I can’t honestly say when it was that I first heard of Luther VANDROSS, but I do know that I loved his voice as soon as I heard it.

Well after a few weekends of a huge numbers of games, this weekend was going to be a quiet basketball one for me, just 2 games. Game 1 would see the BBL Cup winning Sheffield Sharks entertaining the Essex Pirates in their first game since their exploits at the NIA Birmingham. A full house was at hand at the EISS Sheffield to welcome the team and the Cup.

Pete Jacques is a legend of the British game who was renound for his love of basketball. He wrote a fanzine called Pawprint and that was followed by the Pawprint website which covered the British game at all levels. After his death in 2010 a memorial game was arranged in his honour. The number of BBL & EB stars who turned out was testament to the popularity of Pete Jacques.

2010 saw the first Rafters Revival taking place at the fabulously refurbished Band on the Wall in Manchester. Rafters was one of Manchester's most influential venues which stopped playing black music a number of years ago. For this event promoter Iamgeorgepowell had bought together three of the original Rafters DJ's...Colin Curtis, Hewan Clarke and me Mike Shaft. Luckily I took my camera with me.