1986–87 National Basketball League season

The 1986–87 Carlsberg National Basketball League season was the fifteenth and last season of the National Basketball League formed in 1972.[1]

1986–87 National Basketball League season
LeagueNational Basketball League
SportBasketball
Number of teams13
Roll of Honour
National League championsPortsmouth
  National League runners-upKingston Kings
Play Off's championsBCP London
  Play Off's runners-upKingston Kings
National Cup championsKingston Kings
  National Cup runners-upPortsmouth
National Basketball League seasons

The league was sponsored by Carlsberg for the third consecutive year. Portsmouth won the first division league title, Kingston Kings claimed the Play Off's & Crystal Palace lifted the National Cup for the seventh time in their history.[2] Team Walsall (formerly Team Sandwell) won the second division. This would be the last National League season because the top English and Scottish teams would breakaway and form the British Basketball League.

Team changes

edit

The first division was reduced to thirteen teams following two mergers.[3] Manchester United and Manchester Giants merged at the end of April 1986 and agreed to take the name Manchester United and play in Stretford. The second merger came four months later at the beginning of September 1986 when Crystal Palace and Brunel Uxbridge & Camden Ducks joined forces with fixtures being split between the Crystal Palace Sports Centre and Brunel University. In between the two mergers the Nissan Worthing Bears and Tyneside Basketball Club both folded. The EBBA admitted two new teams in the form of Calderdale Explorers and Derby Rams from the second division.

Carlsberg League standings

edit

First Division

edit
Pos Team P W L F A Pts
1 HFS Portsmouth 24 21 3 2393 2089 42
2 Team Polycell Kingston Kings 24 21 3 2530 2158 42
3 Sharp Manchester United 24 19 5 2282 2010 38
4 Brunel Crystal Palace London 24 17 7 2311 2151 34
5 Leicester Riders 24 16 8 2438 2340 32
6 Happy Eater Bracknell Pirates 24 11 13 2264 2303 22
7 Calderdale Explorers 24 10 14 2180 2216 20
8 Alphaprint Hemel Hempstead Watford Royals 23 8 15 2281 2341 16
9 Birmingham Bullets 24 8 16 2167 2227 16
10 Reg Vardy Sunderland 76'ers 24 7 17 2246 2448 14
11 Draper Tools Solent Stars 24 7 17 2245 2431 14
12 Home Spare Bolton & Bury Hawks * 23 6 17 1944 2199 11
13 BPCC Derby Rams 24 4 20 2056 2424 8
  • Hemel v Bolton fixture not played and Bolton were deducted one point

Second Division

edit
Pos Team P W L F A Pts
1 Team Walsall 18 15 3 1907 1647 30
2 Oldham Celtics 18 15 3 2071 1575 30
3 Just Rentals Rhondda 18 14 4 2205 1954 28
4 CBS Centurions Colchester 18 12 6 1721 1705 24
5 Lambeth TopCats 18 11 7 1689 1622 22
6 TF Group Cleveland Comets 18 10 8 1793 1828 20
7 Tower Hamlets 18 5 13 1670 1779 10
8 Plymouth Raiders 18 4 14 1731 1844 8
9 Swindon Rakers 18 3 15 1555 2010 6
10 Ellesmere Port Jets 18 1 17 1610 1988 2

Carlsberg playoffs

edit

Quarter-finals

edit
Team 1 Team 2 Score
Portsmouth Hemel Hempstead Watford Royal 2-0
Kingston Kings Calderdale Explorers 2-1
Manchester United Bracknell Pirates 2-1
Brunel Crystal Palace London Leicester Riders 2-1

Semi-finals

edit
venue & date Team 1 Team 2 Score
Apr 03, Wembley Arena Portsmouth Brunel Crystal Palace London 102-106
Apr 03, Wembley Arena Kingston Kings Manchester United 111-80

Third Place

edit
venue & date Team 1 Team 2 Score
Apr 04, Wembley Arena Portsmouth Manchester United 99-89

Final

edit
4 April 1987[4]
BCP London 9682 Kingston Kings
Pts: Julio Politi (MVP) 28, Dale Roberts 22, Brian Kellybrew 17, Mickey Bett 16, Paul Stimpson 12 Pts: Danny Davis 18, Martin Clark 15, Steve Bontrager 13, Colin McNish 12, Kenny Scott 11, Doug Lloyd 11
Wembley Arena
Attendance: ?
BCP London Coach David Last
Kingston Coach Kevin Cadle

Prudential National Cup

edit

Second round

edit
Team 1 Team 2 Score
Derby Rams Brunel Crystal Palace 73-90
Tower Hamlets Hemel Hempstead Watford Royals 95-117
Oldham Celtics Calderdale Explorers 95-115
Portsmouth Lambeth Topcats 121-81
Plymouth Raiders Solent Stars
Bracknell Pirates
Manchester United Leicester Riders 113-111
Kingston Kings TF Group Cleveland 122-64

Quarter-finals

edit
Team 1 Team 2 Score
Hemel Hempstead Watford Royals Portsmouth 99-127
Brunel Crystal Palace Calderdale Explorers 81-94
Solent Stars Manchester United 85-88
Kingston Kings Bracknell Pirates 113-102

Semi-finals

edit
Venue & Date Team 1 Team 2 Score
Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Nov 30 Calderdale Explorers Portsmouth 77-81
Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Nov 30 Kingston Kings Manchester United 95-86

Final

edit
Live Channel 4
15 December 1986[5]
Kingston Kings 9587 Portsmouth
Pts: Danny Davis 21, Colin McNish 20, Doug Lloyd 14, Kenny Scott 14, Steve Bontrager 14, Martin Clark 10 Pts: Alan Cunningham 20, Danny Williams 18, Mike Spaid 16 Karl Tatham 14, Joel Moore 13, Steve Nelson 4
Royal Albert Hall, London
Attendance: 4,500
Kingston Coach Kevin Cadle
Portsmouth Coach Dan Lloyd

British Masters Cup

edit
31 March 1987
Kingston Kings 10382 Murray International Metals Livingston
Pts: Steve Bontrager 26, Kenny Scott 20, Martin Clark 17, Danny Davis 16, Andy Innell 12, Doug Lloyd 8, Colin McNish 4 Pts: Sam Foggin 21, Ralton Way 20, Graeme Hill 15, Lewis Young 12, Bobby Archibald 10, Derek Frame 4
Aston Villa Leisure Centre
Attendance: ?
Kingston Coach Kevin Cadle
Livingston Coach ?

References

edit
  1. ^ Matthews & Morrison, Peter & Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records & Results. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0-85112-492-5.
  2. ^ "Men's Senior League Winners". Basketball England.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ ""Clubs join forces." Times [London, England] 4 Sept. 1986". The Times Digital Archive.
  4. ^ "Nicholas Harling. "London triumph against the odds." Times [London, England] 6 Apr. 1987". The Times Digital Archive.
  5. ^ "Nicholas Harling. "Portsmouth rally in vain." Times [London, England] 16 Dec. 1986". The Times Digital Archive.

See also

edit