BCB TROPHY PREVIEW: HOLDERS IN ACTION AGAINST A STRONG HEMEL STORM SIDE

The BCB Trophy continues this weekend, with the reigning champions beginning their campaign.

The City of Birmingham Rockets tip off their season with a tough test, while the Essex Rebels are also in action for the first time in another bumper week of action.

Trophy summary

• Holders Birmingham open their season against a formidable Storm side
• Essex Rebels one of many sides facing tough double-header weekends

Preview

The City of Birmingham Rockets host the Hemel Storm on Sunday, as they start their defence of the BCB Trophy.

The Rockets have kept their core group, with Ronald Blain, Zack Powell, Eric Donaldson, and Lucas McGregor among others returning this season. But they go up against a Storm side, who won their opening encounter against Loughborough Riders on the opening day, with Ty Nsangu the star of the show with 30 points and 20 rebounds.

Another team looking to start their season on a positive note is the Essex Rebels, who square off against Worthing Thunder on Saturday, followed by a trip to the Portsmouth Force the next day.

It will be a challenging weekend for the Rebels, who go up against a Thunder side that overcame the Force last weekend, but were given a fright by the NBL Division 2 side in the game’s opening stages.

Worthing also have a weekend double-header, hosting a London Cavaliers side on Sunday, eager to get to winning ways after a road loss to Aldermore Reading Rockets. For the Berkshire outfit, they continue their Trophy adventures against the Force on Saturday.

Another side with a two-game slate this weekend is Loughborough, as they face an Oaklands Wolves side on Saturday, who gave the MK Breakers a tough challenge before falling to defeat. The Riders and Breakers will square off on Sunday.

Up north, for the Yorkshire Dragons, it was a mixed first week of action, as they fell to the Newcastle Knights before bouncing back against Signs Express Falkirk Fury after a period of overtime. They will look to pile pressure on the Derby Trailblazers, who lost in a heartbreaker last weekend at the Nottingham Hoods.

The two games last week, though, showcased the talents of newcomer Greg Wild, especially in the game against the Fury, as he landed Team of the Week honours for his 33-point effort.

Before that for the Fury, they host the Newcastle Knights, with Mark Elderkin’s side looking to build on their hard-fought opening day win against the Dragons.

The NBL clubs will hope to keep making a name for themselves in the BCB Trophy this weekend. The only side to pick up a win was the Gloucester City Kings. They will look to keep their strong form going when they take on the Bristol Flyers II, followed by a home game against the Cardiff Met Archers.

The Flyers will then travel to Plymouth to face the Raiders on Sunday to wrap up the second week of action.