natwest do it again
Down at Fusion leisure centre last Saturday over 100 basketball beginners, rookies, wanabe pros and cheerful cheerleaders took to the courts for what was to be a fast and furious Basketball Challenge.
It was the all determined NatWest team who were to retain the title of Basketball Champions. A necessary win putting NatWest right back in the hunt for the Decathlon Trophy and raising the stakes for the teams sitting on top.
NatWest Champions
After a few weeks of practice provided by Camden Panthers Basketball Club the referees were pleasantly surprised and pleased that their lungs were not blown out by excessive use of the whistle. One referee commented “I am impressed by the standard of play across the teams, with some fast breaks and great technique on show” This resulted in Robin from Camden Panthers Basketball Club rapidly recruiting players to help their club make it to the finals in next years London Basketball League.
So what went down on the basketball courts!?! At 11.15am the hooter blasted indicating the start of what was to be a 6 hour onslaught of fast and furious driving, slam dunking, outside and inside scoring, blocking and guarding.
Common Purpose
The scene was set in the opening games with NatWest facing Common Purpose and Barclays Capital vs WorleyParsons. Both games finished on free throws on the final whistle, clearly indicating the pressure of gaining that last basket in the final few seconds.
As the games panned out over the duration of the tournament the tempo increased as teams strived for the champions’ title. However NatWest whose team height difference resembled that of a sapling to an American Oak ensured they covered every angle of the court, resulting in general domination on the floor and securing the perfect score sheet.
Shell collecting 2nd Place
Back in the running for silverware was the ever present Shell who were to face a rematch with NatWest in the finals after an earlier 21-14 defeat. Having implemented a few team tactics and with their cheerleading squad in place Shell were prepared to turn the tables. However NatWest had the bull by the horns and were not letting go leaving Shell to settle for 2nd Place.
Deloitte
Over on court 2 Deloitte were battling it out with IBM for third position. With a 16 -16 draw at full time exhausted players embarked on an additional 3 minutes of extra time. Final scores on the board saw Deloitte succeed with a 1 point lead claiming third and IBM picking up 4th place.
In the 5-8th place rounds Common Purpose, Barclays Capital, Maclay Murray and Spens and BP were facing one another for those ever important Decathlon and Pentathlon Points. In the end Common Purpose, a team who were noted for their humour and enthusiasm on and off the court held off BP to take 5th position leaving BP to claim 6th.
BP
On court 2 Barclays Capital also held fort against Maclay Murray & Spens claiming 7th and 8th place respectively.
And final congratulations to WorleyParsons and McGrigors who put in a tremendous effort and walked away all the wiser to the game of basketball and added 15 point to their Decathlon score card.
McGrigors
CLICK HERE FOR THE BASKETBALL EVENT RESULTS
in the spotlight
As a popular feature to the Game On! Newsletter we will randomly pick a team and put them “In the Spotlight”
This month Common Purpose gives an insight into the highs and lows of the Basketball Challenge and what goes on behind the scenes when not preparing for game.
Our first game was against Natwest, aka “the team with the very tall man”. It was a close game in the first half (14-10), and we even displayed some spectacular block shots (to the chorus of “wooo...”). Alas, Natwest came out blazing in the second half and we eventually lost the game 30-14. The break between the games was spent upstairs “golf putting” and “cup stacking” – shattered confidence restored and we were rearing to go for the next match. We also used this time to discuss strategy (“kick their shins…”). Although chuckling to ourselves quietly (or maybe not so quietly) that our next opponents Shell had to play us immediately after playing McGrigors, we quickly discovered that stamina was obviously not an issue for this team and their explosive fast breaks exposed our makeshift defence, taking the game 33-17.
Common Purpose
As our supporters slowly started trickling in (late!) we knew we had to win the next two games to qualify for the play-offs. To the shout of “team-talk!!!” we gathered in a huddle, and on the back of a blank envelope drew up the game plan™ . Next up was McGrigors, who gave us a good fight, but with the game plan™ , we were confident and took the game 19 –14. BP was up next, and having previously lost to Shell we were keen to redeem ourselves by taking on another Oil giant. The team was playing well and we won 23-16. In the Play-offs for 5th-8th positions, we beat a smiley MMS team 30-12. Battle for 5th place was against BP, keen to avenge their earlier defeat. We wanted to win our last game (for the fans you know), so played hard and eventually won 20-15. At the end of the day we were tired but had had a fantastic time thanks to activtymix. The brave amongst us headed to the next battleground – the Sports Café for the post-event drinking!
Other than the dunking and the alley-oops, Common Purpose is an international leadership organisation that aims to improve the way organisations and society work. Common Purpose operates throughout the UK and worldwide in Ireland, Sweden, The Netherlands, South Africa, Germany and Hungary and is currently developing programmes in India, Ghana, Turkey and France. Since 1989, more than 20,000 leaders from across the UK have graduated from one or more of our programmes and over 70% of the FTSE 100 companies have used Common Purpose for professional development.
For further information visit www.commonpurpose.org.
survey feedback
Following the Swimming Challenge, once again we are grateful for your feedback which not only helps us continually strive to deliver fantastic events, but also helps confirm we have the recipe right. Participants rated enjoyability at a massive 89%. Importantly 92% of those surveyed also indicated top rating on our choice of activity and state that it has encouraged their further participation in swimming.
We are delighted so many of you are inspired to keep on swimming and its great to hear that Bethnal Green Sharks Swimming Club have increased their masters squad size as a result of the swimming challenge.
Some comments from the teams include:-
“ the event was great, well organised and great fun” McGrigors
And something to work on “The PA system was sub par…the rest was excellent” Shell
But of course some inspiration “great that old fatties like me could enjoy racing again. Thank You” BP
Thanks to everyone who responded to our feedback survey, but more importantly thanks for your participation in the Swimming event and the bigger picture of the London Corporate Decathlon. In the meantime…happy swimming!!
Your feedback is highly valued at activitymix. If you would like to give your feedback from any of our events please contact sue.ray@activitymix.com or call 0845 2700 160 and she’ll send you a feedback form to complete and return.
diary of events
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