AGE might have wearied them but the members of the 1962 City basketball team still had a glint in their eyes as they recalled their only state premiership victory yesterday.
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Team members reunited yesterday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their state flag with a reunion dinner at Launceston's Duke of Wellington Hotel.
About 40 people gathered to reminisce and enjoyed the company of teammates, with team members David Claxton, John Randall and Wayne Chugg returning from Queensland especially for the occasion.
``We went through the season undefeated in 1962 and then went to Hobart for the state premiership playoffs,'' former team captain Ron Wilson said.
``We beat the North-West regional premier on the Friday night and then fronted up the following night to play the Southern premier, which was a state men's team.
``We were only an amateur team and most of us were under 20, but we beat the Hobart YMCA Hawks 44-42, in extra time, to win the state premiership on September 15, 1962.''
Team member Keith Dixon said that the state final was televised live by ABC-TV and must have been one of its earliest outside broadcasts.
``At full-time when the scores were tied at 36-all, I can remember that they had to ring the studio to see whether they could extend the broadcast for another five minutes each way,'' he recalled.
Wilson said teammate Randall was a talented player in his day and was courted by the famous Lindsay Gaze to go to Melbourne and play.
``He offered Johnny a Monaro car to leave Tasmania and go over there to play and he could have played for Australia, but he turned the offer down and stayed in Tassie.''
The 1962 City basketball team was the forerunner of the City of Launceston basketball side.
