1984–85 National Basketball League season

1984–85 National Basketball League season
League National Basketball League
Sport Basketball
Number of teams 14
Roll of Honour
National League champions Kingston Kings
  National League runners-up Manchester United
Play Off's champions Manchester United
  Play Off's runners-up Kingston Kings
National Cup champions Kingston Kings
  National Cup runners-up Manchester United

The 1984–85 Carlsberg National Basketball League season was the thirteenth season of the National Basketball League formed in 1972.[1]
The league was sponsored by Carlsberg and the Kingston Kings completed a League & Cup double but Manchester United won the newly extended Play Off's.[2]

Team Changes

The EBBA increased the first division to fourteen teams which resulted in a 26 match schedule which was warmly welcomed after the 36 match schedule of the previous season. Of the 13 existing teams Brighton switched to Worthing and with new sponsors would be known as the Nissan Worthing Bears and Hemel Hempstead merged with the second division outfit Watford Royals to form Hemel Watford Royals. The new fourteenth team was Telford Turbos who secured a new sponsor called Screen Stars.[3]

It was evident that as the season progressed many clubs had been spending beyond their means in recent years and were duly struggling to balance the books. The Solent Stars applied for voluntary liquidation in December 1984 despite leading the league and terminated the contract of their coach Jim Kelly and leading players to save money.
An extraordinary season continued in January 1985 when just a few days before the National Cup final Manchester United F.C. bought the Warrington & Liverpool club, renaming them for the final and relocating to Stretford.[4] The drama continued as Portsmouth F.C. attempted to takeover Solent Stars before a former Stars player TJ Robinson headed a consortium to save the club. Portsmouth FC then bought Telford Turbos (also in liquidation) and moved the team to Portsmouth.

Carlsberg League Standings

First Division

Pos Team P W L F A Pts
1 Kingcraft Kingston Kings 26 24 2 2930 2640 48
2 FSO Cars Liverpool & Warrington/Manchester United + 26 19 7 2330 2077 36
3 Cottrills Manchester Giants 26 18 8 2377 2235 36
4 Solent Stars 26 17 9 2464 2307 34
5 Nissan Worthing Bears 26 17 9 2456 2328 34
6 Walkers Crisps Leicester 26 15 11 2542 2454 30
7 Poundstretcher Hemel Watford Royals 26 15 11 2390 2261 30
8 Bracknell Pirates 26 12 14 2410 2485 24
9 Sunderland Maestros 26 12 14 2378 2433 24
10 Blue Nun Crystal Palace Supersonics 26 10 16 2352 2449 20
11 John Carr Doncaster Panthers 26 6 20 2245 2451 12
12 Davenports Birmingham 26 1 25 2166 2556 2
13 Telford Turbos/Portsmouth + 26 1 25 2422 2782 2
14 Home Spare Bolton Bees 26 1 25 2422 2782 2

Team changed name mid-season +

Second Division

Brunel Uxbridge Ducks, Calderdale Explorers, Camden & Hampstead, Team Telecom Colchester, John Eld Derby Turbos, ANC Liverpool, Team Wakefields Nottingham, Glucodin Plymouth Raiders, Sandwell Mail, Swindon Rakers, CAD Tower Hamlets, McEwan Tyneside

Carlsberg Play Off's

Quarter-Finals

Team 1 Team 2 Score
Kingston Kings Bracknell Pirates 2-0
Manchester United Hemel Watford Royals 2-0
Manchester Giants Leicester 1-2
Solent Stars Worthing Bears 1-2

Semi-Finals

venue & date Team 1 Team 2 Score
March 30, Wembley Arena Manchester United Worthing Bears 90-84
March 30, Wembley Arena Kingston Kings Leicester 118-112

Third Place

venue & date Team 1 Team 2 Score
March 31, Wembley Arena Worthing Bears Leicester 99-89

Final

31 March 1985[5]
Manchester United 109–97 Kingston Kings
Pts: Colin Irish 47, Ed Bona 24, Will Brown 14 Pts: Steve Bontrager 28, Johnson 25, Clark 14, Doug Lloyd 12, Davis 10
Wembley Arena
Attendance: 9,000
Manchester Coach Joe Whelton
Kingston Coach Steve Bontrager

Kellogg's National Cup

Second Round

Team 1 Team 2 Score
Swindon Rakers Sperrings Solent Stars 86-117
Cottrills Manchester Giants Sandwell Mail 127-81
John Carr Doncaster Panthers Telford Turbos 84-81
Crystal Palace Supersonics Camden 93-77
LSO Cars Warrington & Liverpool McEwan Tyneside 84-70
Glucodin Plymouth Raiders Nissan Worthing Bears 89-108
Home Spare Bolton Bees Walkers Crisps Leicester 105-116
Kingcraft Kingston Kings Hemel Hempstead & Watford Royals 85-84

Quarter Finals

Team 1 Team 2 Score
LSO Cars Warrington & Liverpool Sperrings Solent Stars
Nissan Worthing Bears John Carr Doncaster Panthers 78-80
Crystal Palace Supersonics Kingcraft Kingston Kings 84-93
Cottrills Manchester Giants Walkers Crisps Leicester 105-98

Semi Finals

Leg Team 1 Team 2 Score
First Leg LSO Cars Warrington & Liverpool John Carr Doncaster Panthers 82-80
Second Leg John Carr Doncaster Panthers LSO Cars Warrington & Liverpool 78-95
First Leg Cottrills Manchester Giants Kingcraft Kingston Kings 97-98
Second Leg Kingcraft Kingston Kings Cottrills Manchester Giants 107-93

Final

Live on Channel 4
06 January 1985[6]
Kingston Kings 103–98 aet Manchester United
Pts: Steve Bontrager 37, Martin Clark 26, Danny Davis 16, Doug Lloyd 12, Andy Innell Pts: Colin Irish 28, Ed Bona 28, Will Brown 17, David Lloyd 14, Kevin Penny
Royal Albert Hall, London
Attendance: ?
Kingston Coach Steve Bontrager
Manchester Coach Joe Whelton

References

  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.
  3. ↑ "Nicholas Harling. "Basketball." Times [London, England] 6 Nov. 1984". The Times Digital Archive.
  4. ↑ "Nicholas Harling. "Basketball." Times [London, England] 4 Jan. 1985". The Times Digital Archive.
  5. ↑ "Nicholas Harling. "Basketball." Times [London, England] 1 Apr. 1985". The Times Digital Archive.
  6. ↑ "Nicholas Harling. "Basketball." Times [London, England] 8 Jan. 1985". The Times Digital Archive.

See also

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