Circus Houghton Raiders got their Hertfordshire Premier League Division One campaign off to a winning start with a 72-61 defeat of Ware.

The first quarter went the way of Ware who opened up a 21-14 advantage after the Raiders had made a slow start. But the Raiders upped a gear in the second period and with their offensive execution and defensive intensity at a higher level, crept in to a narrow 36-34 lead at the end of the half, thanks to 11 unanswered points from player-coach Leon Noel.

In the third period, the Raiders built on their lead and had extended it to eight points going in to the final quarter. The fourth quarter was fairly evenly balanced, but the Raiders had done enough to secure a well deserved victory.

Mitchell Hunter led the way for the Raiders with 31 points while Noel and Kofi Danso contributed 15 and nine respectively. After the win, Noel said: 'I was extremely pleased for the guys to kickstart this new campaign with a hard fought win. We were by no means firing on all cylinders tonight but the team displayed great character to guts out the win.'