Basketball: Man from Chatanooga catches on

THE man from Chatanooga, Ed Snead, finally got on the rails for Chester Jets on Saturday night when he scored 18 points in their first Budweiser League win of the season,

86-73 at Derby Bucks.

The 6ft 8in forward from the University of Tennessee brought less impressive statistics to Chester for his first season in Europe with an average of only two points and seven rebounds a game.

Mike Burton, the Jets coach, said: 'Ed's college coach told me that Ed was a sleeper, that he was a good player and that he'd come through in the end. I was beginning to have my doubts. I sat him down before the Derby game and told him his job here was to get points and rebounds. He was being too unselfish. He would get into good positions, then pass the ball off and we'd drop it.'

On Saturday, Snead added 11 rebounds and two blocks to his points total. He shared the leading role with Binky Johnson, an American colleague.

Thames Valley Tigers, the defending champions, lost their third game in a week, but the first in the league, falling 65-60 at home to Exide Manchester Giants.

Martin Henlan scored 19 points to lead London Towers to the top of the table with a 77-69 win at Birmingham Peugeot Bullets.

Results, Sporting Digest,

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