Sunset Setback: Revisiting the Cable Beach Invitational

• The Cable Beach Invitational was hosted in Broome, Western Australia in 2012
• Games were played between the Perth Wildcats, Shanghai Sharks, Singapore Slingers and an Indonesian national team
• The tropical open-air conditions led to the cancellation and stoppage of games

The Perth Wildcats are hosting their first-ever International Series in September, where they will play two top-tier Japanese B-League clubs, the Sunrockers Shibuya and the Ryukyu Golden Kings, alongside the South-East Melbourne Phoenix.

This will be the first time in over a decade the Wildcats have hosted Asian clubs in Western Australia for pre-season games.

The last took place up north in tropical Broome, when they hosted the Cable Beach Invitational in 2012. Bringing the Shanghai Sharks, Singapore Slingers and the Indonesian national team to the Queen City of the North.

Shanghai owner and Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming was in attendance for the games, supporting his team on their pre-season trip down under.

The venue was a temporary open-air stadium set up along Cable Beach, with the sun setting over the court as games were meant to be played.

The Wildcats were supposed to play the Slingers on the opening Friday night of the tournament; however, that game was cancelled as the previous game between the Sharks and Indonesia turned into a slip and slide.

“I don’t think anyone thought too much about the humidity on the courts,” Perth captain Jesse Wagstaff said.

Wagstaff, who is entering his 17th season in the NBL this year, played in Broome on those fateful October evenings in 2011. He remembers competing on the court, but maybe he should’ve been wearing ice skates.

“I remember turning up, we had a late afternoon game. [There was a game before] and the court was like an ice rink. It was amazing.”

“They were pushing through. They were battling, sliding on the court and I think that game may have been called off at half time and our game got called off as well.”

Perth went on to play Shanghai in their first and only game of the event the following day. Even after pushing the first game of the day from 6pm to 2pm to avoid the same issues, the humidity and breeze still caused havoc on the hardwood.

The Wildcats won 66-23, holding Shanghai to shocking field goal shooting of just 16 percent and only made seven shots for the entire outing. The Cats dominated them in rebounds (51-30), assists (24-5) and steals (21-11).

Shawn Redhage and Cam Toovey had 11 points each for Perth, with Matt Knight having a nine point, five rebound and five assist performance.

The invitational did return to Broome the following year with no game cancellations. Perth beat all three of their opponents, the Singapore Slingers (62-54), Zhejiang Lions (73-47) and the Shanghai Sharks again (71-37).

After the 2012 installation, the event did not come back.

Being lost in the NBL and Australian basketball’s weird and wonderful archive of events. Wagstaff says the thought of playing games by the sea was great but doesn’t expect anything like it to be replicated.

“Look, it was a really good idea. I remember the court was set up in the parking lot. Great venue on Cable Beach. Phenomenal idea, but perhaps just a bit of bad execution.”

The Perth Wildcats host the International Series inside the Perth High Performance Centre on Friday, September 12 and Sunday, September 14, before the NBL season tips off.

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