaynor. That sparked a run of six unanswered that gave them a lead at 6 to 5.

But Sheffield hit back immediately and by the end of the first quarter were 28 to 15 in front and never looked back after that winning every quarter convincingly as they crashed through the 100 point barrier for the game and took a very well deserved win.

As one wise old sage once said. “One Swallow Does Not Make A Summer.” With that in mind there’s no doubting Matt Newby will sit down with his new charges and study the game and where they need to improve before quickly consigning this game to history.