BBL 2017/18 Season - Weekend Eighteen (26th-28th January)

(Cheshire Phoenix hold aloft the BBL Cup for the first time in their history after defeating Worcester Wolves in Sunday's final, thanks to Cheshire Phoenix for the photo)

Friday 26th January
BBL Championship
Sheffield Sharks 77-72 Manchester Giants
Glasgow Rocks 106-86 Plymouth Raiders

Saturday 27th January
BBL Championship
Bristol Flyers 81-64 London Lions
Leicester Riders 104-82 Surrey Scorchers

Sunday 28th January
BBL Cup Final (at Arena Birmingham)
Worcester Wolves 88-99 Cheshire Phoenix

BBL Championship Standings
1. Leicester Riders Played 16 Won 14 Pct .875 Pts 28
2. Newcastle Eagles Played 16 Won 13 Pct .813 Pts 26
3. Glasgow Rocks Played 19 Won 12 Pct .632 Pts 22
4. London Lions Played 16 Won 10 Pct .625 Pts 20
5. Surrey Scorchers Played 20 Won 10 Pct .500 Pts 20
6. Sheffield Sharks Played 14 Won 9 Pct .643 Pts 18
7. Worcester Wolves Played 15 Won 9 Pct .600 Pts 18
8. Cheshire Phoenix Played 13 Won 7 Pct .538 Pts 14
9. Bristol Flyers Played 15 Won 7 Pct .467 Pts 14
10. Plymouth Raiders Played 18 Won 4 Pct .222 Pts 8
11. Manchester Giants Played 16 Won 2 Pct .125 Pts 4
12. Leeds Force Played 18 Won 1 Pct .055 Pts 2

Friday night saw two BBL Championship encounters, and Manchester Giants almost pulled off a surprise at Sheffield Sharks, however the hosts managed to limp home by five points to take that one.  In the other Friday evening matchup, Glasgow Rocks moved to four points behind second placed Newcastle Eagles after a twenty point win over struggling Plymouth Raiders who remain third bottom.  Their was a surprise scoreline in the Championship on Saturday evening when the London Lions fell to a seventeen point loss at Bristol Flyers whilst in the other Championship game that evening the leaders Leicester Riders saw off fifth placed Surrey Scorchers by 22 points at home to take a two point lead over Newcastle.  And then to Sunday afternoon and the first Cup Final of the season, and it pitted Worcester Wolves against the Cheshire Phoenix at a packed out Arena Birmingham.  Wolves lead 25-21 at the end of the first quarter but at the half Phoenix had battled back to lead 41-40 at the half in what was a terrific final.  Phoenix then started to take control in the third quarter and held a 73-62 lead after three quarters, and they never looked back, eventually running out 99-88 winners and therefore held aloft the first trophy of the campaign.  It was their first ever BBL Cup success and also their first trophy in over a decade so well done to them!!!

Here are next weekends fixtures
Friday 2nd February
BBL Championship
Newcastle Eagles vs London Lions
Sheffield Sharks vs Cheshire Phoenix
Worcester Wolves vs Leicester Riders
Glasgow Rocks vs Bristol Flyers

Saturday 3rd February
BBL Championship
Leicester Riders vs Manchester Giants

Sunday 4th February
BBL Championship
Leeds Force vs Worcester Wolves
Plymouth Raiders vs Sheffield Sharks
Manchester Giants vs Newcastle Eagles

BBL 2017/18 Season - Weekend Seventeen (19th-21st January)

(Riders in action against Flyers, thanks to BBL Official for the photo)

Friday 19th January

BBL Championship

Worcester Wolves 109-75 Manchester Giants

BBL Trophy Quarter Finals

Newcastle Eagles 76-81 Sheffield Sharks

Loughborough Student Riders 73-81 London Lions

Saturday 20th January

BBL Championship

Surrey Scorchers 87-79 Glasgow Rocks

Leicester Riders 86-57 Bristol Flyers

Sunday 21st January

BBL Championship

Leeds Force 62-94 London Lions

Plymouth Raiders 81-95 Glasgow Rocks

Cheshire Phoenix 72-79 Newcastle Eagles

Latest BBL Championship Standings

1. Leicester Riders Played 16 Won 14 Pct .875 Pts 28 

2. Newcastle Eagles Played 16 Won 13 Pct .813 Pts 26 

3. Glasgow Rocks Played 18 Won 11 Pct .611 Pts 22 

4. London Lions Played 16 Won 10 Pct .625 Pts 20 

5. Surrey Scorchers Played 20 Won 10 Pct .500 Pts 20 

6. Worcester Wolves Played 15 Won 9 Pct .600 Pts 18 

7. Sheffield Sharks Played 13 Won 8 Pct .615 Pts 16 

8. Cheshire Phoenix Played 13 Won 7 Pct .538 Pts 14 

9. Bristol Flyers Played 15 Won 7 Pct .467 Pts 14 

10. Plymouth Raiders Played 17 Won 4 Pct .235 Pts 8 

11. Manchester Giants Played 15 Won 2 Pct .133 Pts 4 

12. Leeds Force Played 18 Won 1 Pct .056 Pts 2

Riders and Eagles continued their dominance of the Championship after they both won at the weekend although Eagles did lose their quarter final Trophy tie to Sharks to make it a mixed weekend for the north east side.  In the other quarter final Lions eventually saw off a plucky Student Riders side to make the semis, and the followed that up with a more routine win over bottom side Force in the championship.  The Scorchers recorded a magnificent win over The Rocks on Friday evening, the Glasgow outfit did bounce back though win victory over Raiders on Sunday.  And both BBL Cup finalists warmed up for their clash in Birmingham with differing fortunes, Wolves thrashing the Giants whilst Phoenix had a much tougher assignment and lost to the Eagles, but only by seven points in the end.

This weekends fixtures

Friday 26th January

BBL Championship

Sheffield Sharks vs Manchester Giants

Glasgow Rocks vs Plymouth Raiders

Saturday 27th January

BBL Championship

Bristol Flyers vs London Lions

Leicester Riders vs Surrey Scorchers

Sunday 28th January

BBL Cup Final (at Arena Birmingham)

Worcester Wolves vs Cheshire Phoenix

So this weekend sees the first trophy awarded as the BBL Cup Final takes place at Arena Birmingham.  Wolves won the latest battle against Phoenix a couple of weeks ago in a tight one so expect a decent battle in this one.  

BBL 2017/18 Season - Weekend Sixteen (12th-14th January)

(action from Cheshire Phoenix Vs Worcester Wolves in the Quarters of the BBL Trophy, thanks to Elvisi Dusha for the photo)

Friday 12th January
BBL Championship
London Lions 86-81 Cheshire Phoenix
Newcastle Eagles 89-85 Leicester Riders
Sheffield Sharks 99-94 Surrey Scorchers
Worcester Wolves 91-76 Bristol Flyers

Sunday 14th January
BBL Championship
Glasgow Rocks 125-91 Leeds Force
Surrey Scorchers 86-82 Plymouth Raiders

BBL Trophy Quarter Final
Cheshire Phoenix 90-97 Worcester Wolves

Latest BBL Championship Standings
1. Leicester Riders Played 15 Won 13 Pct .867 Pts 26
2. Newcastle Eagles Played 15 Won 12 Pct .800 Pts 24
3. Glasgow Rocks Played 16 Won 10 Pct .625 Pts 20
4. London Lions Played 15 Won 9 Pct .600 Pts 18
5. Surrey Scorchers Played 19 Won 9 Pct .474 Pts 18
6. Sheffield Sharks Played 13 Won 8 Pct .615 Pts 16
7. Worcester Wolves Played 14 Won 8 Pct .571 Pts 16
8. Cheshire Phoenix Played 12 Won 7 Pct .583 Pts 14
9. Bristol Flyers Played 14 Won 7 Pct .500 Pts 14
10. Plymouth Raiders Played 16 Won 4 Pct .250 Pts 8
11. Manchester Giants Played 14 Won 2 Pct .143 Pts 4
12. Leeds Force Played 17 Won 1 Pct .059 Pts 2

Newcastle Eagles closed the gap to Leicester Riders at the top after they beat them at home on Friday night whilst London Lions continued their revival with a close fought win over Cheshire Phoenix at the Copperbox. Sheffield Sharks edged out Surrey Scorchers in a thriller in the Steel City, whilst Worcester Wolves netted a fifteen point win over Bristol Flyers. The Scorchers did bounce back to record a home win over Plymouth Raiders on Sunday whilst third placed Glasgow Rocks netted 125 points in their victory over bottom side Leeds Force. And finally in a dress rehearsal for the BBL Cup final at the end of the month, Worcester beat Cheshire on the road by seven points in their Quarter Final tie in the BBL Trophy, meaning The Wolves are a win away from reaching both Finals this campaign.

Here are this weekend's fixtures
Friday 19th January
BBL Championship
Worcester Wolves Vs Manchester Giants

BBL Trophy Quarter Finals
Newcastle Eagles Vs Sheffield Sharks
Loughborough Student Riders Vs London Lions

Saturday 20th January
BBL Championship
Surrey Scorchers Vs Glasgow Rocks
Leicester Riders Vs Bristol Flyers

Sunday 21st January
BBL Championship
Leeds Force Vs London Lions
Plymouth Raiders Vs Glasgow Rocks
Cheshire Phoenix Vs Newcastle Eagles 

BBL 2017/18 Season - Weekend Fifteen (5th-7th January)

(Newcastle Eagles in action at the weekend against Bristol Flyers, thanks to BBL for the photo)

Friday 5^th January

BBL Championship

Surrey Scorchers 92-65 Leeds Force

BBL Trophy Quarter Final

Plymouth Raiders 83-90 Leicester Riders

Saturday 6^th January

BBL Championship

Bristol Flyers 80-87 Newcastle Eagles

Leicester Riders 91-82 Worcester Wolves

Sunday 7^th January

BBL Championship

Glasgow Rocks 110-82 Manchester Giants

Leeds Force 83-91 Bristol Flyers

London Lions 81-73 Sheffield Sharks

Plymouth Raiders 70-83 Cheshire Phoenix

Latest BBL Championship Standings

1.       Leicester Riders Played 14 Won 13 Pct .929 Pts 26

2.       Newcastle Eagles Played 14 Won 11 Pct .786 Pts 22

3.       Glasgow Rocks Played 15 Won 9 Pct .600 Pts 18

4.       London Lions Played 14 Won 8 Pct .571 Pts 16

5.       Surrey Scorchers Played 17 Won 8 Pct .471 Pts 16

6.       Cheshire Phoenix Played 11 Won 7 Pct .636 Pts 14

7.       Sheffield Sharks Played 12 Won 7 Pct .583 Pts 14

8.       Worcester Wolves Played 13 Won 7 Pct .538 Pts 14

9.       Bristol Flyers Played 13 Won 7 Pct .538 Pts 14

10.   Plymouth Raiders Played 15 Won 4 Pct .267 Pts 8

11.   Manchester Giants Played 14 Won 2 Pct .143 Pts 4

12.   Leeds Force Played 16 Won 1 Pct .063 Pts 2

Well it was business as usual at the top of the BBL Championship as both Leicester and Newcastle recorded wins, Riders winning at home to Worcester Wolves whilst Eagles beat Bristol on the road, although both games were fairly close affairs.  Riders also made it through to the semi finals of the BBL Trophy after a seven point win on the road at Plymouth Raiders, with the Raiders having a weekend to forget after they also lost at home to Cheshire Phoenix two days later.  Surrey Scorchers leapt into fifth spot after they thrashed a sorry Leeds Force by 27 points whilst the London Lions put a difficult run of form behind them by defeating Sheffield Sharks at the Copperbox to rise to fourth place.  The top two’s closest challengers right now are Glasgow after the Rocks put up 110 against struggling Manchester Giants in Scotland, whilst other league results saw Bristol bounce back to defeat bottom franchise Force although it was a close one as the Flyers only won by eight.

Here are this weekend’s fixtures

Friday 12^th January

BBL Championship

London Lions vs Cheshire Phoenix

Newcastle Eagles vs Leicester Riders

Sheffield Sharks vs Surrey Scorchers

Worcester Wolves vs Bristol Flyers

Sunday 14^th January

BBL Championship

Surrey Scorchers vs Plymouth Raiders

Glasgow Rocks vs Leeds Force

BBL Trophy Quarter Final

Cheshire Phoenix vs Worcester Wolves

BBL 2017/18 Season - Weekend Fourteen (29th December-1st January)

(Action from Surrey Scorchers home game with London Lions on New Years Day, thanks to The Scorchers for the photo) 

Thursday 28^th December

BBL Championship

Plymouth Raiders 83-86 Worcester Wolves

Friday 29^th December

BBL Championship

Glasgow Rocks 76-69 London Lions

Leicester Riders 105-53 Leeds Force

Manchester Giants 85-93 Cheshire Phoenix

Sheffield Sharks 77-81 Newcastle Eagles

Worcester Wolves 81-79 Surrey Scorchers

Monday 1^st January

BBL Championship

Surrey Scorchers 82-80 London Lions

Latest Standings

1.       Leicester Riders Played 13 Won 12 Pct .923 Pts 24

2.       Newcastle Eagles Played 13 Won 10 Pct .769 Pts 20

3.       Glasgow Rocks Played 14 Won 8 Pct .571 Pts 16

4.       Sheffield Sharks Played 11 Won 7 Pct .636 Pts 14

5.       Worcester Wolves Played 12 Won 7 Pct .583 Pts 14

6.       London Lions Played 13 Won 7 Pct .538 Pts 14

7.       Surrey Scorchers Played 16 Won 7 Pct .438 Pts 14

8.       Cheshire Phoenix Played 10 Won 6 Pct .600 Pts 12

9.       Bristol Flyers Played 11 Won 6 Pct .545 Pts 12

10.   Plymouth Raiders Played 14 Won 4 Pct .286 Pts 8

11.   Manchester Giants Played 13 Won 2 Pct .154 Pts 4

12.   Leeds Force Played 14 Won 1 Pct .071 Pts 2

The top two both recorded victories to put further daylight between them and the chasing pack, Leicester Riders still have a four-point lead after a 52-point win over Leeds Force, whilst Newcastle Eagles won a thriller in Sheffield against the Sharks to put a further four points between them and third place.  That defeat for the Sharks allowed Glasgow Rocks to sneak past them into third after they defeated a disappointing London Lions in Scotland on Friday evening, the Lions themselves had an awful weekend as they also lost on the road at The Scorchers in Surrey meaning they now drop to sixth and are only ahead of the Scorchers on Percentage of Wins now, and only two ahead of Cheshire Phoenix and Bristol Flyers in eighth and ninth.  Phoenix themselves managed to win on the road at Manchester Giants at a sold out Trafford Sportsdome whilst Worcester Wolves, fresh from reaching the BBL Cup Final last weekend, won both their games at the weekend, although both were tight against Plymouth Raiders and then Surrey Scorchers, however those four points took them to a season high fifth in the table. 

Next weekends fixtures

Friday 5^th January

BBL Championship

Surrey Scorchers vs Leeds Force

BBL Trophy Quarter Final

Plymouth Raiders vs Leicester Riders

Saturday 6^th January

BBL Championship

Bristol Flyers vs Newcastle Eagles

Leicester Riders vs Worcester Wolves

Sunday 7^th January

BBL Championship

Leeds Force vs Bristol Flyers

London Lions vs Sheffield Sharks

Plymouth Raiders vs Cheshire Phoenix

Glasgow Rocks vs Manchester Giants