BBL Trophy

BBL Trophy
Organising body	British Basketball League
Founded	1987
First season	1987–88
Country	Great Britain
Confederation	FIBA Europe
Number of teams	10
Current champions	Cheshire Phoenix (6th title) ; (2023–24)
Most championships	Newcastle Eagles (7 titles)
	2023–24 BBL Trophy

The British Basketball League Trophy, often shortened to the BBL Trophy, is an annual

Scottish Basketball League, and representatives from Basketball Wales

, a novelty in BBL events which gives the competition much of its character.

The most recent champions are the

London Lions at Arena Birmingham

.

History

The BBL Trophy can trace its origins back to a previous competition known as the Anglo-Scottish Cup which was founded in 1984. The Anglo-Scottish Cup featured teams from the

Kingston won the 1987 edition.^[1]

Following the launch of the new British Basketball League administration in 1987 – taking over control of the National Basketball League from the

Aston Villa Leisure Centre, where Livingston continued their success from the British Masters Cup by beating Portsmouth 96–91 to become the first and so far only Scottish winners.^[3]

Due to a decline in members for the second edition, an even 12 teams were divided into two regionalised groups for the first round with the top four teams (from six) advancing through to a Quarter-final stage which also used the two-game aggregate scoring system.

Leicester City Riders (winners of the Midlands area) in the other Semi-final. Kingston claimed their third Trophy win in three seasons with a 71–68 victory over Leicester at the National Exhibition Centre as the Final returned to a Birmingham venue after its two-year stint in London.^[3]

The group stage returned to the original format of two Northern and two Southern groups from 1992 due to an increase in teams competing in the

Carlsberg League.^[3] Thames Valley Tigers' 91–84 victory in the 1993 Final against Guildford Kings (who were the former Kingston team in new guise) brought an end to the successful Kingston dynasty and started a new period of dominance as the Tigers went on to win two more Trophy finals in succession. The 1995–96 season brought about another format changed to the competition that was now known as the 7 Up Trophy through sponsorship from the 7 Up beverage brand.^[4] The first round reverted to a single North and a single South group format whilst there was also the return of the Quarter-finals round which was still played as a two-game series. Due to the uneven number of teams competing in the group stage, several teams received byes

into the Quarter-final stage. This format remained consistent for the next three seasons, in a period that saw Southern domination in the Trophy from the London Towers franchise as they reach three consecutive Finals, winning in 1996 and 1997 and finishing as Runners-up in 1998.

A change in sponsorship saw the competition rebranded as the uni-ball Trophy in 1997 after a naming rights agreement was made with the

National Indoor Arena in Birmingham's city centre.^[3]

Hallam FM Arena. The competition had reverted its First round format back to regionalised groups from 2002, as the BBL merged the North and South Conferences in its regular season back to one Championship. The regionalised groups remained unchanged until 2007.^[3]

For the

Metro Radio Arena – was hosting the Final.^[6] However it was underdogs Plymouth Raiders who took home their first BBL silverware with a 74–65 victory in the Final, in front of a crowd of over 5,000 people.^[7]

London Leopards, Manchester Magic and Reading Rockets from the English Basketball League.^[8]

The Trophy Final was again played at the Spectrum for the 2010 Final where Newcastle were again victorious over the Cheshire Jets.

For the first time since 2001, the Trophy received corporate sponsorship through a naming rights agreement with clothing brand

NBA's "Basketball Week"^[9] and saw Mersey Tigers pick-up their first Trophy with an 84–66 victory over Guildford.^[10] For the 2011–12 season, the competition had received another major change to its format with the Trophy Final organised as a two-game series and the winner decided by an aggregate scoring system, making it the first time that the Final was not played as a single-game event. Newcastle and Plymouth competed for the Trophy over two games, with Plymouth winning their home fixture 97–88, but Newcastle's 96–80 victory at their Sport Central venue meant that the Eagles had won with an aggregate score of 184–177.^[11]

By winning their fifth BBL Trophy, Newcastle Eagles are currently the most successful club in the competition, overshadowing Chester Jets' total of four Trophy's, won from 2001 to 2004.

The

Emirates Arena

.

Glasgow's Emirates Arena hosted a second successive final in 2014, but

Glasgow Rocks who were appearing in their first Trophy Final were not able to use their home court to their advantage as Worcester Wolves' convincing 83–76 victory in front of 5,000 people earned them their first ever BBL silverware.^[14]

Format

The Trophy competition has historically had a

Scottish Basketball League, often take part in the Trophy.^[12] The Final is usually played in March at a neutral venue.^[15]

Sponsorship

Throughout its history the competition has been sponsored by several businesses, which have resulted in the trophy being renamed in accordance with the sponsor's branding.

Period	Sponsor	Name
1987–1993	NatWest	NatWest Trophy
1993–1994	No main sponsor	League Trophy
1994–1997	7 Up	7 Up Trophy
1997–2001	Mitsubishi Pencil Company	uni-ball Trophy
2001–2010	No main sponsor	BBL Trophy
2010–2011	Franklin & Marshall	Franklin & Marshall Trophy
2011–present	No main sponsor	BBL Trophy

Finals

Season	Winner	Score	Runners-up	Venue	Location	MVP
1987–88	Livingston	96–91	Portsmouth	Aston Villa Leisure Centre	Birmingham	unknown
1988–89	Bracknell Tigers	89–81	Livingston	Aston Villa Leisure Centre	Birmingham	unknown
1989–90	Kingston	86–77	Manchester Giants	Royal Albert Hall	London	unknown
1990–91	Kingston	69–59	Manchester Giants	Royal Albert Hall	London	unknown
1991–92	Kingston	71–68	Leicester City Riders	National Exhibition Centre	Birmingham	unknown
1992–93	Thames Valley Tigers	91–84	Guildford Kings	National Indoor Arena	Birmingham	Lester James
1993–94	Thames Valley Tigers	79–73	Manchester Giants	National Indoor Arena	Birmingham	unknown
1994–95	Thames Valley Tigers	74–69	Sheffield Sharks	National Exhibition Centre	Birmingham	unknown
1995–96	London Towers	90–84	Worthing Bears	National Exhibition Centre	Birmingham	Tony Windless
1996–97	London Towers	67–59	Chester Jets	National Exhibition Centre	Birmingham	Karl Brown
1997–98	Sheffield Sharks	82–79	London Towers	National Exhibition Centre	Birmingham	John Amaechi
1998–99	Manchester Giants	90–69	Derby Storm	National Exhibition Centre	Birmingham	Ronnie Baker
1999–00	London Towers	74–73	Manchester Giants	National Indoor Arena	Birmingham	Danny Lewis
2000–01	Chester Jets	92–81	Newcastle Eagles	National Indoor Arena	Birmingham	Pero Cameron
2001–02	Chester Jets	90–89	Milton Keynes Lions	National Exhibition Centre	Birmingham	John Thomas
2002–03	Chester Jets	84–82	London Towers	Hallam FM Arena	Sheffield	Todd Cauthorn
2003–04	Chester Jets	68–66	Brighton Bears	Hallam FM Arena	Sheffield	John McCord
2004–05	Newcastle Eagles	85–60	Brighton Bears	Brighton Centre	Brighton	Charles Smith
2005–06	Newcastle Eagles	71–50	Leicester Riders	SkyDome Arena	Coventry	Andrew Sullivan
2006–07	Plymouth Raiders	74–65	Newcastle Eagles	Metro Radio Arena	Newcastle upon Tyne	Carlton Aaron
2007–08	Guildford Heat	86–79	Newcastle Eagles	Plymouth Pavilions	Plymouth	E.J. Harrison
2008–09	Newcastle Eagles	83–71	Guildford Heat	Guildford Spectrum	Guildford	Trey Moore
2009–10	Newcastle Eagles	115–95	Cheshire Jets	Guildford Spectrum	Guildford	Charles Smith
2010–11	Mersey Tigers	84–66	Guildford Heat	O2 Arena	London	Andrew Sullivan
2011–12	Newcastle Eagles	184–177 (97–88, 96–80)	Plymouth Raiders	Plymouth Pavilions	Plymouth	not awarded
2011–12	Newcastle Eagles	184–177 (97–88, 96–80)	Plymouth Raiders	Sport Central	Newcastle upon Tyne	not awarded
2012–13	Sheffield Sharks	71–69	Leicester Riders	Emirates Arena	Glasgow	B.J. Holmes
2013–14	Worcester Wolves	83–76	Glasgow Rocks	Emirates Arena	Glasgow	Jamal Williams
2014–15	Newcastle Eagles	96–90	Leicester Riders	Emirates Arena	Glasgow	Charles Smith
2015–16	Leicester Riders	85–77	Newcastle Eagles	Emirates Arena	Glasgow	Andrew Sullivan
2016–17	Leicester Riders	91–58	Plymouth Raiders	Emirates Arena	Glasgow	Taylor King
2017–18	Leicester Riders	90–85	Sheffield Sharks	Emirates Arena	Glasgow	J.R. Holder
2018–19	London City Royals	90–82 (OT)	London Lions	Emirates Arena	Glasgow	Ashley Hamilton
2019–20	Newcastle Eagles	96–94 (OT)	Solent Kestrels	Emirates Arena	Glasgow	CJ Gettys
2020–21	London Lions	88–82	Plymouth Raiders	Worcester Arena	Worcester	DeAndre Liggins
2021–22	Cheshire Phoenix	82–68	London Lions	Emirates Arena	Glasgow	Larry Austin Jr.
2022–23	Caledonia Gladiators	73–70	Cheshire Phoenix	Emirates Arena	Glasgow	Jeremiah Bailey
2023–24	Cheshire Phoenix	98–82	London Lions	Arena Birmingham	Birmingham	Laquincy Rideau

Results by team

Results by team
Team	Wins	Last final won	Runners-up	Last final lost	Total final appearances
Newcastle Eagles	7	2020	4	2016	11
Cheshire Phoenix	6	2024	3	2023	9
Thames Valley Tigers	4	1995	0	–	4
London Towers	3	2000	2	2003	5
Guildford Kings	3	1992	1	1993	4
Leicester Riders	3	2018	4	2015	7
Sheffield Sharks	2	2013	2	2018	4
London Lions	1	2021	4	2024	5
Manchester Giants	1	1999	4	2000	5
Surrey Scorchers	1	2008	2	2011	3
Plymouth Raiders	1	2007	2	2017	3
Caledonia Gladiators	1	2023	1	2014	2
Livingston	1	1988	1	1989	2
London City Royals	1	2019	0	–	1
Worcester Wolves	1	2014	0	–	1
Mersey Tigers	1	2011	0	–	1
Brighton Bears	0	–	3	2005	3
Derby Storm	0	–	1	1999	1
Portsmouth	0	–	1	1988	1

References

^ ^a ^b "All-time Winners BBL Trophy". MikeShaft.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
^ Page 29 British Basketball League 1996/97 Handbook
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Pages 16–25 British Basketball League Guide 2003/04
^ Duncan Hooper (15 January 1996). "Towers stand firm to take first title". The Independent. London. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
^ Mark Woods (1998). "Myers three breaks Towers run". BritBall. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
^ "Raiders lift BBL Trophy". BBC Devon. 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
^ Simon Rushworth (2007). "Plymouth dazzle to make strong case for future of local prospects". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 7 March 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2007.
^ "Magic enter BBL Trophy". London: Manchester Evening News. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
^ Mark Woods (2011). "Trophy final to switch to O2 Arena". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
^ Rob Dugdale (5 March 2011). "Guildford Heat 66–84 Mersey Tigers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
^ "Newcastle win BBL Trophy, play-off boost for Mersey". BBLfans.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
^ ^a ^b "BBL Cup, Trophy draws made". MVP24-7.com. 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
^ Mark Woods (2013). "Thunder drown out weary Mersey". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
^ Nigel Slater (2014). "Worcester Wolves hold nerve to win BBL Trophy". Worcester Observer. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
^ "BBL Trophy". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.

External links

BBL Trophy on the BBL's official website.

[All-time_Winners_BBL_Trophy-1] "All-time Winners BBL Trophy". MikeShaft.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2012.

[BBLp29-2] Page 29 British Basketball League 1996/97 Handbook

[BBLHandbook-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Pages 16–25 British Basketball League Guide 2003/04

[4] Duncan Hooper (15 January 1996). "Towers stand firm to take first title". The Independent. London. Retrieved 18 September 2012.

[5] Mark Woods (1998). "Myers three breaks Towers run". BritBall. Retrieved 18 September 2012.

[6] "Raiders lift BBL Trophy". BBC Devon. 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2012.

[7] Simon Rushworth (2007). "Plymouth dazzle to make strong case for future of local prospects". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 7 March 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2007.

[8] "Magic enter BBL Trophy". London: Manchester Evening News. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2012.

[9] Mark Woods (2011). "Trophy final to switch to O2 Arena". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 15 November 2011.

[10] Rob Dugdale (5 March 2011). "Guildford Heat 66–84 Mersey Tigers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 November 2011.

[11] "Newcastle win BBL Trophy, play-off boost for Mersey". BBLfans.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2012.

[BBL_Cup,_Trophy_draws_made-12] "BBL Cup, Trophy draws made". MVP24-7.com. 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.

[13] Mark Woods (2013). "Thunder drown out weary Mersey". MVP 24–7. Retrieved 14 January 2013.

[14] Nigel Slater (2014). "Worcester Wolves hold nerve to win BBL Trophy". Worcester Observer. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[15] "BBL Trophy". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.

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v t e British Basketball League
Teams	Bristol Flyers Caledonia Gladiators Cheshire Phoenix Leicester Riders London Lions Manchester Giants Newcastle Eagles Plymouth City Patriots Sheffield Sharks Surrey Scorchers
Competitions	BBL Championship (BBL Playoffs) BBL Trophy All-Star Game BBL Cup (defunct) Cup Winners' Cup (defunct) Women's British Basketball League
Seasons (List)	1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Awards	Coach of the Year Most Valuable Player
Other	BBL Player National Basketball League Scottish Basketball Championship National Cup Timeline of basketball on UK television