Sheffield Sharks bring the house down with thumping of Newcastle Eagles in thrilling Canon Medical Arena debut

Playing in front of a sellout crowd at their brand new Canon Medical Arena, the Sharks rose to the occasion, thumping their long-time British Basketball League rivals Newcastle Eagles 86-56.

Given all the build-up to their first game in an arena they had been lobbying hard for for almost a decade, and in front of a crowd of 2,000 containing a number of new faces to sell their brand and the sport of basketball to, it would have been no surprise had the Sharks suffered a little stage fright and fallen flat.

But there was no such concern from the moment Devearl Ramsey lobbed up the first two points to the last bucket sunk by fan favourite Kipper Nichols, Sharks produced a crowd-pleasing turn to mark the opening of their £14m arena in the most explosive of sporting fashions.

For head coach Atiba Lyons, who is also director of the club and of the arena, it was a heartening performance on an emotional day.

“It’s real, it’s here now. All the commitment, all our hard work, it’s paid off,” he said.

“When we got here the arena was shaking. To see families, kids, and junior Sharks players all here, was fantastic. It’s all building now and it’s a memory I won’t forget.”

For co-owner and chairman Yuri Matischen, who founded the club back as the Sheffield Forgers in 1991 and had been dreaming of this moment for much of that time, the big day exceeded expectations.

“The performance, the show, the sellout - amazing,” said Matischen, who eventually found the key to unlock the door to an arena with private investment from Canon Medical and The Living Care Group.

“This is why we wanted to build our own arena.

“We knew how powerful this sport could be. The day had everything; families, TV, music, baskets.

“It’s everything we could have hoped for and more. The challenge now is to do this consistently week in, week out.”