Defeat and a postponement stunts Sheffield Sharks' title challenge

First, they went and lost in Manchester on Friday night, an upwardly mobile club, yes, but one that needs to be safely negotiated by teams harbouring hopes of winning a league title.

Then on Sunday they were unable to respond to that setback accordingly when their eagerly-anticipated top-of-the-table clash with London Lions at the Canon Medical Arena was postponed due to heavy snowfall on Saturday night that made access to the venue unsafe.

A new date has yet to be determined.

What was in their control was Friday night in Manchester, a game in which had they won, Sharks would have moved level on a 9-3 (win-loss) record atop the league with the Lions.

As it was, a very slow start – a real bug bear of head coach Atiba Lyons about his Sharks’ teams down the years – returned to haunt Sheffield in a big way.

They were 11 points down midway through the first quarter and as far adrift as 16 in arrears by the time of the half-time buzzer, with only 26 points scored, a worrying low from a team with as much scoring options as the Sharks.

They responded in the third with a couple of Rodney Chatman three-pointers, four free throws from Donovan Clay who was attacking the basket, and some valuable contributions from Prentiss Nixon allied to some tough defence.

But they were still in a seven-point hole when they came out for the fourth quarter and despite pulling to within three in the dying embers, had to settle for a four-point, 76-72 defeat.

Chatman had 23 points, Nixon 22 and Clay 17 (plus 15 rebounds), but it was the lack of scoring beyond that which was surprising.

Only three more players scored a basket and neither Jamell Anderson nor Jacob Groves, both started, had a basket from 11 shots between them.

Sheffield Hatters returned from the break with a thumping 93-57 win at Newcastle Eagles.