The Body and Mind Kent Crusaders play their first competitive game of their season at home this Saturday (30th) in a National Cup 1st round tie against league newcomers Southampton Trailblazers.

The Kent side must be careful not to look past Trailblazers, who have made two significant signings in the off-season; Mark Jackson and David Butterworth join Southampton from Solent Stars (EBL1) where the two were top scorers last season and both have played professionally in the BBL.

The game gives Crusaders a chance to unveil their much-changed side before the Division 2 campaign begins in earnest. And Crusaders coach Jesse Sazant is aware of the need for his team to impress early in the season; “We’re anxious to introduce our new team to all of our supporters and to step onto our home court for the first time this season, Trailblazers have some real talent and will present a good test for us.”

The reward for the winning side is a prestigious home tie against National League Division 1 champions Worthing Thunder on Sunday 22 October. Sazant added, “We need to be careful not to look past Southampton but the chance to host Worthing is obviously a great opportunity.”

The game tips-off at Body and Mind, Canterbury High School at 6:30 on Saturday, 30 September with the Crusaders pre-game clinic for all juniors running from 4:45-5:30. There will be an opportunity to meet the Crusaders after the game at the Sports Cafe at Body and Mind.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 at 6:12 am and is filed under Club News, Team News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.