History
The competition was first announced on 13 July 2007 with the inaugural series taking place between Guildford Heat (BBL Cup winners 2006-07) and Plymouth Raiders (BBL Trophy winners 2006-07).
Plymouth Raiders is a professional basketball team based in Plymouth, England. The team compete in the British Basketball League - the country's top basketball competition - and play their home games at the Plymouth Pavilions.
The first leg, which took place on 9 September in Plymouth, saw a tight affair finish 83-77 to the visiting Guildford Heat, despite the Raiders clawing back from an 18-point deficit to take the lead during the third quarter. Another close game in the second leg played in Guildford the following weekend, on 15 September, saw the Guildford Heat defeat the Plymouth Raiders 93-91 and claim the inaugural BBL Cup Winners' Cup 176-168 on aggregate.
The second edition saw Trophy winners Heat competing to retain their crown against the 2008 BBL Cup winners Milton Keynes Lions. The first leg, played in Milton Keynes on 14 September, saw the visitors claim a slender advantage to win 89-91. The second leg, on 19 September, was almost as close and finished 68-60 to the home-court Heat, resulting in a 10-point aggregate victory for the Guildford Heat, who retained the Cup.
The Cup Winners' Cup hasn't been competed for since and thus was only staged twice.
Newcastle Eagles, for sponsorship purposes Esh Group Newcastle Eagles, is a British Basketball League team based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Holding the franchise for Tyne & Wear, they are the most successful team in the league's history. The Eagles moved into their own purpose-built Eagles Community Arena on Friday 11 January 2019 when they hosted the Plymouth Raiders.. Their traditional arch rivals are the Glasgow Rocks, however in recent years a rivalry with the Leicester Riders has also developed.
The Surrey Scorchers are an English professional basketball team based in Guildford, Surrey, that compete in the British Basketball League.
The London Lions are a British professional basketball team based in London, England. The Lions compete in the British Basketball League, the top tier championship of British Basketball. Three time Championship runners-up, the Lions are two time BBL Cup champions. The team was founded in 1977 as the Hemel Hempstead Lakers, and have been based in Hemel Hempstead, Watford and Milton Keynes. Since 2013, the team have played home games at the Copper Box Arena in Stratford, East London.
The 2006–07 season, the 20th since its establishment of the British Basketball League, started on 29 September 2006 when reigning champions Newcastle Eagles began with an 85–83 loss away to Sheffield Sharks.
The 2005–06 season was the 19th season of the British Basketball League, which ran from 23 September 2005 through to 11 April 2006. The season started earlier than usual because of England's participation in the 2006 Commonwealth Games, which took place during the regular season.
The 2004–2005 season was the 18th campaign in the history of the British Basketball League, which commenced on 2 October 2004, and ended with Newcastle Eagles' win in the Play-off Final on 1 May 2005. Eagles won their first piece of silverware in 13 years with victories in the Play-offs and the BBL Trophy, against Brighton Bears on their home court at The Brighton Centre.
Anthony Jerald Dorsey is an American-born British former professional basketball player. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. At a height of 6'7" tall, and a weight of 220 lbs., he played at the power forward and center positions. He was the French League Best Scorer, in 2002.
The 2007–08 season, the 21st since the establishment of the British Basketball League, commenced on 9 September 2007, when the Plymouth Raiders succumbed to the Guildford Heat in the inaugural Cup Winners' Cup competition. The regular season started two weeks later on 21 September with 12 teams including new additions Birmingham Panthers, Everton Tigers and London Capital the later of whom stepped up from EBL Division 1 during the summer. After just one season in the top-flight, London United were forced to drop out due to the loss of its financial backer just weeks before the start of the season.
London Capital, officially called PAWS London Capital in reference to their partnership with PAWS Foundation, were a basketball team based in London, England. The team competed in the British Basketball League for a three-year period in 2007-2010, but were demoted to the second-tier EBL Division 1 following a review of the team's progress both on and off the court. The team were subsequently relegated to Division 2 at the end of the 2011/2012 season, and were withdrawn from the league in October 2013 for "failing to fulfil National League obligations".
The Milton Keynes Lions College Lions, are a basketball academy team from Milton Keynes, England, with all players attending Milton Keynes College.The academy is coached, funded and run by a partnership between Milton Keynes College, and the 'London Lions' professional basketball team, who play in the British Basketball League.
The 2008–2009 season was the 22nd campaign in the history of the British Basketball League (BBL), which commenced on September 14, 2008 with the Cup Winners' Cup. The regular season began a week later with 12 teams competing, though a line-up change saw the Birmingham Panthers withdraw and fold during close season and the inclusion of Worthing Thunder from the English Basketball League.
The 2010–2011 season was the 24th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. This season saw the league reduced to 12 teams with the withdrawal of London Capital during the summer and was the first campaign ever to not feature a club from the capital city London.
The 2011–12 season was the 25th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 11 teams from across England and Scotland, with Durham Wildcats appearing in their first campaign after election from EBL Division 1. The League did not feature two teams from the previous season; Worthing Thunder had stepped down to the EBL, whilst Essex Pirates withdrew just two weeks prior to the season starting due to the loss of a major sponsor. There was also uncertainty regarding the participation of reigning champions Mersey Tigers, who had to postpone their first game due to off-court problems and operational issues.
The 2012–13 season was the 26th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland including a new entrant, the reformed Manchester Giants, who were based on the original franchise of the same name that folded in 2001. East London Royals were due to become the 13th member of the League, but after their financial backing fell through weeks before the start of the season, the League deferred their entry until the 2013–14 season. The pre-season also saw long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocate to London and rebrand itself as the London Lions, whilst Cheshire Jets – encountering severe financial difficulties and threatened with the franchise being dissolved – were saved by campaigning local fans and businessmen and renamed as Cheshire Phoenix midway through the season.
The 2012–13 Surrey Heat season is the franchise's 8th season in the British Basketball League. It's the first season since being renamed as the Surrey Heat, having previously been called the Guildford Heat.
The British Basketball League Championship, often shortened to the BBL Championship, is the top-level men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. Established in 1987, the competition is administered by the British Basketball League and comprises 13 teams from both England and Scotland. Each team plays a 36-game regular season, from September until April, with the team that finishes in first place being crowned as League champions. Following the end of the regular season, the top eight-placed teams advance to the post-season Play-off tournament to decide the winner of the BBL Championship.
The 2016–17 British Basketball League season was the 30th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland. The season started on September 23, 2016 and ended on May 14, 2017.
