Dazed Derby must have felt they were caught in a time warp as the Solent Stars' old school turned back the clock with an audacious 100-86 Uni-ball Trophy victory at Fleming Park last night.

It was the biggest match in the club's recent history and one which, on paper at least, the National Division 1 championships had no right to win.

But try telling that to the old guard of Alan Cunningham, Colin Irish, Roy Lewis and company who systematically destroyed Derby's Dairylea Dunkers reputation with a performance oozing cunning, confidence and class.

"It's all about belief - and we had plenty of that tonight," said 44-year-old player/coach Cunningham.

Stars also had a lethal weapon in former Cardiff Phoenix point guard Chris Harper who is looking more and more like the missing piece in the jig-saw.

At 37, Harper is no spring chicken but he played like a man possessed. His determined drives inside coupled with a mean outside shot brought him 11 points in the third quarter as Solent magically transformed a one-point half-time deficit into a 76-65 lead with ten minutes remaining.

Having at one stage been 11 up, Derby - complete with five Americans - totally lost the plot against a Stars' line-up whose wise heads and big hearts more than compensated for the glaring age difference between the sides.

Panji Grainger was in agony with a bad back, Cunningham wore his familiar knee strapping and Irish was fighting a virus - yet still Stars were 19 ahead in the rebound department.

With three minutes to go they led 88-78 and Derby were so rattled that Solent's last six points came from the free-throw line with Harper deservedly bringing up the ton.

Solent must now get their weary bodies recharged for tomorrow (7pm) when another Uni-ball Pool A upset could be on the cards against Birmingham Bullets at Aston Villa Leisure Centre.

"We're playing positive now instead of negative, so anything's possible," said Cunningham, whose only disappointment last night was a sparse Eastleigh crowd of just over 300.

What a night the stay-at-homes missed!

Solent scorers: Alan Cunningham 32, Chris Harper 29, Colin Irish 21, Panji Grainger 12, Toby Tripalin 4, Roy Lewis 2.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.