# 2021–22 National Basketball League (England) season

The 2021–22 NBL season was the 50th season of the National Basketball League (England). This season marks the return of Division 2 and Division 3, after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league structure was announced in June 2021.

## NBL Division 1
### Team changes

Team changes
* BA London Lions to London Lions II

### Teams

| Club | Location | Last Season |
| Bradford Dragons | Bradford | 11th |
| Derby Trailblazers | Derby | 4th |
| Essex Rebels | Colchester | 6th |
| Hemel Storm | Hemel Hempstead | 3rd |
| Leicester Warriors | Leicester | 12th |
| Loughborough Riders | Loughborough | 8th |
| London Lions II | London (Barking) | 10th |
| Nottingham Hoods | Nottingham | 14th |
| Oaklands Wolves | St Albans | 13th |
| Reading Rockets | Reading | 9th |
| Solent Kestrels | Southampton | 1st |
| Team Newcastle | Newcastle upon Tyne | 5th |
| Thames Valley Cavaliers | London (Uxbridge) | 2nd |
| Worthing Thunder | Worthing | 7th |

### Regular season

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Solent Kestrels (C) | 26 | 24 | 2 | 2541 | 1797 | +744 | 48 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 2 | Thames Valley Cavaliers | 26 | 20 | 6 | 2398 | 2015 | +383 | 40 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 3 | Derby Trailblazers | 26 | 19 | 7 | 2427 | 2122 | +305 | 38 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 4 | Nottingham Hoods | 26 | 18 | 8 | 2236 | 2062 | +174 | 36 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 5 | Worthing Thunder | 26 | 17 | 9 | 2293 | 2170 | +123 | 34 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 6 | Hemel Storm | 26 | 16 | 10 | 2422 | 2228 | +194 | 32 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 7 | Team Newcastle | 26 | 15 | 11 | 2362 | 2352 | +10 | 30 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 8 | Reading Rockets | 26 | 15 | 11 | 2171 | 1975 | +196 | 28 | Qualification to Playoffs |
| 9 | Bradford Dragons | 26 | 10 | 16 | 2078 | 2247 | −169 | 20 | |
| 10 | London Lions II | 26 | 9 | 17 | 2118 | 2414 | −296 | 18 | |
| 11 | Loughborough Riders | 26 | 8 | 18 | 2060 | 2331 | −271 | 16 | |
| 12 | Essex Rebels | 26 | 4 | 22 | 2030 | 2417 | −387 | 8 | |
| 13 | Leicester Warriors (R) | 26 | 4 | 22 | 1957 | 2316 | −359 | 8 | Relegation to Division 2 |
| 14 | Oaklands Wolves (R) | 26 | 3 | 23 | 1938 | 2585 | −647 | 6 | Relegation to Division 2 |

### Playoffs

Quarter-finals
* 2 Apr 2022
| Solent Kestrels | 100–72 | Reading Rockets |
* 2 Apr 2022
| Thames Valley Cavaliers | 92–80 | Team Newcastle |
* 2 Apr 2022
| Derby Trailblazers | 90–91 (OT) | Hemel Storm |
* 2 Apr 2022
| Nottingham Hoods | 88–79 | Worthing Thunder |
Semi-finals
* 9 Apr 2022
| Solent Kestrels | 104–80 | Nottingham Hoods |
* 9 Apr 2022
| Thames Valley Cavaliers | 78–91 | Hemel Storm |
Final
* 24 Apr 2022
* Report
| Solent Kestrels | 71–69 | Hemel Storm |
* National Basketball Centre, Manchester

## NBL Division 2
### Regular season

North :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Manchester Magic (P) | 22 | 19 | 3 | 1728 | 1380 | +348 | 38 |
| 2 | Northamptonshire Titans | 22 | 15 | 7 | 1934 | 1853 | +81 | 30 |
| 3 | Doncaster Eagles | 22 | 15 | 7 | 1837 | 1661 | +176 | 30 |
| 4 | Derbyshire Arrows | 22 | 12 | 10 | 1673 | 1654 | +19 | 24 |
| 5 | Myerscough College | 22 | 12 | 10 | 1716 | 1552 | +164 | 24 |
| 6 | Charnwood Riders | 22 | 9 | 13 | 1677 | 1673 | +4 | 18 |
| 7 | City of Birmingham Rockets | 22 | 9 | 13 | 1562 | 1649 | −87 | 18 |
| 8 | Bristol Hurricanes | 22 | 9 | 13 | 1674 | 1784 | −110 | 18 |
| 9 | Nottingham Trent University | 22 | 9 | 13 | 1680 | 1857 | −177 | 18 |
| 10 | Bristol Flyers II | 22 | 8 | 14 | 1582 | 1672 | −90 | 16 |
| 11 | Team Birmingham Elite (R) | 22 | 10 | 12 | 1487 | 1584 | −97 | 14 |
| 12 | University of Chester (R) | 22 | 5 | 17 | 1441 | 1672 | −231 | 10 |
South :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Westminster Warriors (P) | 22 | 22 | 0 | 1984 | 1533 | +451 | 44 |
| 2 | Sussex Bears | 22 | 16 | 6 | 1769 | 1606 | +163 | 32 |
| 3 | Solent Kestrels II | 22 | 15 | 7 | 1870 | 1609 | +261 | 30 |
| 4 | Greenwich Titans | 22 | 15 | 7 | 1775 | 1718 | +57 | 30 |
| 5 | East London All-Stars | 22 | 13 | 9 | 1699 | 1581 | +118 | 26 |
| 6 | Richmond Knights | 22 | 10 | 12 | 1696 | 1673 | +23 | 20 |
| 7 | Baltic Stars Medelynas | 22 | 8 | 14 | 1629 | 1726 | −97 | 16 |
| 8 | Oxford Hoops | 22 | 8 | 14 | 1684 | 1858 | −174 | 16 |
| 9 | Ipswich | 22 | 8 | 14 | 1648 | 1843 | −195 | 16 |
| 10 | London Greenhouse Pioneers | 22 | 6 | 16 | 1711 | 1874 | −163 | 12 |
| 11 | Cardiff Met Archers (R) | 22 | 6 | 16 | 1684 | 1831 | −147 | 12 |
| 12 | London Westside (R) | 22 | 5 | 17 | 1615 | 1912 | −297 | 10 |

### Playoffs

Quarter-finals
* 2 Apr 2022
| Sussex Bears | 58–71 | Doncaster Eagles |
* 2 Apr 2022
| Manchester Magic | 83–72 | Greenwich Titans |
* 3 Apr 2022
| Westminster Warriors | 94–64 | Derbyshire Arrows |
* 3 Apr 2022
| Northamptonshire Titans | 79–94 | Solent Kestrels II |
Semi-finals
* 9 Apr 2022
| Manchester Magic | 78–72 | Doncaster Eagles |
* 9 Apr 2022
| Westminster Warriors | 97–107 | Solent Kestrels II |
Final
* 23 Apr 2022
* Report
| Manchester Magic | 88–87 (OT) | Solent Kestrels II |
* National Basketball Centre, Manchester

## NBL Division 3
### Regular season

North :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | Teesside Lions | 15 | 13 | 2 | 26 |
| 2 | Tees Valley Mohawks | 15 | 12 | 3 | 24 |
| 3 | Sheffield Elite | 15 | 8 | 7 | 16 |
| 4 | Calderdale Explorers | 15 | 8 | 7 | 16 |
| 5 | Newcastle Eagles U23 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 6 |
| 6 | Sheffield Elite II | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
North West :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | St Helens Saints (P) | 20 | 20 | 0 | 40 |
| 2 | Manchester Swarm | 20 | 15 | 5 | 30 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 20 | 14 | 6 | 28 |
| 4 | Myerscough College II | 20 | 13 | 7 | 26 |
| 5 | Manchester Kings | 20 | 11 | 9 | 22 |
| 6 | Preston | 20 | 11 | 9 | 22 |
| 7 | Stockport Falcons | 20 | 9 | 11 | 18 |
| 8 | Tameside | 20 | 8 | 12 | 16 |
| 9 | Barrow Thorns | 20 | 4 | 16 | 8 |
| 10 | Cheshire Wire | 20 | 4 | 16 | 8 |
| 11 | Manchester Giants U23 | 20 | 1 | 19 | 2 |
Midlands :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | Worcester Wolves (P) | 16 | 15 | 1 | 30 |
| 2 | West Bromwich | 16 | 11 | 5 | 22 |
| 3 | Stoke-on-Trent Knights | 16 | 11 | 5 | 22 |
| 4 | Derby Trailblazers II | 16 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| 5 | Coventry Flames | 15 | 8 | 7 | 16 |
| 6 | Stourport Spartans | 16 | 5 | 11 | 10 |
| 7 | Nottingham Hoods II | 15 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| 8 | Warwickshire Hawks | 16 | 3 | 13 | 6 |
| 9 | Birmingham Mets | 16 | 3 | 13 | 6 |
East :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | Anglia Ruskin University | 14 | 12 | 2 | 24 |
| 2 | Essex Rebels II | 14 | 12 | 2 | 24 |
| 3 | Univ. of Hertfordshire Storm | 14 | 10 | 4 | 20 |
| 4 | UEA Panthers | 14 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| 5 | Bury St. Edmunds Bulldogs | 14 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| 6 | Northamptonshire Titans II | 14 | 5 | 9 | 10 |
| 7 | Canterbury Crusaders | 14 | 3 | 11 | 6 |
| 8 | West Suffolk Wolves | 14 | 2 | 12 | 4 |
London :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | London Thunder | 12 | 9 | 3 | 18 |
| 2 | UEL Lions | 12 | 9 | 3 | 18 |
| 3 | BA London Lions | 12 | 7 | 5 | 14 |
| 4 | CoLA Southwark Pride | 12 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| 5 | London Topcats Legends | 12 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| 6 | Brent Bulls | 12 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| 7 | London Future Generations | 12 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
South :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | London Elite (P) | 9 | 9 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Solent Kestrels III | 10 | 6 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | London United | 10 | 6 | 4 | 12 |
| 4 | Crawley Storm | 10 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 5 | Surrey Rams | 10 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
| 6 | London Warriors | 9 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
South West :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | Bristol United (P) | 12 | 11 | 1 | 22 |
| 2 | Bognor GSD | 12 | 8 | 4 | 16 |
| 3 | Team Swindon | 12 | 8 | 4 | 16 |
| 4 | Cardiff City | 12 | 7 | 5 | 14 |
| 5 | Plymouth Marjon University | 12 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| 6 | Cardiff Met Archers II | 12 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
| 7 | Dorset Storm | 12 | 1 | 11 | 2 |

### Playoffs

First round
* 26 Mar 2022
| London Elite | 86–75 | University of Hertfordshire Storm |
* 26 Mar 2022
| Worcester Wolves | 72–63 | Solent Kestrels III |
* 26 Mar 2022
| Bristol United | 94–49 | Bognor GSD |
* 26 Mar 2022
| Anglia Ruskin University | 67–74 | Manchester Swarm |
* 26 Mar 2022
| Essex Rebels II | 107–110 | Tees Valley Mohawks |
* 27 Mar 2022
| Teesside Lions | 75–52 | West Bromwich |
* 27 Mar 2022
| London Thunder | 68–62 | UEL Lions |
* 27 Mar 2022
| St Helens Saints | 79–68 | Liverpool |
Quarter-finals
* 3 Apr 2022
| St Helens Saints | 81–51 | Tees Valley Mohawks |
* 2 Apr 2022
| London Elite | 80–83 | London Thunder |
* 3 Apr 2022
| Worcester Wolves | 70–55 | Manchester Swarm |
* 2 Apr 2022
| Bristol United | 69–90 | Teesside Lions |
Semi-finals
* 10 Apr 2022
| St Helens Saints | 78–80 | Teesside Lions |
* 10 Apr 2022
| Worcester Wolves | 59–56 | London Thunder |
Final
* 23 Apr 2022
* Report
| Teesside Lions | 65–56 | Worcester Wolves |
* National Basketball Centre, Manchester

## National Cup
### First round

| London Thunder | 114–48 | London Topcats Legends |
| Ipswich | 99–47 | Bury St Edmunds Bulldogs |
| London Elite | 82–71 | CoLA Southwark Pride |
| Liverpool | 90–66 | Manchester Giants U23 |
| Calderdale Explorers | 81–70 | Sheffield Elite |
| Warwickshire Warriors | 50–75 | Birmingham Mets |
| West Bromwich | 94–87 | Warwickshire Hawks |
| Worcester Wolves | 67–68 | City of Birmingham Rockets |
| Swindon Shock | 55–102 | Team Swindon |
| Bristol United | 94–74 | Cardiff City |

### Second round

| Teesside Lions | 76–67 | Derbyshire Arrows |
| Manchester Swarm | 70–80 | Doncaster Eagles |
| Calderdale Explorers | 59–62 | University of Chester |
| City of Birmingham Rockets | 65–71 | Team Birmingham Elite |
| Northamptonshire Titans | 81–55 | Ipswich |
| Richmond Knights | 93–94 | London Greenhouse Pioneers |
| London United | 70–73 | Sussex Bears |
| East London All-Stars | 73–76 | Brent Bulls |
| London Elite | 82–78 | Greenwich Titans |
| Plymouth Marjon University | 86–99 | Team Swindon |
| Oxford Hoops | 57–78 | Bristol Hurricanes |
| Bristol Flyers II | 67–81 | Bristol United |
| Westminster Warriors | 55–59 | London Thunder |
| Manchester Magic | 88–73 | Liverpool |

### Third round

| Team Newcastle | 79–64 | Teesside Lions |
| Doncaster Eagles | 87–76 | Loughborough Riders |
| Bradford Dragons | 91–80 | Manchester Magic |
| University of Chester | v–v | Leicester Warriors |
| West Bromwich | 69–96 | Nottingham Hoods |
| Hemel Storm | 87–73 | Team Birmingham Elite |
| Northamptonshire Titans | 83–69 | London Greenhouse Pioneers |
| Oaklands Wolves | 69–65 | London Thunder |
| Sussex Bears | 71–94 | London Lions II |
| London Westside | 56–84 | London Elite |
| Essex Rebels | 90–59 | Cardiff Met Archers |
| Worthing Thunder | 94–74 | Bristol Hurricanes |
| Brent Bulls | 65–126 | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
| Solent Kestrels | 108–34 | Team Swindon |
| Myerscough College | 77–93 | Derby Trailblazers |
| Reading Rockets | 107–81 | Bristol United |

### Fourth round

| Oaklands Wolves | vs. | London Lions II |
| Team Newcastle | 95–75 | Doncaster Eagles |
| Bradford Dragons | 77–91 | Derby Trailblazers |
| Hemel Storm | 106–69 | Northamptonshire Titans |
| Essex Rebels | 76–110 | Solent Kestrels |
| Worthing Thunder | 97–90 | Reading Rockets. |
| Thames Valley Cavaliers | 104–61 | London Elite |

### Quarter-finals

* 5 Dec 2021
| Team Newcastle | 108–106 | Worthing Thunder |
* 5 Dec 2021
| Nottingham Hoods | 69–80 | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
* 5 Dec 2021
| Derby Trailblazers | 56–80 | Solent Kestrels |
* 5 Dec 2021
| Hemel Storm | 84–85 | London Lions II |

### Semi-finals

* 9 Jan 2022
| Team Newcastle | 90–81 | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
* 9 Jan 2022
| Solent Kestrels | 102–72 | London Lions II |

### Final

* 23 Jan 2022 15:30
| Team Newcastle | 66–109 | Solent Kestrels |
| Scoring by quarter: 15–29, 24–29, 19–30, 8–21 |||
| Pts: R Blain 24 Rebs: R Blain, J Cork 7 Asts: T Yabantu 4 | | Pts: O Jackman 22 Rebs: O Jackman, K Archer 8 Asts: C Gentry 5 |
* National Basketball Centre, Manchester

## L Lynch Trophy

The 2021–22 L Lynch Trophy was the second edition of the competition. The same 16 teams as in 2020–21, the 14 NBL Division 1 sides and the Myerscough and Charnwood academy sides, were split into four regional groups. The top 2 sides from each group would advance to the quarter-finals, therein playing a knockout format to determine the overall winners.

### Group stage

Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Team Newcastle | 2 | 2 | 0 | 181 | 156 | +25 | 4 | Qualification to quarter finals |
| 2 | Derby Trailblazers | 2 | 2 | 0 | 188 | 122 | +66 | 4 | Qualification to quarter finals |
| 3 | Bradford Dragons | 3 | 1 | 2 | 217 | 253 | −36 | 2 | |
| 4 | Myerscough College | 3 | 0 | 3 | 207 | 262 | −55 | 0 | |
| Bradford Dragons | 89–91 | Team Newcastle |
| Myerscough College | 68–78 | Bradford Dragons |
| Team Newcastle | vs. | Derby Trailblazers |
| Derby Trailblazers | 94–50 | Bradford Dragons |
| Team Newcastle | 90–67 | Myerscough College |
| Derby Trailblazers | 94–72 | Myerscough College |
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Reading Rockets | 3 | 2 | 1 | 270 | 215 | +55 | 4 | Qualification to quarter finals |
| 2 | Thames Valley Cavaliers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 272 | 222 | +50 | 4 | Qualification to quarter finals |
| 3 | Hemel Storm | 3 | 2 | 1 | 278 | 228 | +50 | 4 | |
| 4 | Oaklands Wolves | 3 | 0 | 3 | 170 | 325 | −155 | 0 | |
| Reading Rockets | 78–81 | Hemel Storm |
| Thames Valley Cavaliers | 103–55 | Oaklands Wolves |
| Reading Rockets | 93–87 | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
| Hemel Storm | 123–68 | Oaklands Wolves |
| Hemel Storm | 74–82 | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
| Oaklands Wolves | 47–99 | Reading Rockets |
Group 3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Nottingham Hoods | 3 | 3 | 0 | 313 | 183 | +130 | 6 | Qualification to quarter finals |
| 2 | Loughborough Riders | 3 | 2 | 1 | 218 | 230 | −12 | 4 | Qualification to quarter finals |
| 3 | Leicester Warriors | 3 | 1 | 2 | 218 | 260 | −42 | 2 | |
| 4 | Charnwood College | 3 | 0 | 3 | 193 | 269 | −76 | 0 | |
| Leicester Warriors | 67–113 | Nottingham Hoods |
| Loughborough Riders | 86–62 | Charnwood College |
| Loughborough Riders | 77–73 | Leicester Warriors |
| Charnwood College | 70–78 | Leicester Warriors |
| Nottingham Hoods | 95–55 | Loughborough Riders |
| Nottingham Hoods | 105–61 | Charnwood College |
Group 4
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Solent Kestrels | 3 | 3 | 0 | 304 | 192 | +112 | 6 | Qualification to quarter finals |
| 2 | Worthing Thunder | 3 | 2 | 1 | 278 | 245 | +33 | 4 | Qualification to quarter finals |
| 3 | Essex Rebels | 3 | 1 | 2 | 236 | 307 | −71 | 2 | |
| 4 | London Lions II | 3 | 0 | 3 | 210 | 284 | −74 | 0 | |
| Solent Kestrels | 103–53 | London Lions II |
| Essex Rebels | 84–110 | Worthing Thunder |
| Solent Kestrels | 110–61 | Essex Rebels |
| Worthing Thunder | 78–91 | Solent Kestrels |
| Essex Rebels | 91–87 | London Lions II |
| London Lions II | 70–90 | Worthing Thunder |

### Quarter-finals

| Solent Kestrels | 98–88 | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
| Reading Rockets | 90–86 | Loughborough Riders |
| Nottingham Hoods | 72–94 | Derby Trailblazers |
| Team Newcastle | 99–81 | Worthing Thunder |

### Semi-finals

* 11 Dec 2021
| Team Newcastle | 92–88 | Reading Rockets |
* 12 Dec 2021
| Derby Trailblazers | 92–77 | Solent Kestrels |

### Final

* 2 Jan 2022 12:00
| Team Newcastle | 71–86 | Derby Trailblazers |
| Scoring by quarter: 16–24, 21–22, 21–21, 13–19 |||
| Pts: B Federici 24 Rebs: R Blain 11 Asts: D Moya 6 | | Pts: M Smith 30 Rebs: M Smith 18 Asts: R Bruggeman 7 |
* Ponds Forge, Sheffield