Wolves plan to continue success

Going into the last weekend of the regular season Newcastle Eagles had already secured the British Basketball League title. However, the runners-up spot still lay unclaimed, with Worcester Wolves and Sheffield Sharks both in contention. Although Wolves secured a double of successes, at home to Glasgow Rocks and away at Surrey United, Sharks did likewise, in Sheffield versus Manchester and on the road at Plymouth. This means that Wolves and Sharks finished the year with identical 27 wins and six losses records, but that Sharks are awarded the higher placing due to winning the head-to-head decider between the teams.

Consequently, as the third-place finisher, Wolves will now face the league’s sixth-placed side London Lions in the first round of the end-of-season playoffs. The first leg will take place at London’s prestigious Copper Box Arena this Friday (tip off 7.30pm), with the return leg to be played next Sunday 27 April, at the University of Worcester Arena (tip off 3pm).

Wolves’ president Mick Donovan is confident of his club’s playoff chances, and also reflected on what has already been Worcester’s most successful season ever, since joining the BBL in 2006:

“While I’m disappointed not to be BBL champions after being so close, and having such a talented team, I am of course thrilled that we won our first piece of silverware, the BBL Trophy. I think we have a realistic chance of winning the playoffs and believe if all teams play to their best and that includes the current Worcester Wolves – we have the ability to challenge and beat any team.”

This season has seen Wolves make the considerable step up to playing out of the University of Worcester Arena, a move which has seen attendances more than treble. Last September’s opening game at their new venue, against Leicester Riders, attracted a capacity crowd, and there have been several games since where the house-full signs have had to be readied. Donovan is pleased about the progress that has been made off the court as well as on it:

“This really has been a transitional year for the club, in a new venue and with increased home crowds, and in many ways as a club and as a Business, we have been familiarising ourselves with a totally different environment.

“We have witnessed a successful pilot year in the Arena and now need to review all aspects of the club both off the court and on the court, development work with players, and our engagement in the community, and really build upon past practice. We continue to strengthen in many areas and have attracted some really good people to help behind the scenes, whilst also keeping some very valuable people who rarely get noticed, but without whom we would not be achieving what we are doing.”

The other two-legged ties that will begin the playoffs, with all clubs dreaming of a place in the BBL’s showpiece final at Wembley on Sunday 11 May, are: Newcastle Eagles versus neighbours the Durham Wildcats; a war of the roses clash between Sheffield Sharks and Manchester Giants; fourth-placed Leicester Riders taking on the side who rounded out the regular season just one place beneath them, Cheshire Phoenix. All ties will be completed by Sunday, with the home and away semi-finals of the competition taking place the week after. 

With demand already high for tickets for Wolves’ meeting with London, fans wishing to guarantee their seats are advised to visit the club’s website www.worcesterwolves.org