The organisers of the inaugural Cambodia Basketball Challenge have decided to put on hold the two semifinal matches and the championship game until the first week of November.

A CBC match commissioner told the Post yesterday that a new schedule and fresh dates for these matches will be released soon.

After an eight-week solid run, the October 13 semifinals – Sabay Salty Crabs v CCPL Heat and Raid-Alaxan FR v Banzai Dragons – were postponed by a week due to the Pchum Ben holiday.

The second delay is because of the week of national mourning declared by the Royal government as the country pays respects to King Father Norodom Sihanouk, who passed away in Beijing on Monday morning.

Originally scheduled to end on October 20, the near month-long delay has forced the CBC organisers to factor in the availability of the Beeline Arena in drawing up new dates for the event.

The odds favour the Crabs and Raid-Alaxan, the top two in the league standings, to step up to the title round.

But, true to their name, the Heat have generated a lot of it on the back of their gritty win in the playoffs, while Banzai Dragons have the wind behind them following their resurgent run.

To contact the reporter on this story: H S Manjunath at [email protected]