Everton Tigers have announced that power forward Dzaflo Larkai has left the club with immediate effect.

The 28 year old from London has activated a clause in his contract and has accepted an offer from Japan for the rest of the season.

Larkai had become a firm fans favourite after a string of impressive performances so far this season but despite the Tigers best efforts he has decided to continue his career away from Merseyside.

Head coach Tony Garbelotto said: “We’re naturally disappointed that Dzaflo has decided to take the option to move away to Japan, especially at this stage of the season; but I guess this is a reflection of how highly he is regarded by another league.”

“He has been an important part of the team, despite his injury before Christmas, but with James Jones back to fitness, and Kevin Bell not too far away, I’m confident we can keep the momentum of our season going. We will be reviewing our options to strengthen our squad, to make sure we can still be in contention as the battle for play-off positions builds up.”

He continued, “I’d like to thank Flo for the great service he has given the Tigers and wish him all the best in his new team and in the future.”

Worcester Wolves sent a statement out to the rest of league about their Playoff ambitions, as they overcame Everton Tigers yesterday, 67-76 at The Echo Arena, and Airwaves Plymouth Raiders 84-80, on their home court on Saturday night. In the win over Raiders, the University of Worcester side made an astounding thirteen three pointers, in their first victory over the South Coast outfit, who have now lost five games on the bounce.

In the Everton game, a 9-0 burst at the very start, was all Paul James side needed to gain control of the game, as the Tigers struggled to put the ball in the basket, which led to them being 12-18 down after the first ten minutes.

The second quarter was a similar story, as the Wolves led by nine points for most of the way, thanks to the play of American floor general Rod Middleton (PICTURED LEFT) and the period ended 28-31 to Worcester.

Despite Everton pulling it back to within two at 33-35, a 10-0 burst for Worcester, including threes from Middleton and Daniel Gilbert put them into a comfortable position again. The third quarter subsequently ended with the Wolves being 48- 55 up, and they then closed out the game from the free throw line after a valiant effort from Everton in the final period, to win 67-76.

However, James said that his side made hard work of the result: We made it hard for ourselves. He said: I m trying to develop a killer instinct into my players so we can turn winning positions into actual wins. Tonight we had a 16 point lead with less than seven minutes left, but our indiscipline let them into the game and we had to hang on to get the win.

As the Wolves secured two wins, PAWS London Capital had the opposite, as they lost 112-66 to Newcastle Eagles on Friday evening, and 85-52 to Guildford Heat two nights later. The Raiders also had a similar fate, as the loss against Wolves was followed by a tight 75-79 defeat against Essex, who were also beaten 83-95 by Everton on Saturday evening. Conversely, Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders went 1-1, as a 100-86 defeat to Sheffield Sharks was followed by a 100-85 win over Marshall MK Lions. To their credit though, the Lions bounced back with a dramatic 70-71 win over Cheshire Jets, as Milton Keynes tough defence prevented Cheshire big man Colin O Reilly getting off a quality shot attempt with 4.3 seconds left in the game.

Rounding off the weekend s results is a game Worthing Thunder will want to forget, as they were convincingly beaten 106-68 by Glasgow Rocks, north of the border.

AND THIS TIME IT'S SUPERLEAGUE NETBALL

MIKE SHAFT BLOG TO FOLLOW

It was as you were at the top of the BBL Championship table after the two games on Friday night ended with victories for the top two sides in the League as both the Sheffield Sharks and the Newcastle Eagles picked up victories over the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders and PAWS London Capital respectively as their quest for the title continued in earnest.

Sheffield were made to work extremely hard by the Riders, but they eventually came away with a 100-86 victory at the EIS, Sheffield. The Riders had lead for the majority of the game and led by a point at 64-65 heading into the final stanza.

In the final period, the Sharks began to take control of the game as the sides were locked in a fierce battle with the Sharks leading 73-71 midway through the period.

After this point, the home side took full control thanks to a 16-2 burst to take the score out to 89-73 with less than three minutes remaining. A further 9-2 Sharks tear made the game safe for the home side and maintained their two-point advantage at the top of the table.

The Eagles kept up the pressure on the Sharks but had to work a little less hard as they ran out convincing 112-66 winners over the London Capital at the Metro Radio Arena.

After the visitors had taken an early 16-17 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Eagles stormed back into the game and stamped their authority onto the game as they continually pressured their visitors into mistakes and capitalised on them.

The home side enjoyed their biggest lead of the game at 48 points at 112-64 in the closing stages as they demonstrated their superiority and kept up their chase towards the top spot of the BBL Championship table.

One of the highlights of Friday's and Saturday's games will almost certainly be the clash between Marshall MK Lions, and Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders on Saturday night, at John Sandford Sports Centre. The Riders will want to put right the 67-89 beating that the Lions handed them back in October, and both teams come into the game off the back of victories. Lions' owner-coach Vince Macaulay said he is excited at the prospect of facing a side who he claims are going through a transition.

Having parted company with starting point guard Tack Minor just before the Christmas break, the Riders have returned the athletic Duane James as his replacement, and after a set of mixed results, picked up a morale boosting 87-92 win over Guildford Heat last Sunday.

Macaulay said on the East Midlands leading franchise: "Against the Riders this Saturday we have to be wary as they are going through a transition, they have lost a very good player and are once again trying to find their identity." He also said that the fact that former Lion Tony Windless features in the Riders side, will add some spice to the game: "I expect a tough encounter" he added: "Whilst we have more size than they do I feel, but with ex-Lion Tony Windless in the side, they will be fired up."

Leicester boss Rob Paternostro, took his hat off to the performance of his bench players last weekend, in two key wins, as the Riders beat Essex Pirates on Saturday night prior to the Guildford trip: I thought two games in a row our bench of Aaron Westbrooks, Tony Windless, Duane James, and Barry Lamble played very well he said: "Our depth is one of our strengths and on Sunday we were able to play all nine guys for fifteen minutes or more."

Another double header confronts Leicester this week, as before they welcome Milton Keynes to their home court; they must make the trip to Sheffield Sharks on Friday night, as they look to avenge their BBL Cup Semi Final aggregate loss to the Yorkshire based club.

Another team looking for revenge will be PAWS London Capital, as they bid to cause an upset against Newcastle Eagles on Friday evening, whilst two of Team GB coaching staff meet once again, as Tony Garbelotto (Everton Tigers coach) and Tim Lewis (Essex Pirates boss), take their men into battle at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre on Saturday evening. Despite Airwaves Plymouth Raiders having won eleven of their thirteen games against Worcester Wolves, the West Midlanders had the last laugh with an 83-85 BBL Trophy First Round defeat of Plymouth, so revenge appears to be the theme this weekend, as the Raiders will try to make up for last time against the Wolves.

SHEFFIELD HATTERS HEAD COACH VANESSA ELLIS IS DELIGHTED AS
HER TEAM TRIUMPHS ONCE AGAIN AT THE NATIONAL CUP FINALS

READ THE ENGLAND BASKETBALL REPORT HERE

SEE THE FIBA STATS & BOX SCORE HERE

SHEFFIELD HATTERS WESITE

READ ABOUT THE WOMEN'S GAME HERE

ALL TIME WINNERS WOMEN'S NATIONAL CUP

REGGIE BRATTON IS MOLTEN 'PLAYER OF THE MONTH'

Sheffield Sharks player-coach Atiba Lyons is the Molten BBL 'Coach of the Month', for the second time this season whilst Worthing Thunder guard Reggie Bratton has scooped the Molten BBL 'Player of the Month Award' for January.

Atiba Lyons has continued to enjoy his second season in the coaching game, as player-coach to the Sharks, and he coached them to a 5-1 record over the month of January, the highlight being a BBL Cup crown, thanks to an 89-86 victory over Cheshire Jets.

Lyons said: I am pleased to receive this award, and it's a great reflection on the team's consistency and continuing positive attitude. It s important that we keep playing together in order to do well."

The BBL Molten Player of the Month is Reggie Bratton, (PICTURED LEFT) who signed straight out of college to the Thunder this year.

Bratton has taken the BBL by storm, having just overtaken last month s Molten BBL Player of the Month, Mike Cook, in scoring. He currently averages 26.5 points per game, and over the month of January, averaged 24.33 points per outing, in 34 minutes per game for Dave Titmuss side.

Titmuss said the following on this accolade being awarded to one of his star players: I am delighted for him; he has clearly established himself in this league. For somebody coming from a Division Two school into the professional game, it shows the commitment and professionalism that he has, which is no doubt a big part of why he has won this award.

The veteran coach also emphasised the influence that the 6 4 shooting guard has on the boards: Although it is his scoring that gets him noticed, I think that his rebounding has been underestimated he had eleven rebounds against Sheffield on Saturday for example he added.

It was a night of changes in the top positions in the BBL Championship as the Sheffield Sharks returned to the summit of the table and the Marshall MK Lions leapfrogged the Glasgow Rocks into third position thanks to victories over the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders and Everton Tigers respectively on Friday evening.

After spending 24 hours in second place, the Sharks returned back to the top of the table after a comfortable 107-81 victory over the Raiders at the EIS, Sheffield. After a close opening, ten points from Todd Cauthorn helped the home side into an early advantage at 24- 20 and the home side never looked back.

Sheffield Sharks went from strength-to-strength as the game progressed and a 16-2 burst in the third period handed the Sharks their biggest lead of the game at 82-51 midway through the quarter. The Raiders tried valiantly to get themselves back into the game, but to no avail as the Sharks held on for the comfortable victory.

At the Greenbank Academy, the MK Lions picked up an important 91-107 victory over the Tigers on Friday night. After a close opening quarter in which there were a number of lead changes, a pair of 10-2 bursts at the start and end of the second quarter broke the game open in the visitors favour as they took the score out to 38-51 heading into the half-time break.

The Tigers tried valiantly to get themselves back into the game in the second half, but the Lions, especially Frank Holmes who ended the game with a 29 point haul, were able to hold off the onslaught and secured the victory from the foul-line in the closing stages.

Newcastle Eagles 96 (23,59,85) (Chapman 29, Smith 19, Defoe 16)
Airwaves Plymouth Raiders 80 (15,37,60) (Horton 18, Valencia 18, Lasker 17)

Newcastle Eagles moved back to the top of the BBL table with a comfortable 96-80 home win against Airwaves Plymouth Raiders.

Eagles have a two point lead over second placed Sheffield Sharks, but have played two games more. The defeat for Raiders sees them slip below Worcester Wolves into eleventh place.

An 11-2 start to the match, with Lynard Steward (pictured above) prominent, set the tone for a sharp Eagles performance. A Joe Chapman (pictured left) three made it 21-13 and a Charles Smith two ended the first quarter 23-15 in the home team's favour.

Chapman broke the match open with four threes as Eagles went ahead by 20 (42-22). The American had 16 points in the second quarter on his way to a game- high 29 points.

After leading 59-37 at half time Eagles continued to stretch away in the third quarter. Darius Defoe (16 points, 12 boards) was to the fore as Newcastle entered the final stanza 85-60 up.

The lead allowed Newcastle to run their bench in the fourth quarter as a Raiders side without Matt Hilleary reduced the final deficit with a 20-11 period.

Eagles January signing Flinder Boyd, who has only had two training sessions with his new club, watched from the bench but didn't take part.

For some years now I have been contemplating the possibility of publishing a master list of every player, past and present to have played in the BBL.

I fully realize that this list will never be complete and names will be added as I am made aware of them. The fact that someone's name isn't as yet on the list does not imply that they are less important than anyone else. This always will be a work in progress.

If you know of players I am missing, and there are thousands, then please drop me your list by e-mail, including the teams played for. I will be delighted to include them.

Further, if you are a player who has played in the BBL even for just 1 game, then please let me know.

(e-mail Mike Shaft here)

Later

Mike S

Worthing Thunder finished the weekend off in style this time, as they overcame Worcester Wolves via a dramatic 82-83 climax after a tense overtime period. Whilst Frenchman Harry Disy led the Wolves with 22 points, Devin Smith had 16 points, and American guard duo Daniel Gilbert and Rod Middleton had 15 points each for the home side. It was Reggie Bratton however, who led all scorers in the game, with 30 points, Sherrad Prezzie-Blue had 16 points, and Evaldas Zabas put up 14 points against his former club.

This was the second win of the weekend for Dave Titmuss' side, as they also beat Essex Pirates 85-90 on Saturday evening. It completed a miserable weekend for the Pirates, who also lost 101-77 to Sheffield Sharks on Friday evening. The Wolves, on the other hand, will want to forget this weekend, as they surrendered 92-71 against Newcastle Eagles, also on Friday.

After Bratton's three pointer rimmed out with 2 seconds left to send the game into overtime with the scores tied at 74-74, it was the visitors who started the stronger in the extra period, as they stretched out to a 76-79 lead. However, the home side came straight back into the game, a Disy free throw putting them ahead 82-81. They also stepped up the pressure defensively, but Worthing went ahead again through a Bratton three pointer with 18 seconds left, so that the score line read 82-83. The Wolves had one last opportunity to win the game, but Gilbert's long-range effort was unsuccessful and the Thunder held on for the all-important victory.

Elsewhere in the league on Sunday, Newcastle Eagles managed without player-coach Fabulous Flournoy, to beat PAWS London Capital 64-88. This was the second defeat of the weekend for London, as they also went down 62-106 to Everton Tigers, who bounced back from losing 87-98 to Cheshire Jets on Friday evening. On Sunday, the Jets defeated Guildford Heat 97-74, and Glasgow Rocks completed a double-winning weekend with a hard fought 75-83 victory over Airwaves Plymouth Raiders. They had also convincingly beaten Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders the night before in the East Midlands 66-87.

ICEMAN SUPOLA NAILS A TRIPLE ON THE BUZZER

MIKE SHAFT BLOG

There were wins for the top two teams in the BBL Championship on Friday night, as well as for both of the finalists in last Sunday's BBL Cup Final.

The league-leaders and Cup winners, the Sheffield Sharks, overpowered the Essex Pirates by 101-77, despite an extender delay in the game after Tafari 'TAP' Toney broke a basket with an almighty dunk. The GB international went on to deliver a double double of 22 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots, but it was Mike Cook who led all scorers with 28 for the Sharks.

The Pirates kept it tight through the first half, but were undone by runs of 9-4 and 8-2 in the third stanza that helped the score out to 65-48, from where they couldn't recover. Tanner Adu had a solid nightfor the Pirates going 8 for 17 for his 22 points.

The Newcastle Eagles remain just one win behind the Sharks after beating the resurgent Worcester Wolves by 92-71 in the North East, behind 31 points from Joe Chapman.

Chapman was the game-changer as, approaching half-time, he hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer that helped the Eagles recover from a deficit to take a 40- 39 lead into the second half. They never looked back and really stretched their wings with a dominant fourth quarter in which they scored 31 points.

Elsewhere, the Cheshire Jets recovered from their BBL Cup Final defeat to overcome their local rivals the Everton Tigers, courtesy of a stunning second half.

They were trailing by 18 at the half way point, but held the Tigers to just three points in four minutes as they narrowed the gap to six by the end of the third. Then Chez Marks scored 15 and O'Reiily added 9 in the fourth quarter as they overturned the deficit by outscoring their hosts 31-14 in the final stanza. Dzaflo Larkai led Everton with 19, but all eyes were on new signing Trey Moore who started his Everton career with 19 points

Everton Tigers are delighted to announce that BBL MVP Trey Moore will make his debut for the club tonight against his former club, the Cheshire Jets. A delighted Tony Garbelotto said, "Trey has made a huge impact on the BBL in recent years and he is a player that we have all been watching."

He continued, "His score sheet proves his strengths - averaging in excess of 20 points per game throughout his two seasons with Cheshire Jets and helping both the Jets and the Eagles to collect silverware.

THE GOSPEL SHOW...WOW Each Sunday morning between 6 and 7, BBC Radio Manchester presents The Gospel Hour, presented by Mike Shaft. This programme features the best in Gospel music from both sides of the Atlantic and includes artists like BEBE & CECE Winans, Karen Clark Sheard and The Tommies. See every playlist for the show so far - HERE

COMMONWEALTH GAMES I am not sure how it first started but it was back in 1994 that I fell in love with the Commonwealth Games. Those games were held in Victoria Canada and I had the great pleasure of attending for the first ever time. Since then I have been involved with the Manchester Games and attended the Melbourne Games in Australia. Read my Commonwealth Games story - HERE