Some basketball games are low scoring, yet still tense. Rebels men Vs Nottingham Hoods was a case in point. It would be slightly unflattering to describe the game as uneventful. It had many personal battles, plus some great passages of play. But both teams focussed more on cancelling each other out, rather than keep the scoreboard ticking over.

On the floor and the Match day MC was keeping everyone happy.

“Copy the pose!”

…came the instruction, as a picture of a Rebs players posing appeared on the big screen. There was a slight wardrobe malfunction with an Essex Rebels T-shirt appearing in the background. The image had been cropped, revealing the un-family friendly message of SEX.

Whoops.

Rebels took a 38-33 lead into the break. It was time for the Christmas Jumper Parade on centre court. I stayed firmly sitting on my seat.

Compared to the women earlier, this was a very clean game. Personal fouls were kept low, with both teams preferring to showcase their skills, rather than their muscles.

The game finally got going in the fourth when Nottingham decided to turn up and chase a win. Rebs were too strong, starting the early Christmas celebrations with a well deserved 85-76 home court win.

Christmas Party GAME NIGHT with the Essex Rebels. Usually I would run a mile from anything that SCREAMS Christmas Party at me - especially so if it involves wearing Christmas jumpers. But I can make exceptions for the Rebs.

I wasn’t sure at first if the visiting Sheffield Hatters were wearing a special Christmas themed game jersey. The bright pink colours took a little time to get adjusted to under the bright lights of the court.

Also taking a little time to adjust to the on court conditions were the Rebels. They were chasing the game - and the scoreboard - throughout al four quarters. The home team were never out of the reckoning, but it was a struggle to try and match the pace of Sheffield.

It’s a team game, obvs, but SHOUT OUT to Paige Myler, who kept Rebels in the game with a succession of BIG three pointers. At one point the Rebels were twelve points down. Myler manager to turn this around to take the Rebs two points clear.

This was the signal for the home crowd to wake up and realise that we had a decent ball game breaking out in front of us.

The scores were level 101-101 with 28 seconds remaining on the clock. This became a game of small margins and sharp coaching. Some strong bench work from Coach Cookson saw the game plan delivered to perfection. A foul was drawn, and Ice Queen Rhema Ogele showed no nerves in sinking her two throws from the line to take Rebels clear.

Having trailed throughout the entire game, only to take the lead come the final buzzer, was indeed reason for a Rebs celebration. I allowed myself a little Shaky Merry Christmas Everyone foot shuffle as the team celebrated. You still won’t ever catch me wearing a Christmas jumper.

Up the Rebs.

The Caledonian Gladiators rocked up at the Essex Sports Arena for a Trophy semi-final match on Monday afternoon, with the unusual tip off time of 4pm.

Oh.

It was hardly the high thrills of a Rebs Saturday night GAME NIGHT. I was half expecting to be amongst a very selective crowd of ahem dedicated Rebs fans.

I needn’t have worried. The Rebs had done a half decent job in marketing the match to the after school crowd. There was enough of us in there to make a right old racket.

As for Caledonian?

That’s an awfully long way to come down to cheer on your team; it’s also an awfully long way down to travel back for the players if they didn’t get the result they were hoping for.

The away team wasted no time in going about their business. They racked up nine points on the scoreboard before the Rebels could even get going.

A quick turn around in play, and soon it was 10-10, in what was shaping up to be a very physical encounter. Both teams would do well to finish with a full bench.

The scores were tied at 19-19 at the end of the first. Little ground was made up in the second quarter. A very tight game was swaying back and forth, with Caledonian leading 37-24 at the break.

The physical contest continued into the third. Elbows were flying everywhere. The main tactic from the Rebs seemed to be to entice the Caledonian BRUISER of a player to foul herself out of the game.

Job well done, Claire Paxton. Extra points for celebrating the achievement on court.

Neither team could pull away. This one’s going all the way down to the wrire, right?

It was a thrilling game, with the scoreboard showing the Rebs leading 64-63 going into the final quarter.

Any result was possible - a home win, an away win or even OT.

The Rebs seemed on top with one minute remaining. But then Caledonian played a smart game, sinking their shots, and managing the stop clock.

A 95-93 home court defeat for the Rebs was a tough one.

Hey hoe.

At least I only had a short bicycle ride back to base.

Woh.

Where to start here?

This was possibly the best ball game I’ve seen.

tl;dr the game was tied at the buzzer. Two periods of OT followed. There was very little to separate these teams. Newcastle just edged it.

Arse.

The first quarter started at an incredible pace. Surely both teams can’t keep this up for four quarters?

Erm, yep. Plus another ten minutes if you don’t mind.

Value for money, etc.

Miles Brown hit some big three pointers in the first quarter.

Rebs' Captain Tom Childs sat down his rival guard, delivered a killer pass, and then another three pointer was sunk.

“If you’re here supporting the Newcastle Knights, make some noise!”

…was the rather ironic words of encouragement from Mr MC.

There was no noise.

Ta for coming, etc.

Rebels took a 45-39 lead into the half time buzzer.

The Duck Tax was the HT fun. Parents of kids are ‘encouraged’ to part with £1 for a plastic duck, that is then thrown on to an archery style parachute on centre circle.

Even Rachel Reeves would blush, such is the fiscal soft hand technique used to raise a little extra revenue.

I sat on my hands.

The third and fourth quarters raced on by. Tom Childs played another massive game, dominating play and setting up the chances.

Rebs looked as though they had won the game, but a few costly errors led to five minutes of an OT shoot out.

To their credit, the Rebs reset, and went again. A rough period of play followed with some very physical passages of play.

Five minutes were up, and still you couldn’t separate the two teams on 103-103.

Shall we do it all over again?

SHOUT OUT to the home crowd. Everyone in the Arena got behind the Rebs. It was the best atmosphere we’ve had so far this season.

Some calm finishing from Newcastle saw the visitors over the line.

The Rebs bench looked broken at the buzzer.

They shouldn’t have. This was a marked improvement on the last home game two weeks ago.

We may not be the most talented team, but the commitment is there to see on court.

Jersey Night at the Essex Sports Arena. Which means fans are encouraged to wear their fave replica basketball vest.

Brrr. It’s a bit chilly for short-sleeves, let alone a vest. I opted for the black RUBBER rain mac instead.

I wasn’t invited on to centre court at the interval to parade my finest fashion wear.

Their loss.

The Rebels women got off to a dynamite start at home to a strong Oaklands Wolves. Rebs put 19 points up on the board before the Wolves were able to reply.

Everything seemed to be going the way of the home team. All the free throws were sunk, whilst Oakland looked nervy from the free throw line

A 31-11 lead for the Rebs at the end of the first quarter looked like game over already.

The pace picked up in the second. Wolves refused to fade away, with the score pegged back 50-38 to the Rebs at the break.

Natalie Chou was outstanding for the home team. She dominated every area of the court - in attack, defence and everything in-between.

Olivia Forster meanwhile played a fiery game. She was in the face of her opponents and wasn’t about to be intimidated by some rather big and bruising Oakland players.

The away team did manage a comeback of sorts in the third. They took it to a five point game - which was a little too close for comfort.

The Rebs were tested in the final quarter. In previous season they would have collapsed. But not so the Rebs of 2025.

They dug deep and left the court with a fantastic 92-78 home win.

Up the Rebs!

To the Essex Sport Arena!

…on Sunday evening.

Volleyball one evening, basketball the next.

Whaddya mean we’s hopeless Sport Billies, left with little other sporting entertainment during the stupid international break?

The Rebels men had a home court game against Worthing Thunder.

This was very much the evening after the evening before, when Rebels stormed to a stunning away win at Birmingham in the final few seconds of the game on Saturday evening.

They were paying the price as well. The signs weren’t good when Skipper Tom Childs limped through the warm up with a dead leg, ahead of bench warming for the evening.

Worthing had a BIG DAWG of a baller bully. The fella was almost as wide as he was tall.

They also had a shocker of a purple patterned kit. It looked more like the clothing for a nursery rhyme character than a serious athlete.

But make no mistake: Worthing were bloody serious ballers.

Rebels seemed to understand this from the start. Playing with a short bench, the plan seemed to be sink the three pointers, and failing that, make no mistake with the rebounds.

But what happens if both of these fail to come off?

Oh.

Rebels had a decent first quarter, but then the game got away from them early in the second. The scoreboard was only going one way.

A HT score of 36-66 led to heads dropping as the Rebels headed back to the locker room.

Coach Hart cut a lone figure, staying on the bench, and choosing not to address what he had just seen.

The second half was all about damage limitation for the Rebs. But Worthing didn’t hold back.

Oh dear.

The final scoreline of 85-132 tells you all need to know. The only surprise is that the Rebs managed to reach 85.

Worthing were superb.

There was a BIG Sunday afternoon crowd at the Essex Arena for the visit of Loughborough Riders.

I’m not sure why. It wasn’t a double header game, and the Rebs hadn’t made an extra effort to push the tickets.

GOOD EFFORT all round. The strap-line of Colchester’s Best Kept Secret might soon have to be scrapped.

Rebs were down at the end of the first quarter.

Oh dear.

We know how this game is going to end.

There’s an acceptance that the Men aren’t the best team in the league. The Rebs organisation is all about developing talent - both on and off the court.

All we ask for as fans is to put in a decent performance and push the opposition as far as you can.

But don’t take your eye off the ball - especially when High Flyer Tyrese Hudson is playing the game of his life out there.

WOH! This is a classic example of a Rebels young player who has grown to become a baller who can compete with some of the toughest men in the league.

All of a sudden and the score was 34-34. Some huge turnovers for the Rebels allowed them to control the game, and not be bullied by the Riders.

The new Mr Mic Man did a commanding job. He’s found his voice and isn’t afraid to express it. Stan is a tough act to follow.

HT saw birthday celebrations on the court for some local kids. The Rebs handle these events very well. It’s not easy herding around a small army of ankle biters.

Chuck-a-Duck followed. Much to my surprise, this remainsrather popular.

The second half of the game was tight. Riders stretched to a two point lead at 61-63.

Now or never for the Rebs. Don’t let them get out of sight. Sure, we’re here to win, but this is a young Rebels team with a rookie Coach.

Speaking of which: SHOUT OUT to Coach Hart, who took to the court with the big wiper and helped to clean up some sweat.

In it together, etc.

Kyron Martin came big for the Rebels, just when we needed it. He stepped forward on two occasions to sink all four points from his free throws.

These put the game out of reach for the Riders. Man has ice in his veins. Decent beard as well.

And so a fantastic 87-82 home court win for the Rebs.

Yep - you always back yourself at Our House, but once again, this is a Rebels team that is punching above its weight.

What’s really interesting to see is how the organisation is growing behind the scenes, year on year.

Last season was tough due to some tragic off the court circumstances. The club has regrouped, and decided to move on and continue to see where this takes us.

We’re not the strongest team, but we have a strong team spirit.

#uptherebs

There was something of a Rebels reunion on home court as Reading Rockets arrived at the Essex Sports Arena on Saturday.

Any team with Zain Poorman and Victor Olarerin is going to be a little tasty.

Once a Reb, always a Reb, etc.

This was a weird watch, tbh. The Rebels men impressed on the last home court performance a couple of weeks ago. A couple of big name players from the demolition job over Bristol weren’t on the bench.

It can be a little frustrating trying to keep up with squad changes. Injuries, work, life etc get in the way.

You don’t want a running commentary of EVERYTHING that is taking place behind the scenes. Premier League football has become toxic with this level of demand coming from the fanbase.

But it would be good to know a line or two about where players are, having impressed so much in previous performances. Are they still at the club? If not, we wish them well…

Which all meant that it felt like the Rebs bench was a couple of big game players short. The home team didn’t play badly, but they couldn’t compete with the extra muscle coming from the Rockets.

Oh - and Victor Olarerin as well.

This was pretty much a one man show from the ex-Reb. He clocked up a bloody impressive 51 points alone.

Outstanding, and a pleasure to watch.

Rebels were always chasing the scoreboard. Three pointers were the option, rather than a slowly, slowly turning of the scoreboard with more reliable shots. The majority of these didn’t sink.

It was also a scrappy, physical tussle out on the court. Sometimes you want to see that. But when you’re lacking a little in muscle, then there’s only going to be one winner.

The Rebs chased the game in the third and fourth, never really out of it, but never really within a serious chance of catching up with Reading. Heads dropped a little in the final five minutes.

Hey hoe.

Onwards.

Another win for the Rebels women at Our House, aka the Essex Sports Arena. New flashy sporting structures take a little time to bed in. It feels already that Our House has found its identity.

This game was themed around Black History Month. The Rebs organisation does a bloody job in recognising significant events, and then planning gameday around the theme.

It’s not all deserved, progressive themes, that are likely to get Daily Mail readers frothing at the mouth. In the past we’ve celebrated sixty years of the University, international students, and, erm, retro basketball jerseys.

On the court and the Rebs women are transformed this season. It’s early days, but you can’t argue with a record of P5, W5. Some high scoring games have set a high bar for the long season ahead.

I’m not sure what’s changed tbh. Recruitment has been great over the summer months. But then again it looked as though a strong roster of superstars were drafted in twelve months ago.

Quietly, quietly, the team and Coach have gone about building a great team spirit, without the obvious outstanding superstar candidates.

No I in Team etc.

Whatever.

The Rebs got off to a lightening start in the first quarter. Job done, I thought.

The second quarter was a little slower, with the scoreboard not ticking over at the same pace. An injury to Claire Paxton benched her for the rest of the game.

Get well soon, Skip.

Rebels should have been away by now, leaving Caledonia with the long road trip back home. But somehow they drew the scores level.

Whoops.

This is a strong Rebs team though, that knows how to get the job done. Some creative running down of the clock got them over the line.

The celebrations at the end are becoming infectious. We’ve not always seen a happy Coach and team come the final buzzer.

Smiles were everywhere, as the players ran around the stand, high fiving the fans - a lovely touch.

Up the Rebs!