The 1986–87 Carlsberg National Basketball League season was the fifteenth and last season of the National Basketball League formed in 1972.
The league was sponsored by Carlsberg for the third consecutive year. Portsmouth won the first division league title, Kingston Kings claimed the Play Off's & Crystal Palace lifted the National Cup for the seventh time in their history. Team Walsall (formerly Team Sandwell) won the second division. This would be the last National League season because the top English and Scottish teams would breakaway and form the British Basketball League.
Team changes The first division was reduced to thirteen teams following two mergers. Manchester United and Manchester Giants merged at the end of April 1986 and agreed to take the name Manchester United and play in Stretford. The second merger came four months later at the beginning of September 1986 when Crystal Palace and Brunel Uxbridge & Camden Ducks joined forces with fixtures being split between the Crystal Palace Sports Centre and Brunel University. In between the two mergers the Nissan Worthing Bears and Tyneside Basketball Club both folded. The EBBA admitted two new teams in the form of Calderdale Explorers and Derby Rams from the second division.
Carlsberg League standings
First Division Pos Team P W L F A Pts 1 HFS Portsmouth 24 21 3 2393 2089 422 Team Polycell Kingston Kings 24 21 3 2530 2158 423 Sharp Manchester United 24 19 5 2282 2010 384 Brunel Crystal Palace London 24 17 7 2311 2151 345 Leicester Riders 24 16 8 2438 2340 326 Happy Eater Bracknell Pirates 24 11 13 2264 2303 227 Calderdale Explorers 24 10 14 2180 2216 208 Alphaprint Hemel Hempstead Watford Royals 23 8 15 2281 2341 169 Birmingham Bullets 24 8 16 2167 2227 1610 Reg Vardy Sunderland 76'ers 24 7 17 2246 2448 1411 Draper Tools Solent Stars 24 7 17 2245 2431 1412 Home Spare Bolton & Bury Hawks * 23 6 17 1944 2199 1113 BPCC Derby Rams 24 4 20 2056 2424 8
Hemel v Bolton fixture not played and Bolton were deducted one point
Second Division Pos Team P W L F A Pts 1 Team Walsall 18 15 3 1907 1647 302 Oldham Celtics 18 15 3 2071 1575 303 Just Rentals Rhondda 18 14 4 2205 1954 284 CBS Centurions Colchester 18 12 6 1721 1705 245 Lambeth TopCats 18 11 7 1689 1622 226 TF Group Cleveland Comets 18 10 8 1793 1828 207 Tower Hamlets 18 5 13 1670 1779 108 Plymouth Raiders 18 4 14 1731 1844 8 9 Swindon Rakers 18 3 15 1555 2010 610 Ellesmere Port Jets 18 1 17 1610 1988 2
Carlsberg playoffs
Quarter-finals Team 1 Team 2 Score Portsmouth Hemel Hempstead Watford Royal 2-0 Kingston Kings Calderdale Explorers 2-1 Manchester United Bracknell Pirates 2-1 Brunel Crystal Palace London Leicester Riders 2-1
Semi-finals venue & date Team 1 Team 2 Score Apr 03, Wembley Arena Portsmouth Brunel Crystal Palace London 102-106 Apr 03, Wembley Arena Kingston Kings Manchester United 111-80
Third Place venue & date Team 1 Team 2 Score Apr 04, Wembley Arena Portsmouth Manchester United 99-89
Final
Prudential National Cup
Second round Team 1 Team 2 Score Derby Rams Brunel Crystal Palace 73-90 Tower Hamlets Hemel Hempstead Watford Royals 95-117 Oldham Celtics Calderdale Explorers 95-115 Portsmouth Lambeth Topcats 121-81 Plymouth Raiders Solent Stars Bracknell Pirates Manchester United Leicester Riders 113-111 Kingston Kings TF Group Cleveland 122-64
Quarter-finals Team 1 Team 2 Score Hemel Hempstead Watford Royals Portsmouth 99-127 Brunel Crystal Palace Calderdale Explorers 81-94 Solent Stars Manchester United 85-88 Kingston Kings Bracknell Pirates 113-102
Semi-finals Venue & Date Team 1 Team 2 Score Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Nov 30 Calderdale Explorers Portsmouth 77-81 Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Nov 30 Kingston Kings Manchester United 95-86
Final
British Masters Cup
References
See also Basketball in England British Basketball League English Basketball League List of English National Basketball League seasons