# 1987–88 British Basketball League season

The 1987–88 BBL season was the first season of the British Basketball League (known as the Carlsberg League for sponsorship reasons), a breakaway competition formed by teams from the English National League and the Scottish National League. The season featured a total of 15 teams, playing 28 games each.
Portsmouth, reigning champions of the English League claimed the regular season title with a dominating campaign led by the likes of Alan Cunningham and Colin Irish. They weren't able to repeat their success in the post-season play-off's as third-seed Livingston, the reigning Scottish champions, caused a huge upset with an 81–72 win over Portsmouth in the final. Kingston won their fourth consecutive National Cup and Livingston claimed the inaugural BBL Trophy.
In the National League (the tier below the Carlsberg League) the Worthing Bears won the league with a 100% (18–0) record and in the play-off semi-final Billy Hungrecker scored a record 73 points in a 119–110 overtime win over Plymouth Raiders, before defeating Brixton TopCats in the final.

## Carlsberg League (Tier 1)
### Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | PF | PA | Pts |
| 1 | Portsmouth | 28 | 26 | 2 | 0.928 | 2677 | 2189 | 52 |
| 2 | Kingston | 28 | 24 | 4 | 0.857 | 2931 | 2475 | 48 |
| 3 | Livingston | 28 | 22 | 6 | 0.785 | 2762 | 2299 | 44 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 28 | 21 | 7 | 0.750 | 2718 | 2345 | 42 |
| 5 | Calderdale Explorers | 28 | 20 | 8 | 0.714 | 2694 | 2256 | 40 |
| 6 | Bracknell Tigers | 28 | 17 | 11 | 0.607 | 2623 | 2435 | 34 |
| 7 | Birmingham Bullets | 28 | 14 | 14 | 0.500 | 2638 | 2757 | 28 |
| 8 | Solent Stars | 28 | 14 | 14 | 0.500 | 2638 | 2757 | 28 |
| 9 | Leicester City Riders | 28 | 14 | 14 | 0.500 | 2780 | 2678 | 28 |
| 10 | Bolton & Bury Giants | 28 | 12 | 16 | 0.428 | 2460 | 2485 | 24 |
| 11 | Hemel & Watford Royals | 28 | 9 | 19 | 0.321 | 2647 | 2893 | 18 |
| 12 | Sunderland 76ers | 28 | 8 | 20 | 0.285 | 2588 | 2905 | 16 |
| 13 | Derby Rams | 28 | 4 | 24 | 0.142 | 2062 | 2640 | 8 |
| 14 | Oldham Celtics | 28 | 3 | 25 | 0.107 | 2435 | 3040 | 6 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 28 | 2 | 26 | 0.071 | 2281 | 2981 | 4 |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs

## Carlsberg League playoffs
### Playoffs
#### Quarter-finals

(1) Portsmouth vs. (8) Solent Stars
| Portsmouth | 115–86 | Solent Stars |
| Solent Stars | 103–113 | Portsmouth |
| Portsmouth win series, 2–0 |||
(2) Kingston vs. (7) Birmingham Bullets
| Birmingham Bullets | 102–117 | Kingston |
| Kingston | 114–102 | Birmingham Bullets |
| Kingston win series, 2–0 |||
(3) Livingston vs. (6) Bracknell Tigers
| Bracknell Tigers | 79–74 | Livingston |
| Livingston | 102–85 | Bracknell Tigers |
| Livingston | 92–67 | Bracknell Tigers |
| Livingston win series, 2–1 |||
(4) Manchester United vs. (5) Calderdale Explorers
| Calderdale Explorers | 77–79 | Manchester United |
| Manchester United | 83–73 | Calderdale Explorers |
| Manchester win series, 2–0 |||

#### Semi-finals

* 9 April 1988
| Portsmouth | 98–90 | Manchester United |
* Wembley Arena, London
* 9 April 1988
| Kingston | 88–101 | Livingston |
* Wembley Arena, London

#### Final

* 10 April 1988
| Murray International Metals Livingston | 81–72 | Portsmouth |
| Pts: Graeme Hill (MVP) 23, Rolton Way 23, Tommy Collier 12, Lewis Young 11 | | Pts: Colin Irish 28, Alan Cunningham 18, Rich Strong 12 |
* Wembley Arena Attendance: ? Livingston Coach Jody Gardner Portsmouth Coach Dan Lloyd

## National League (Tier 2)
### Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Worthing Bears | 18 | 18 | 0 | 1.000 | 36 |
| 2 | Brixton Topcats | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0.778 | 28 |
| 3 | Tower Hamlets | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0.667 | 24 |
| 4 | Plymouth Raiders | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0.667 | 24 |
| 5 | Gateshead | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0.611 | 22 |
| 6 | Aberdare | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0.500 | 18 |
| 7 | Ellesmere Port Jets | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0.389 | 14 |
| 8 | Market Harborough | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0.167 | 6 |
| 9 | Cardiff | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0.111 | 4 |
| 10 | Stevenage | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0.111 | 4 |
* = League winners

## Prudential National Cup
### Second round

| Loftys Travel Ellesmere Port | 94–99 | Sunderland 76ers |
| Leicester City Riders | 105–73 | IIIE Gateshead |
| Sharp Manchester United | 114–72 | BPCC Derby Rams |
| Drapers Tools Solent Stars | 117–98 | Brunel Crystal Palace London |
| Alphaprint H. Hempstead Watford Royals | 106–79 | JHB Oil Plymouth |
| Calderdale Explorers | 95–78 | Oldham Celtics |
| North London College | 70–137 | Polycell Kingston |
| Portsmouth | 85–82 | Bracknell Tigers |

### Quarter-finals

| Polycell Kingston | 108–100 | Alphaprint H. Hempstead Watford Royals |
| Sharp Manchester United | 83–80 | Calderdale Explorers |
| Leicester City Riders | 104–93 | Drapers Tools Solent Stars |
| Portsmouth | 98–88 | Sunderlands 76ers |

### Semi-finals

| Polycell Kingston | 109–91 | Leicester City Riders |
| Portsmouth | 107–90 | Sharp Manchester United |

### Final

* 14 December 1987
| Kingston | 90–84 | Portsmouth |
| Pts: Martin Clark 31, Joel Moore 25, Danny Davis 11, Steve Bontrager 11 | | Pts: Alan Cunningham 32, Mike Spaid 14, Karl Tatham 11, Rich Strong 10, Marc Glass 10, Colin Irish 2 |
* Royal Albert Hall, London Attendance: 5,000 Kingston Coach Kevin Cadle Portsmouth Coach Dan Lloyd

## NatWest Trophy
### Group stage

North Group 1
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
| 1. Calderdale Explorers | 10 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| 2. Manchester United | 10 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| 3. Bolton & Bury Giants | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
| 4. Oldham Celtics | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 |
North Group 2
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
| 1. Livingston | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2. Leicester City Riders | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| 3. Sunderland 76ers | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| 4. Derby Rams | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 |
South Group 1
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
| 1. Kingston | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2. Hemel & Watford Royals | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
| 3. Crystal Palace | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
| 4. Birmingham Bullets | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
South Group 2
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
| 1. Portsmouth | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2. Bracknell Tigers | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.500 |
| 3. Solent Stars | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 |

### Semi-finals

Calderdale Explorers vs. Livingston
| Calderdale Explorers | 75–68 | Livingston |
| Livingston | 90–67 | Calderdale Explorers |
| Livingston win on aggregate, 158–142 |||
Kingston vs. Portsmouth
| Portsmouth | 94–87 | Kingston |
| Kingston | 80–74 | Portsmouth |
| Portsmouth win on aggregate, 168–167 |||

### Final

* 30 March 1988 20:00
| Livingston | 96–91 | Portsmouth |
| Scoring by half: 46–56, 50–35 |||
| Pts: Ralton Way 33, Tommy Collier 19, Lewis Young 17 | | Pts: Alan Cunningham 33, Marc Glass 25, Colin Irish 24 |
* Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Birmingham Attendance: 2,000 Livingston Coach Jody Gardner Portsmouth Coach Dan Lloyd

## Seasonal awards

* Most Valuable Player: Daryl Thomas (Hemel & Watford Royals)
* Coach of the Year: Gary Johnson (Calderdale Explorers)
* All-Star Team:
** Steve Bontrager (Kingston)
** Alan Cunningham (Portsmouth F.C.)
** Dan Davis (Kingston)
** Vic Flemming (Livingston)
** Marcus Gaither (Birmingham Bullets)
** Colin Irish (Portsmouth F.C.)
** Gary Johnson (Calderdale Explorers)
** Phil Smith (Solent Stars)
** Daryl Thomas (Hemel & Watford Royals)
** Clyde Vaughan (Leicester City Riders)