Kings hope Glasgow won't give them the slip at Portobello

A slippery floor became so bad for what was the first Scottish Basketball League game on the new surface that the referees stopped play and the match had to resume in the old gym. Kings will be hoping that it is the students who leave with bad memories of their first league visit to the new hall at the new Portobello HS tomorrow at 5pm.

It is not the first visit of the West students to Portobello this winter as they played Kings in the Scottish Cup at Holy Rood High School at the end of October and lost a dour battle narrowly 52-46.

But since then Kings have gone on a winning streak at their new venue and it would be a major shock if the team who beat the champions Falkirk Fury there last Saturday were to slip up against a GU side who struggled to their first win over fellow basement battlers Tayside Musketeers 57-43 at Broughty Ferry.

Former GU captain Calum Nicol, whose brother Craig coaches Kings, and former Davidson College centre Ali Mackay, have turned the home defence into a virtual no-go zone this season.

The Kings v GU game is the fourth of seven being hosted by the City of Edinburgh club who move to Holy Rood on Sunday for three more including the Kats junior women’s game v Ayr Storm at 5pm.

Coaching the Kats under-18 women now is the club’s former senior men’s coach and former Scottish junior men’s coach Doug Reilly.

Boroughmuir Blaze men travel to Broughty Ferry tomorrow at 3.20pm to face a Tayside Musketeers team in crisis with only one win this season.

Muskies women are at the Pleasance tomorrow at 5.20pm to play Edinburgh University, who are still in joint third place in the table.