NEWCASTLE Eagles chief Paul Blake believes North East basketball derbies are here to stay – as he praised Durham Wildcats for putting on an opening weekend worthy of a “top-three” BBL team.

The Wildcats make the short trip to Sport Central tonight still buoyant after the success of their opening fixture at Newton Aycliffe, which attracted a sold-out crowd of more than 1,000.

Those numbers are impressive, but for Blake it was the organisational details and the conduct of the club which caught the eye as they staged their first BBL Trophy match.

Likening their approach to that of an established top-flight BBL side, he is predicting big things for the expansion franchise if they can maintain that enthusiasm over the coming months.

That, he contends, can only be good news for North East basketball and the Eagles.

Blake said: “To anyone who had any doubts about Durham coming into the league, well hopefully they will think twice now.

“In every respect, last weekend was a top-three or top-four delivery of an event in our league.

“To have a full house in their first game is really good going, but it was not only the numbers in the crowd which impressed everyone.

“They did so many things right which are difficult to get right – logistical things which every club in our league would probably struggle with at times.

“Off-the-court they are going about things in the right way, building a support and building their profile and that can only be good for the long-term future of the franchise.

“For me that is great and it is not going to hurt either the league or the Eagles to have an established North East rivalry. I am looking forward to welcoming them to Sport Central and we cannot wait for all of the derby games throughout the season.”

Blake is particularly enthused about the prospect of large numbers of travelling fans attending the fixtures.

For while the Eagles have a dedicated away support, they are one of the few teams in the league that have much of a presence on the road.

That – as Blake admits – is a problem for the BBL.

He added: “What the BBL lacks is travelling support which brings in more revenue and also improves the atmosphere. We took a good 150 to Newton Aycliffe last weekend and I would anticipate in the future similar numbers will be coming from Durham for our games.

“It is a win-win situation for the Eagles and North East basketball if Durham go from strength to strength.”

Having said all of that, the Eagles chief has warned there will be no charity towards the Wildcats – despite the obvious goodwill.

Newcastle’s failure to make the BBL Trophy final last year still grates and, despite back-to-back wins over the Wildcats and Glasgow Rocks, the team cannot afford to slacken off. Blake said: “Durham are not an easy touch. I believe they have two new arrivals and we need to win.

“For this organisation the aim is to be in the Trophy final every year and it was a sore point last season, so Fab and the guys want to put that right.

“There cannot be any complacency from us because even if we do win we are not there yet.

“I remember a few years ago we were in a similar position, needing just to avoid defeat by 22 points against the Rocks to go through. We were 23 points down with seconds to go but somehow brought it back to 20. That is the nature of the Trophy.”