PREVIEW: Gladiatorial contest for Sharks on Friday night

BBL Championship

There’s no ‘Wolf’ and there’s no ‘Jet’ but the Gladiators are in town this Friday evening! The newly-named Caledonia Gladiators (formerly Glasgow Rocks) visit the Tank for their second league encounter, following a midweek match-up with London Lions. Coach Gareth Murray is no longer suiting up but will be influential from the sidelines as the Sharks tackle another double-header. On Sunday, Atiba and the guys head over to Cheshire Phoenix, hoping that the weekend brings the first notch in the ‘W’ column.

Friday – Sharks v Gladiators – Ponds Forge – 7.30pm

Tickets – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks v Caledonia Gladiators – BBL Championship Tickets, Fri 7 Oct 2022 at 19:30 | Eventbrite

Ones To Watch

Darian Adams – The Gladiators played out their first league game in midweek but 6’ 3” guard Adams excelled against Surrey Scorchers in last week’s BBL Cup encounter. He was perfect from inside and from the line for his 19 points as Caledonia advanced to the next round.

Fraser Malcolm – 26 year old Scottish forward who improves year upon year. Contributed 15 points with 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals in the 81-72 Surrey win on very healthy 60% shooting.

Ali Fraser – 6’ 7” experienced forward who was averaging 16.9 points and 4.2 rebounds before injury cut short his campaign last time around. Now back to full fitness with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block in the Scorchers win.

Oscar Baldwin – Making the switch north of the border in 2022 after two seasons in the blue and yellow of the Sharks. A native of Grindleford in the Peak District, he was on court for 5.39 of the Cup game against Surrey coming up with a useful steal and a block.

Last Meeting

May 1^st 2022 – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Wallace 19 Nichols 15 Ratinho 13) 72 Glasgow Rocks (Harris 21 Hillsman 19 Johnson 18) 96

Sunday – Phoenix v Sharks – Cheshire Oaks Arena – 5.30pm

Watch – www.bblplayer.co.uk

Ones To Watch

Tahjai Teague – Forward out of Ball State University, who is a cousin of former London Lion, Marquis Teague. Had a do-it-all game against Newcastle last week with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal for an index of 26.

Jamell Anderson – A second spell at the ‘Nix for GB forward Anderson, who last season suited up for Manchester. Well known for collecting silverware at Leicester Riders, Anderson showed his experience with 13 points and 6 rebounds as Cheshire took down Newcastle by 80-77 last Sunday.

Will Neighbour – Another widely-travelled BBL stalwart now entering his eighth season in the league. Last found in the colours of London Lions, Neighbour has a particularly effective three point shot for a player of his size which presents a danger when he comes off the bench.

Larry Austin – Now installed as the ‘Nix captain after an excellent first season where he poured in 14.3 points per game with 6.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists.

Last Meeting

April 10^th 2022 – Cheshire Phoenix (Wright 17 Bradley 15 Okereafor 15) 71 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Nichols 22 Johnson 16 Glasgow Jr 13) 76

Shark Bites

In 105 previous match-ups in all competitions between the Sharks and the Scottish franchise, the Sharks have 70 wins and have a 57-21 advantage in Championship games.

The Sharks and the former Rocks met 7 times last season with the Sharks winning 4 times. The last 3 games last season between the clubs were all won by the away team.

The Cheshire game on Sunday will be the Sharks 950^th Championship / league / northern conference match in club history.

The Sharks and Cheshire have done battle 127 times in all competitions. The Sharks have 78 wins and Cheshire 49. The Sharks win in the most recent game broke a sequence of 9 consecutive Phoenix wins.

In their 28 season history, the Sharks have never lost their initial 4 games – all competitions included.

SharkNation

Fancy filling the Tank again? The guys would love to see you all packing the seats at Ponds Forge once more as we go in search of that first win. It’s been a tough start but we hope you’ll agree, there will be no stopping these talented Sharks once they get on a roll. Hit the link at the top of the page to secure your spot as we go into combat against the newly-renamed Gladiators! Ellesmere Port is our destination on Sunday as we take on Cheshire Phoenix. We were winners last time out there but if you can’t join us in the North West, check us out on the BBL Player or on the BBL YouTube platform. These Sharks are learning to swim and when they do, they’ll be deadly! Come and check us out! #FearTheFin

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Adam Bates