Raiders ends year on a high with victory over the Cobras

PLYMOUTH Raiders got into the Christmas spirit on Sunday with their first competitive game since the win over the Patriots, and they were looking to give the sell-out crowd who packed into the Life Centre an early Christmas gift of a win.

-  MARTYN NORMAN

The opening stages of the game were dominated by defence for both teams, with the game remaining scoreless until 8.13 left on the game clock, when Bracknell finally broke the scoring drought from the free throw line.

That sparked a 10-2 run for the visitors and with Plymouth showing some rustiness after their long break away from competitive games, this was compounded by the news that Tom Woods will miss an extended period of time away with an injury.

Midway through the first quarter, Raiders finally found their groove.

The combination of Dan Taylor, Jamie Davies and Lombe Mumba on offence combined with Gaz Laws and Tom Elliot-Smith on defence lit up the game like a Christmas tree.

Plymouth clawed their way back and took the lead, 15-14, with just over two minutes to go in the first quarter.

The second period started with a huge three-point shot by Jason Carr, coupled with a long two by Allister Gall, which was enough to crank the volume up inside the Life Centre from the home faithful as Raiders once again took the lead 24-22 with seven minutes left before half-time.