Super League Basketball Championship
The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks keep finding a way to win! Next up for Atiba and the guys is a trip to the Cheshire Oaks Arena where the Sharks have played out many a tussle with the home town Cheshire Phoenix. It’s a noisy gym and the ‘Nix like to play an offensive-minded brand of basketball so another great game is on the cards. The Sharks On Tour will be in full force but if you can’t make it, you can catch the game live and for free on DAZN as usual. Will the Sharks go 4-1 or will Cheshire get their second win of the season. You cannot miss this one!
Sunday – Phoenix v Sharks – Cheshire Oaks Arena – 5.30pm
Watch - https://www.dazn.com/en-GB/fixture/ContentId:12c0tjlgiwgoi3vinloxz46ra0/12c0tjlgiwgoi3vinloxz46ra0
Ones To Watch
Skyler White – Back for another season is the Cheshire skipper with the famed three point shot. Only successful once in seven attempts in the ‘Nix last game against Caledonia but his 11 points added to a big team win in the end.
Laquincy Rideau – Trophy winner with the Phoenix back in January 2024 who put 25 on London Lions to take silverware back to the North West. Point guard who likes to get downhill, he contributed 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in only 20 minutes as Cheshire defeated Caledonia by 108-96 last time out.
Patrick Robinson – New to the guard spot in Ellesmere Port this season, Robinson shot 62% from the field as well as claiming 5 boards and 7 assists to finish with 14 points in the team-based win over the Gladiators.
Michael Diggins – Had an exquisite shooting night against Caledonia. Was perfect from three point territory and the line as he recorded a very useful 16 points against the Scots. Six boards and an assist also saw him with Cheshire’s leading efficiency rating of 19 on the evening.
Last Meeting
May 4th 2025 – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 99 Cheshire Phoenix 82
Shark Bites
This season is the first time the Sharks have won 3 of the first 4 games of the campaign since 2019. It is the fifth time under Coach Atiba Lyons that they have gone 3-1 at the start of the season. In all 5 instances, the loss came in the first game with the subsequent 3 games won. The Sharks best start to the season was in 2011 when the first 5 games were won (during Atiba’s 18 season tenure).
Kevin Allen of Caledonia became the first player to score 25 or more points against the Sharks this season. Last season there were 9 instances of 25 or more being conceded to one player. The only person to do it twice was Mervin James, who will hopefully be able to make his long-awaited debut for the Sharks shortly.
Since Ben Thomas took over the Cheshire coaching role in early 2017, the Sharks and the Phoenix have met 26 times in Championship games with Cheshire winning 14. In all competitions combined in that same timescale, the clubs have played each other in 40 games with Cheshire prevailing in 24 of them.
The Sharks have been visiting the Cheshire Oaks Arena since March 2016 and in a total of 23 games played in that venue, the Sharks have 8 wins. Since 1994, the Sharks have visited Cheshire 71 times and returned home with 37 wins. The first of two trips to Ellesmere Port this month takes place on 12th October, a date on which the Sharks have never lost.
SharkNation
A couple of road games in Cheshire now await your B. Braun Sheffield Sharks. If you are joining the Sharks On Tour, have a great Sunday afternoon in the North West and don’t forget to raise the rafters with the noise! If you can’t make it, don’t forget to hit the link at the top of the page where you can watch the game on DAZN. We’re back at home on Sunday November 2nd when we’ll be trying to seek revenge over Bristol Flyers. You really can’t miss this one so head to https://app.fanbaseclub.com/Fan/Fixtures?fanStoreType=Fixtures&clubId=216 where you can ensure your ticket for the hottest game in town. We’re currently in second but we have our eyes set for the top. It’s time to #FearTheFin!
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Josh Rackham
