We are ready for one of our biggest nights of the season tomorrow and I have high hopes we will be at full strength.

The players have gradually been stepping up the pace in practice and Ralph Blalock looks like he will be fit to return after his two-game injury absence.

Ralph has been getting involved in practice. I asked him before yesterday's session how he felt on a scale of one to ten and he said eight. After practice he said seven but it is better than he expected.

This will be a big night for the Bears both on and off the court but I don't agree with people who think we and Sheffield Sharks are playing for the BBL title right now.

People have been saying Chester are out of the running after their defeat at London Towers last weekend. Well, as I see it, we still have a three-horse race for the title, even though two of the three have pulled away just a little bit.

There is not as big a gap between the top two and Chester as you might think. Chester have the advantage in the head to heads and ourselves and Sheffield could yet drop a couple of games.

We had a light session to start the week, just doing some shooting and weights. I wanted to let the guys take it easy and obviously not pick up any more injuries. In particular, Randy Duck, Mike Brown and Sterling Davis all needed rest. Yesterday and today I was looking more closely at the task in hand.

Sheffield are in a really good rhythm with their big win at Birmingham on Saturday and we are kind of out of sync. In this league, though, these things tend to change week to week and I certainly hope that is the case this time.

We tend to play well at home and the crowd help us. I expect you to all be there on your feet making a noise. This is a great chance to see two of the best teams in England and there are plenty of things to look out for as you enjoy the game.

The main one is the defence being played by both sides. Sheffield play a very tough, in-your-face style of defence. They do a lot of grabbing and holding and you will see a lot of tough man-to-man marking.

Sheffield and ourselves are the best two defensive teams in the league and it is no coincidence to see us occupying the top two places in the table. Every possession will be fiercely contested and the team that makes the most of its opportunities will come through the victor.

It will be an even busier night than usual for our off-the-court team. We have introduced a special hospitality package for this game, including pre-match buffet, and this will be fully booked, just showing the attraction of tomorrow's game.

You can't beat a big night of ball at the Brighton Centre. I know there is some concern as to our future at the venue. As yet I have not to spoken to anyone about this but I would hope our desires and needs for a prime venue in the city are taken into consideration by planners. We are an important player in the community.

We were delighted to come back with a win from Newcastle last Friday. We took about eight hours to get there. The trip back was made a lot better by our win and we got in at about 4.30am.

Trips like that are no real fun for the guys. We saw a lot of college basketball on video as we travelled north and some movies on the way back. I can't even remember what the last two movies were. It was that sort of trip. I know one thing. It's great to be back home.

Go Bears