THE Eastside Savs picked up a comfortable win in the opening round of fixtures in the Trailblazers Summer League.

All eight teams entered into this year’s competition collected their jerseys and competed in their first fixture of the campaign.

The Eastside Savs, who have entered the league for the first time this term, went head-to-head with the returning Clacton Cannons in their inaugural match.

And although the Cannons got off to a fine start after moving the ball well and scoring with a number of impressive shots, the Savs proved to be too strong for the Clacton side.

Eastside upped the tempo in the second half and put a lot of pressure on the Cannons defence, who could not boast any players to have broken into double figures when it came to scoring.

As a result, the Savs were able to celebrate joining the league by clinching a 73-25 victory.

Meanwhile, FOE were in clinical form and displayed why they will be one of the favourites for this season’s title.

Trailblazers were put to the sword and suffered a 94-41 defeat at the hands of FOE.

Both sides gave a good account of themselves going forward, but FOE moved into the lead thanks to converting a higher percentage of their attempts.

The two sides continued to trade baskets to close out the opening half, but FOE were able to claim a 45-21 advantage.

FOE were quick out of the blocks after the break and increased their lead.

Trailblazers were unable to get into any sort of rhythm at the offensive end and FOE could clinch a convincing win to get their season off to a perfect start.

Two Southend sides went head-to-head on the opening day, with the Scorpions and Rockets looking to claim local bragging rights.

And the Scorpions, who are looking to retain the title they won last term, came out on top as they were 55-35 winners.

The Rockets had one more player than their rivals and pressed early in an attempt to make their numerical advantage count.

However, the Scorpions used all of their experience to move the ball well and convert on offence.

The Scorpions led 35-18 at the interval and although it was a more even contest in the second half, with both sides trading baskets, the Rockets were unable to chip away at their rivals’ lead.

In the final clash of the first day of the campaign, Essex Boys recorded a 74-38 triumph over the Kings.

The Kings were looking for revenge after Essex Boys inflicted a narrow loss on them in the semi-finals last season.

But Essex Boys proved too strong once again.