LOCAL NEWS
47
JULY 2023
HESTIA MENORCA
By Steve Morgan
The Play-offs Spain, as you know, is quite big, so the Silver league is split into West and East (oeste y este) and Menorca was promoted to the Silver league (este) in 2018. This season they finished in 2nd place. This meant they qualified for the play-offs for promotion to the Gold league. A total of 16 teams entered the ‘play-offs’ (the top 8 from each region) then a knockout league was formed Each team played two games against their opponent, one home and one away, the scores were accumulated, and the winners proceeded to the next round. Photo: Hestia Menorca
BASKETBALL TEAM PROMOTED TO THE GOLD LEAGUE As someone who has never really followed sport (my father supported the football team which I think was called ‘Fulham Nil’) I really can’t remember why Polly and I, and a couple of mates, decided to go and watch a home game of Hestia Menorca, Menorca’s topflight basketball team, but boy, are we glad we did! For those of you who think it’s a game where someone gets a ball, passes it so a fellow teammate who then throws it into a net… well, technically you’d be right but you couldn’t be more wrong! It’s a fast-moving game of 4 x 10-minute periods (no running off to a corner post to hug other team players after you score!) with just 5 players on each side but multiple substitutions are allowed from a maximum of 12 players in the team. The players only have 24 seconds to try and score or they lose the ball to the opposing team. Also, once you pass the halfway line there’s no going back over it, so the attack is continuous. If you live in Menorca, then you must go and see at least one home game. The stadium, ‘Pavelló Menorca’, is situated near the Mateu Orfila hospital, at Bintaufa, and it is big! There is seating for 5,000, whereas at some of the away games I’ve been to watch you’d be lucky to get 500 people in them. Basketball is a sport for all ages of supporters; from toddlers to, well, let’s just say, us ‘oldies’. If you can cheer/shout/stamp your feet, then it’s for you! Ten years ago, the original Menorca team were in the top league and Bintaufa was often at full capacity, the noise of the crowd was amazing! Sadly, like most things in life the team has had its ups and downs, but now they are on the up again!
The competition ended with CB Prat playing against Basket Navarra and Clavijo against Hestia Menorca. CB Prat won their two games so were promoted to the Gold league. How did we do? Well, the ‘away’ game against Clavijo was a hard-fought battle with Menorca winning by just 8 points, an advantage they could carry onto their home game, but as pointed by our coach, an advantage that could be lost in the blink of an eye! Before I report any further, let me ask you a question… How many sports on his tiny little Island could attract a crowd of 5,150 very noisy supporters? Not many, eh? But Basket Menorca did! The return home game was the most exciting game I have seen in a long time. Passions were running high and whilst Menorca held the lead most of the way, the points gap was cut down to just 2 on occasions. Even Clavijo’s coach started arguing with the referee (something you are not allowed to do) and just 1 minute to the end of the 2nd quarter he was sent off and had to spend the rest of the game in the dressing rooms! The final score? I’m glad you asked… On the night Menorca won by 67 points to 61 so yes, Menorca will once again return to the topflight Gold league next year and it’s going to be an exciting journey! It’s important for Menorca as an Island to be in Gold but we want as many people who have chosen this wonderful place as their home to come and support the team. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed, who knows I might even buy you a beer! For more information why not follow the team on Facebook or check out their web site at www.basketmenorca.com As the team’s motto goes “Una Illa, un equip” See you there!!
ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T
