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8 January 2026  3 min read

Elite Academy Leagues recap (07 Jan 2026)

Oaklands picked up a win in the EABL's only game to keep the Wolves in hunt for South Conference glory, while Manchester and Copleston nabbed victories in the WEABL North and South respectively.

Week Eight Results

EABL

South

Oaklands Wolves (3-2) 127-65 Copleston High School (0-5) - LIVE STATS

WEABL

North

Milton Keynes 5 Dimensions - The Hazeley Academy (2-4) 61-79 Manchester Mystics (3-1) - LIVE STATS

South

Copleston High School (4-1) 67-52 Barking Abbey (2-2) - LIVE STATS

 

 

 

 

 

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Standout performances

Oaklands continued their push up the EABL South standings with a comfortable 127-65 win over bottom side Copleston.

Already ahead 70-39 at the half, a 35-8 third quarter further tilted the contest towards the hosts as Daniel Kostadinov, Gavin Mitchell and Dylan Gladstone all put together standout performances.

Manchester kept up their chase of WEABL North leaders Nottingham after the Mystics picked up a 79-61 victory against MK5D.

The Milton Keynes outfit were on a roll after picking up two in a row but overcoming last year's finalists proved a step too far. MK will need to regroup fast though as they head into a crunch game with Charnwood, a clash that could have big post-season implications for both sides.

Likewise in the South, Copleston are on the charge as they try to reel in CoLA, seeing off Barking 67-52 to move within a win of their long-standing rivals.

Strong scoring performances from duo Kaiya Bateman and Maisie Keyes kept Barking at bay as forward Holly Ensoll continued her rapid development with another strong showing.

What does it mean for the standings? 

Manchester and Copleston both narrowed the gap at the top of their respective WEABL Conferences, further laying the foundations for what should be an explosive second half to the season in both competitions.

Oaklands' blow-out win takes them into a tie with Itchen for second place in the EABL South, and that battle plus the duo's clashes with Barking should provide some blockbuster viewing over the coming months.

View the EABL Standings

View the WEABL Standings

W/EABL Playoff Structures

Player-of-the-week candidates 

With a limited sample size for this week's awards, Player of the Week nods will be given but Team of the Week accolades will have to wait.

Oaklands have a number of candidates to choose from, with five players all notching 20+ efficiency outings.

Daniel Kostadinov's 30 points led the scoring charts along with big double-doubles from Gavin Mitchell (17pts, 21reb, 8ast), Liam McIntosh (21pts, 11reb) and Dylan Gladstone (23pts, 14reb).

Tristan McIntosh (17pts, 5ast) also starred off the Wolves bench to round their choices out, with Matthew Liddamore (22pts, 4reb) proving to be the main source of resistance for Copleston on a tough afternoon at the office.

In the WEABL, Copleston's win came courtesy of 18 points, seven-rebounds, four-assists and four-steals from Kaiya Bateman, as captain Maisie Keyes (16pts, 8reb, 6ast) and guard Angel Whyte (15pts, 6ast, 4stl) also chipped in.

Forward Holly Ensoll (12pts, 19reb, 9blk) was close to a remarkable triple-double, falling just one block short of what would have been a stunning accolade.

Sharliyah Sutherland (11pts, 10reb) led the way for Barking in defeat.

Watch out for the winner on our social channels, with the announcement going live on Friday at 12pm for the EABL, and 2pm for the WEABL.

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Main image credit - Toby Gastaldi-Davies