Manchester

113 - 63

Taunton

H

Play-off QF

WIN

Manchester

88 - 67

Bristol

A

Play-off SF

WIN

Manchester

94 - 82

Reading

A

Play-off Final

Manchester

79 - 71

Nottingham

H

Play-off QF

WIN

Manchester

63 - 88

Sheffield

A

Play-off SF

LOSS

Manchester

102 - 38

Leeds

H

Play-off R1

WIN

Manchester

121 - 27

Notts Nova

H

Play-off R2

WIN

Manchester

70 - 67

Birmingham

A

Play-off QF

WIN

Manchester

78 - 51

East London

A

Play-off SF

WIN

Manchester

64 - 71

Sheffield

A

Play-off Final

Manchester

107 - 41

East Durham

H

Play-off R1

WIN

Manchester

108 - 51

Milton Keynes Lions

H

Play-off R2

WIN

Manchester

72 - 57

West London

H

Play-off QF

Manchester

95 - 54

Derby Trailblazers

A

Play-off SF

Manchester

99 - 75

TASIS

A

Play-off Fnl

Manchester

107 - 41

Leeds

H

Play-off R1

WIN

Manchester

20 - 0

Shropshire

H

Play-off R2

'WIN'

Manchester

33 - 59

Milton Keynes

H

Play-off QF

Manchester

99 - 25

Doncaster Danum Eagles

H

Play-off R1

WIN

Manchester

69 - 34

Solent Kestrels

H

Play-off QF

Manchester

70 - 71

Hackney

A

Play-off SF

Manchester

73 - 76

Southampton T'blazers

A

Play-off 3/4

Trafford

57 - 63

Preston Pride

A

Play-off R1

LOSS

Manchester

68 - 42

Northants Lightning

H

Play-off R1

WIN

Manchester

95 -22

Reading

H

Play-off QF

WIN

Manchester

36 - 76

Southend

A

Play-off SF

LOSS

Manchester

78 - 77

Sevenoaks

A

Play-off 3/4

WIN

Manchester

72 - 39

Northants Lightning

H

Play-off R1

WIN

Manchester

31 - 53

Haringey

A

Play-off QF

LOSS

The field is set for the 2nd Annual Haris Charalambous International Tournament. Teams taking part will be:

The Haris Memorial is an annual holiday event which pays tribute to Haris Charalambous, one of the top players to come out of the Magic youth programme. Haris died suddenly while training with his NCAA Division 1 Toledo University team in October last year. He showed all the qualities we need in a Manchester player, both on and off the floor. Haris' parents, Kypros and Polly, and his sister, Elena, will be there to see some games and present the trophies. The tournament will be played from December 27th until December 29th.

Keep in touch with the website for further details of the game schedule.

Our Club exists on the voluntary help which people are happy to give to us.

As we get bigger, so we need considerably more volunteers to ensure that the Club, including the Magic/Mystics programmes, runs successfully.

Shortages at the moment include:

1. Magic volunteers to help with setting up the court, dismantling the court at the end of the game, stewarding during the game etc. Whilst these volunteers are not remunerated, they and their families are allowed free entry to games. Contact Karen Naylor or Tony Middleton at the Office on 0161-881-0090.

2. Table Officials. Maggie would very much like to increase her pool of table officials for Age-Group National League games. If you are interested in learning, she will teach you. Contact Maggie on 01625-527867.

3. Statisticians. This is a more technical job, but very enjoyable. A knowledge of the game is required and computer skills are helpful. Contact Tony Middleton on 0161-881-0090.

England finished 8th out of 18 in the European Under 16 Boys Tournament in Estonia. Early wins seemed promising but some heavy defeats towards the end of the Tournament made it a disappointing finish.

Results were:

Manchester was represented by Ryan Beeley and Tom Fox who were regular starters throughout the tournament. Tom played as a point guard and Ryan as a forward. Ryan averaged 7 points and 4 rebounds per game, whilst Tom averaged 6 points and 2 assists per game. Both players now rejoin the Magic Under 18 squad which is getting ready for the new season.

Valiant efforts by the England Under 18 Boys team to qualify for the European 'A' Division just failed to produce the goods.

The standard of the teams in Romania was top-class and qualification was always going to be difficult. 3 wins in the first group stage (versus Finland, Luxembourg and Portugal) gave a great optimism to the team, and a good second phase (wins against Sweden and Austria and a loss to Romania) left the team with a Semi-Final spot against Estonia, who were far too strong and won by 95 - 65. The play-off for 3rd/4th place also led to a close loss to Portugal by 76- 74.

Our Club were fortunate to have 4 players in the team, with Matt Williams and Devan Bailey being regular starters and backed up by Adam Gerami and Stuart Thomson. All details and stats can be seen by viewing www.fibaeurope.com.

Under 20 Women

The team exceeded all expectations by finishing 4th in the Competition in Lithuania. Our sole representative was Rehana Khalil, the outstanding Mystics shooting guard. Though Rehana's minutes were limited, she is determined to show all Mystics followers this coming season that she is a national force to be reckoned with. Rehana has a tremendous work ethic and fully deserves her success.

Under 18 Girls

Major contributions by Verity Peets and Lauren Thomas-Johnson could not give the team the success it hoped for. A tough schedule in Italy meant that the team finished 13th out of 14 which was a disappointment to all. Emma Macready also played her part in the team.

Under 20 Men

Coached by the Senior Magic Coach, Jeff Jones, the team had a disappointing Tournament in Portugal, finishing 14th out of 16 teams. The team struggled to adjust at this level and won just one game versus Ireland. Manchester players in the team were:

Christmas News

Five of our younger teams are involved in Tournaments over the Christmas break.

The Under 16 Girls travel to Girona in Northern Spain to take part in a prestigious International Tournament involving teams from Spain, Yugoslavia and Italy. The trip is led by the Under 16 Coach, Jim Carnegie, ably assisted by Kim Minister.

The Under 18 Boys take part in the Barking International Tournament after a kind invitation was offered by the Organiser, Mark Clark. Teams from Bosnia and Belgrade will take part, together with the England Under 16 team. Reading, Barking and Manchester make up the competing teams in a 6-team competition.

The Under 16 Manchester Boys have a one-day Tournament on home soil at the Amaechi Basketball Centre on Thursday 29 December - Birmingham, Reading and Leicester have accepted offers and a good day of basketball is expected.

Birmingham Under 14s are also visiting ABC on 29 December to play 2 friendly games against the Manchester and Trafford Under 14 teams.

The Trafford Under 16 team have been invited to compete in a 3-way Tournament on 29 December in Sheffield. Other competing teams are Sharks Under 16 and the Scottish National Under 16 team.

Best of luck to all the Magic players over the holidays in their endeavours.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS

Amaechi Basketball Centre National Invitational Christmas 3 on 3 Tournaments

This year there will be 3 on 3 tournaments held at Amaechi Basketball Centre

The tournaments will be held on the evening of Wednesday 21st December

The tournament will commence at 6pm and will finish at approx 10pm

The entry fee for the tournament will be £15 per team

Each team will play a minimum of 5 games

The age groups for these tournaments will be School Years 7-9 and also School Years 10 - 13

The tournament winners will all receive prizes

Players of all standards are invited to join

Registration form is below or available at the Centre, and places will be secured when payment is made

Please contact Paul Lacey for more information (0161 881 0090)

Cost: £15 per team

Team Name...........................................................................................

Please circle correct age group

Name of Team Contact:.............................................................................

Home Telephone Number:...........................................................................

Mobile Telephone Number:..........................................................................

Liga Settles In

Liga Bervalde the new 6' 1'' Centre is settling in well with the Mystics.

Her debut happened last weekend in an opening loss to Nottingham but Liga showed enough to know that she will be a force to be reckoned with this season for the Club.

Liga is Latvian but has been in the States for the last 4 years. She was at Wabash Valley College from 2001 - 2003 and Western Illinois University from 2003 - 2005. She is noted for her passing and sense of team play and has already blended in well with her team mates.

In the Nottingham game, Mystics coach Sergio Lara-Bercial, started 3 youngsters with Georgia Jones at point, Verity Peets inside and Rehana Khalil as the shooting guard. All 3 benefited by having Liga's experience to call on and the signs are good for a successful Mystics season.

Liga has settled in well in her 3-bedroomed town-house, close to the Amaechi BAsketball Centre and we wish her all the best for the season.

Delme Signs On

Great news for the Magic - Delme Herriman, England player, has signed on to play for the Magic this season.

At 6'6'', Delme has a mass of European experience at both Club and International level, which will give the Magic that bit extra in their attempt to compete at the top of the League.

Delme played for Chester Jets last season but has decided to return to his hometown Club in his preparation to join the England Commonwealth Games team to compete in Australia in March 2006.

We wish Delme all the best in his time with the Magic.

Player Signings

Great news for the Magic with recent signings to add to Eliot Goren (6' 0'', point guard, USA), Wade Henninger (6'7'', forward, USA) and Aaron Roberts (6'4'', forward, Australia)

Gavin Smith - ex-Teesside 6'8'' forward/centre who will help the inside play of the Magic

Steve Towell - ex-USA High School. Steve played for Manchester 2 years ago, then played for his home town of Huddersfield for a year before spending a year in the States. At 6'6'', Steve is a big shooting guard who can drill the 3 with comfort.

Richard Martin - ex-Glasgow Storm. Richard has also spent some time in the States at Junior College and brings great intensity to the Magic. At 6'6'', his rugged board work will help.

Matt Hogarth and John Shaw have signed for another season with the Magic. Matt's leadership and experience will be invaluable and we hope that John will finally reach his full potential this season.

These signings, hopefully, will make up for the continual movement of our youngsters to the States (16 players currently there) and, with Jeff Jones going into his 7th season as coach, it looks like the Amaechi Basketball Centre is the place to be on Saturday evenings.

Big game to open the season is Magic v Sheffield at ABC on Saturday 17 September with a 7:30pm tip.

Get there early, it may be a sell-out.

Another New American

Magic have now acquired a second foreign player - Wade Henninger from Maryland.

Wade has been a starter at Villa Julie College and has just graduated.

He is a strong 6' 7'' leftie forward who will help the Magic under the basket, and he is expected to form a productive partnership with Eliot Goren, the new point guard.

Watch this space for further signings.

A New Point Guard

Eliot Goren replaces Terrell Ivory as the new Magic point guard. At 6' 0'', he has just finished at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he was a regular starter, averaging 10 points and 5 assists per game.

A native of Maryland, Eliot brings a great work ethic and a smart brain to the Magic setup and we look forward to seeing him on the floor. He also combines his basketball with a job off the floor, so we will all see him on a regular basis at the Amaechi Basketball Centre.

Menelik Watson

Last season, Menelik played for the Under 16 team which dominated all National Competition, winning the National Cup Final and Play-offs by wide margins.

His ambition to follow in the footsteps of Nick George who attended the same school, Burnage High School, in Manchester. Nick goes into his third year at Virginia Commonwealth this coming season with hopes of a NBA spot when he has finished his College career.

Menelik is a 6' 5'' inside player renowned for his tough, rugged play around the basket area. He made amazing progress last season by becoming a regular starter after being a bench-warmer for the first half of the season. He played a dominant role in both Cup and Championship successes.

Menelik is hoping to live in our Academy House next season which will give him much more time to concentrate on improving his game.

We all wish him well for the future.

55 - 63

99 - 94*

74 - 63

78 - 83**