1985–86 National Basketball League season
| 1985–86 National Basketball League season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 15 |
| Roll of Honour | |
| National League champions | Manchester United |
| National League runners-up | Kingston Kings |
| Playoffs champions | Kingston Kings |
| Playoffs runners-up | Birmingham Bullets |
| National Cup champions | Kingston Kings |
| National Cup runners-up | Solent Stars |
The 1985–86 Carlsberg National Basketball League season was the fourteenth season of the National Basketball League formed in 1972.[1]
The league was sponsored by Carlsberg for the second consecutive year and the Kingston Kings completed a Play Off's & National Cup double but Manchester United won the League title.[2]
Team changes
The EBBA increased the first division to fifteen teams adding two clubs from the second division; the two new teams were Brunel Uxbridge & Camden Ducks and the Tyneside basketball club. One club dropped out because Doncaster Panthers suffered financial trouble and were disbanded during the previous summer.
The gap in spending capability between certain teams seemed to be growing with the likes of Kingston, Manchester United and Portsmouth having much larger budgets than some of their competitors.
Carlsberg League standings
First Division
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sharp Manchester United | 28 | 25 | 3 | 2772 | 2464 | 50 |
| 2 | Team Polycell Kingston Kings | 28 | 24 | 4 | 3193 | 2902 | 48 |
| 3 | Portsmouth | 28 | 22 | 6 | 2721 | 2513 | 44 |
| 4 | Manchester Giants | 28 | 18 | 10 | 2565 | 2456 | 36 |
| 5 | London Docklands Crystal Palace * | 28 | 17 | 11 | 3237 | 3050 | 33 |
| 6 | Birmingham Bullets | 28 | 15 | 13 | 2759 | 2720 | 30 |
| 7 | Brunel Uxbridge & Camden Ducks | 28 | 14 | 14 | 2586 | 2629 | 28 |
| 8 | Walkers Crisps Leicester | 28 | 14 | 14 | 2907 | 2957 | 28 |
| 9 | Hemel Hempstead Watford Royals | 28 | 13 | 15 | 2864 | 2790 | 26 |
| 10 | Sperrings Solent Stars | 28 | 12 | 16 | 2595 | 2568 | 24 |
| 11 | Nissan Worthing Bears | 28 | 12 | 16 | 0000 | 0000 | 24 |
| 12 | Bracknell Pirates | 28 | 11 | 17 | 2907 | 2985 | 22 |
| 13 | QRS Sunderland | 28 | 8 | 20 | 2734 | 2967 | 16 |
| 14 | Home Spare Bolton & Bury Hawks | 28 | 3 | 25 | 2678 | 3018 | 6 |
| 15 | McEwan Tyneside | 28 | 2 | 26 | 2542 | 2884 | 4 |
One point deducted *
Second Division
Brixton TopCats, Calderdale Explorers, English Estates Cleveland, Team Telecom Colchester, BPCC Derby Rams, ANC Liverpool, Team Wakefields Nottingham, Oldham Ioanian Celtics, Peterborough Jets, Plymouth Raiders, Swindon Rakers, CAD Tower Hamlets
Carlsberg playoffs
Quarter-Finals
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Leicester | Manchester United | 2-1 |
| Kingston | Brunel Uxbridge & Camden | 2-0 |
| Manchester Giants | Crystal Palace | 1-2 |
| Birmingham Bullets | Portsmouth | 2-1 |
Semi-Finals
| venue & date | Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 21, Wembley Arena | Birmingham Bullets | Crystal Palace | |
| March 21, Wembley Arena | Kingston Kings | Leicester |
Third Place
| venue & date | Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 22, Wembley Arena | Crystal Palace | Leicester | 136-117 |
Final
22 March 1986[3] |
| Kingston Kings | 114–97 | Birmingham Bullets |
| Pts: Danny Davis (MVP) 37, Steve Bontrager 30, Martin Clark 30 | Pts: Dip Donaldson 31, Butch Hays 26, Tyrone Shoulders 22 |
Prudential National Cup
Second Round
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Walkers Crisps Leicester | QRS Sunderland | 105-113 |
| CAD Tower Hamlets | Portsmouth | 69-111 |
| McEwan Tyneside | Oldham Celtics | 111-98 |
| Calderdale Explorers | Sharp Manchester United | 70-97 |
| Sperrings Solent Stars | Happy Eater Bracknell Pirates | 111-97 |
| Nissan Worthing Bears | Plymouth Raiders | 107-85 |
| Home Spare Bolton & Bury Hawks | Manchester Giants | 76-95 |
| Team Polycell Kingston Kings | Hemel Hempstead & Watford Royals | 132-113 |
Quarter Finals
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| McEwan Tyneside | Portsmouth | 76-98 |
| Nissan Worthing Bears | Manchester Giants | 87-82 |
| Sperrings Solent Stars | QRS Sunderland | 106-83 |
| Sharp Manchester United | Team Polycell Kingston Kings | 84-98 |
Semi Finals
| Venue & Date | Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Dec 15 | Sperrings Solent Stars | Nissan Worthing Bears | 101-83 |
| Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Dec 15 | Team Polycell Kingston Kings | Portsmouth | 92-75 |
Final
Live on Channel 4 |
13 January 1985[4] |
| Kingston Kings | 113–82 | Solent Stars |
| Pts: Steve Bontrager 33, Danny Davis (MVP) 28, Martin Clark 27, Andy Innell, Chrimes | Pts: TJ Robinson 28, Bryan Skoech 15, Ron Whitehead 14, Ken Nottage |
Royal Albert Hall, London Attendance: ? Kingston Coach Malcolm Chamberlain Solent Coach Steve Fitzsimons |
British Masters Cup Final
09 April 1986 |
| Birmingham Bullets | 87–83 | Murray International Metals Edinburgh |
| Pts: Butch Hays 26, Tyrone Shoulders 22, Dip Donaldson 19, Neville Hopkins | Pts: Sam Foggin 33, Stewart 14, Alton Byrd 13 |
Gateshead Attendance: ? Birmingham Coach Art Ross/Colin Wood Edinburgh Coach ? |
References
- ↑ Matthews & Morrison, Peter & Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records & Results. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0-85112-492-5.
- ↑ "Men's Senior League Winners". Basketball England.
- ↑ ""Kingston in command." Times [London, England] 24 Mar. 1986". The Times Digital Archive.
- ↑ "Nicholas Harling. "Kingston triumph as Stars lose glitter." Times [London, England] 14 Jan. 1986". The Times Digital Archive.