This was the first game of the season. It also coincided with the first weekend of Fresher’s Week. The Rebels organisation had decided to put in an extra effort to boost the match day experience.
There was a friendly Fan Zone outside the Sports Arena ahead of tip off. We hung around for a little, but felt a little old with all the fresh faced undergrads.
The marketing push from the Rebels worked. Both sides of the Sports Arena were opened up. There was a crowd over 1,000 – not bad at all for a Div 1 match.
I decided to snap away from the safety of my seat. I don’t usually take photos at Rebels games with a full on camera. I had the Nikon SLR with me. If any camera was up for the job then it was the Nikon.
The visitors Worthing teased the Rebels. They never really went into full game mode, but they somehow frustrated the home team. Points were hard to come by for the Rebels. Nothing stuck. The opposite was true for Worthing.
And then something remarkable happened in the final quarter. The Rebels were 14 points down and looked washed out of the game. A fantastic comeback was staged. The crowd played a major part in putting on an intimidating atmosphere.
Rebels left the court with an unlikely 73-66 win to start the season.
