Fury ready to bounce back after tough loss

Injuries had hit in the build up to the match.

The loss ended the Fury’s 18-month unbeaten run.

Eagles took the victory 92-75 at Portsmouth Grammar School.

Despite the difficult start, team co-founder Steve Ware is confident the Fury can bounce back to form quickly with a win.

The team know it is a case of stepping up their level for the new division.

He said: ‘It’s going to be a tough game.

‘The skill level is higher than we have seen before and the pace is more intense.

‘Losing key players hasn’t helped us but we showed enough in the first game to demonstrate that we can compete in the league.’

The Fury will be taking on The Phoenix at Portsmouth Grammar School tomorrow night, a team that the Portsmouth outfit are unfamiliar with.

The Phoenix won just three games in division one last season, and only remained in the top tier because of teams dropping out of the league.

However, they won their opening game of this campaign convincingly against the Hamble Hornets.

Ware added: ‘We need to have more patience and be more consistent defensively.

‘We need to play at our speed and intensity level.’

‘The return of Harry Bates from his ankle injury will definitely help us out.

‘Hopefully with him back in the side we will have enough offensive strength to see them off and start a new unbeaten run.’

Paul Goodale contributed 18 points in the opening day defeat.

He hopes the team have learnt valuable lessons from the loss against Southampton.

They cannot afford to step off the gas at all in matches and must make sure they are focused throughout

He said: ‘I think the team know what standard to expect from a division one game now.

‘Every game is a cup final for us going forward.

‘We need to take everything we learnt from the last game and use it to our advantage in the next.

‘We have a lot of experienced players in the team who have all played as high as national level, so we can help guide the younger players in the right direction.’

– Tom Bonnett