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The 1995–96 BBL season was known as the Budweiser League for sponsorship reasons. The league featured a total of 13 teams, playing 36 games each. The division retained the same thirteen teams as the previous year after the BBL rejected an application from Crystal Palace who had sealed the National League Division One (the second tier) title. The main change saw the Sunderland Scorpions renamed the Newcastle Comets due to a change of franchise and venue, their new home would be in Gateshead until the newly built Newcastle Arena opened on 18 November. The Manchester Giants also had a new home at the Nynex Arena and the sport was boosted by the return of TV coverage by Sky Sports.[1]
| 1995–96 BBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | British Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Roll of Honour | |
| BBL champions | London Towers |
| Playoffs champions | Birmingham Bullets |
| National Cup champions | London Towers |
| BBL Trophy champions | London Towers |
London Towers clinched a treble, winning the National Cup, 7 Up Trophy and finishing top of the regular season standings. They were defeated in the Championship Play-off final by Birmingham Bullets.[2]
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Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Towers | 36 | 32 | 4 | 0.889 | 64 |
| 2 | Sheffield Sharks | 36 | 30 | 6 | 0.833 | 60 |
| 3 | Birmingham Bullets | 36 | 26 | 10 | 0.722 | 52 |
| 4 | Leopards | 36 | 23 | 13 | 0.638 | 46 |
| 5 | Manchester Giants | 36 | 21 | 15 | 0.583 | 42 |
| 6 | Derby Storm | 36 | 21 | 15 | 0.583 | 42 |
| 7 | Worthing Bears | 36 | 19 | 17 | 0.527 | 38 |
| 8 | Thames Valley Tigers | 36 | 16 | 20 | 0.444 | 32 |
| 9 | Newcastle Comets | 36 | 11 | 25 | 0.305 | 22 |
| 10 | Leicester City Riders | 36 | 11 | 25 | 0.305 | 22 |
| 11 | Doncaster Panthers | 36 | 10 | 26 | 0.278 | 20 |
| 12 | Chester Jets | 36 | 8 | 28 | 0.222 | 16 |
| 13 | Hemel Royals | 36 | 6 | 30 | 0.167 | 12 |
| = League winners | |
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
Playoffs
Quarter-finals
(1) London Towers vs. (8) Thames Valley Tigers
(2) Sheffield Sharks vs. (7) Worthing Bears
(3) Birmingham Bullets vs. (6) Derby Storm
(4) Leopards vs. (5) Manchester Giants
Semi-finals
Final
5 May 1996[3] 19:00 |
| Birmingham Bullets | 78–72 | London Towers |
| Scoring by quarter: –, 43–45, 17–15, 18–12 | ||
| Pts: Nigel Lloyd 23, Dorsey 22, Gordon 12 MVP: Tony Dorsey |
Pts: Windless 19, Bucknall/Lewis 13 | |
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Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crystal Palace | 22 | 22 | 0 | 1.000 | 44 |
| 2 | Coventry Crusaders | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0.864 | 38 |
| 3 | Ware Rebels * | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0.773 | 33 |
| 4 | Cardiff Phoenix | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0.636 | 28 |
| 5 | Bury Wildcats | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0.455 | 20 |
| 6 | Stockton Mohawks | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0.455 | 20 |
| 7 | Brixton TopCats | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0.409 | 18 |
| 8 | Mid-Sussex Magic | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0.409 | 18 |
| 9 | Nottingham Knights | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0.318 | 14 |
| 10 | Plymouth Raiders | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0.318 | 14 |
| 11 | Oldham Celtics | 22 | 5 | 17 | 0.227 | 10 |
| 12 | Solent Stars | 22 | 3 | 19 | 0.136 | 6 |
| = League winners |
One point deducted *
Fourth round
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Derby Bucks | London Towers | 65-82 |
| Hemel Hempstead Royals | Coventry Crusaders | 101-73 |
| Sheffield Sharks | Chester Jets | 71-40 |
| Worthing Bears | Leopards | 82-87 |
| Newcastle Comets | Manchester Eagles | 107-121 |
| Ware Rebels | Thames Valley Tigers | 71-103 |
| Crystal Palace | Doncaster Panthers | 82-81 |
| Birmingham Bullets | Leicester Riders | 94-72 |
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Thames Valley Tigers | London Towers | |
| Crystal Palace | Leopards | 80-75 |
| Sheffield Sharks | Manchester Eagles | |
| Hemel Royals | Birmingham Bullets | 72-84 |
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Team 2 | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Palace | Sheffield Sharks | 63-70 | 68-74 |
| Birmingham Bullets | London Towers | 79-77 | 77-99 |
Final
3 March 1996[4] |
| London Towers | 70–58 | Sheffield Sharks |
| Pts: Martin Henlan (MVP), Neville Austin, Roger Dulhaney, Tony Windless, Danny Lewis, Steve Bucknall | Pts: Roger Huggins, Todd Cauthorn |
Group stage
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Derby Storm | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2.Chester Jets | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.500 |
| 3.Doncaster Panthers | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.500 |
| 4.Leicester City Riders | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0.250 |
| 5.Newcastle Comets | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0.250 |
Northern Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Worthing Bears | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2.Birmingham Bullets | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0.667 |
| 3.Leopards | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
| 4.Hemel Royals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 |
Southern Group
Chester finished ahead of Doncaster by having the best head-to-head record between the teams. London, Manchester, Sheffield and Thames Valley all received a bye into Quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals
Chester Jets vs. Birmingham Bullets
Manchester Giants vs. Sheffield Sharks
Thames Valley Tigers vs. London Towers
Worthing Bears vs. Derby Storm
Semi-finals
London Towers vs. Birmingham Bullets
Worthing Bears vs. Sheffield Sharks
Final
13 January 1996[5] |
| London Towers | 90–84 | Worthing Bears |
| Pts: Tony Windless (MVP), Steve Bucknall, Danny Lewis, Martin Henlan, Roger Duhaney | Pts: Colin Irish |
National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham Attendance: ? London Coach Kevin Cadle Worthing Coach Colin Irish |
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- Most Valuable Player: Tony Dorsey (Birmingham Bullets)
- Coach of the Year: Kevin Cadle (London Towers)
- All-Star Team:
- Tony Dorsey (Birmingham Bullets)
- Karl Brown (Leopards)
- Steve Bucknall (London Towers)
- Todd Cauthorn (Sheffield Sharks)
- Roger Huggins (Sheffield Sharks)
- LaKeith Humphrey (Derby Storm)
- Colin Irish (Worthing Bears)
- Danny Lewis (London Towers)
- Mark Robinson (Manchester Giants)
- Tony Windless (London Towers)
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