Riders on the Storm: Basketball

Leicester City Riders have given their coach, Bob Donewald, a new two-year contract until the end of the 1998-9 Budweiser League season and need him to repay that faith on this final weekend of the League campaign by taking the club into the playoff quarter finals.

Riders, currently joint eighth with Derby Storm with a game in hand, must finish two points clear of their East Midlands rivals. If the Storm lose at home to Sheffield Sharks tonight, Riders must either beat Birmingham Bullets this evening or win at Sheffield tomorrow. If Derby beat Sheffield tonight, Donewald's team must win both of their games against clubs who, until last weekend, were challenging for the title.

The top four will have home advantage in the three-game quarter finals, from which four qualify for the finals at Wembley on 3 and 4 May. Birmingham and London Towers are pitching for second place ahead of Sheffield and Chester Jets, while Manchester Giants' 78-60 midweek win over Sheffield guaranteed them sixth place ahead of Newcastle.

The champions London Leopards finished their League programme on Thursday, beating Hemel Royals 109-94.