Virus deprives Falkirk's Fury of chances to add to collection of basketball titles

Falkirk's Sony Centre Fury taking on Edinburgh Kings, destined to be their opponents in March in a play-off semi-final now called off, at Grangemouth Sports Complex last November. Picture Roberto Cavieres

That decision by Basketball Scotland, the sport’s governing body, means Fury, hitherto poised to expand their collection of national titles, having reached five of the six Division 1 play-off semi-finals, won’t be needing the keys to their trophy cabinet for a while yet after all.

Fury’s men had already won the 2019-20 Division 1 title for the fifth time in the last eight seasons and were favourites to win their play-off semi-final on March 13 at home against Edinburgh Kings, a team they’d beaten not long before.

Like all play-off semis that weekend, however, that game was cancelled due to Covid-19’s arrival in Scotland two weeks previously.

Fury were also scheduled to play in the senior women’s semi-finals at home against St Mirren, having just taken out title favourites Edinburgh Kool Kats by 20pts in the quarter-finals.

The club's under-18 junior women and under-16 cadette women had already reached their respective Scottish cup finals and finished in the top three of their leagues, so they both also looked to be in with a good chance of progressing.

Completing Fury's semi-final line-up were their junior men, fifth-placed in their league.

Basketball Scotland did not make the decision to end the competitions lightly, having held off for several months to see if it would be at all possible to finish the play-offs, the third of the three titles each age group in Scotland competes for.

Fury head coach John Bunyan said: “This was perhaps inevitable, but credit is due to Basketball Scotland for waiting as long as possible before making a final decision on whether the play-off competitions for season 2019-20 could be completed.

"Of course, this is not the outcome I or my other coaches and all our players in the five teams wanted, but the facts simply do not allow the games to be played, and we now have to focus on coming back as strong as possible whenever season 2020-21 does start.”

“We are working hard training outdoors, but that will very soon be not viable and we must get our programme back indoors as soon as is possible."