Basketball: Coach kept in dark over England's absence

The England coach Laszlo Nemeth has revealed he did not know England Basketball, the sport's governing body, had decided not to enter the senior men's team in the 2005 European Championships, as revealed in Saturday's Independent.

Nemeth, who has been coach for nine years, said: "I got a telephone call from abroad informing me. I did not know the decision was finalised. The deadline [to register the team] was before the Executive Board meeting, so who decided it? I was not even asked or consulted, though I am still the national team coach." The deadline to register was 31 December, but the executive board was told only last weekend that England Basketball cannot afford to enter the team.

Sheffield Sharks opened an eight-point lead at the top of the BBL Championship as closest challengers Brighton Bears and Chester Jets lost on Saturday night. The Sharks followed Friday night's 89-78 win at Milton Keynes Lions by cruising past bottom club Leicester Riders 83-74, while the Jets were losing 94-78 at reviving Birmingham Bullets and the Bears went down 105-101 at home to Edinburgh Rocks.

Chester, the defending champions, were outplayed by a Bullets team without injured point guard Rob Paternostro and back-up Eugene Baah. But forwards Kevin Griffin, 19 points, and Sullivan Phillips, 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, ran the point.

Rocks, whose coach Kevin Wall has said he will leave at the end of the season, capitalised on the absence of injured Randy Duck and Emiko Etete, out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.

Essex Leopards' England international Yorick Williams was taken to hospital on Saturday with a chest injury after their 86-81 defeat at London Towers.