Thames Valley Tigers
| Thames Valley Tigers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| League | British Basketball League | |||
| Established | 1975 | |||
| Folded | 2005 | |||
| History |
Southern Pirates 1975 Guildford Pirates 1975–1982 Bracknell Pirates 1982–1987 Bracknell Tigers 1987–1990 Thames Valley Tigers 1990–2005 |
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| Location | Bracknell, Berkshire | |||
| Team colors | Orange, Marine Blue. Turquoise blue and white | |||
| Ownership | John Nike | |||
| Uniforms | ||||
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Thames Valley Tigers was a British basketball team competing in the British Basketball League (BBL) until 2005, when funding was ceased and the franchise folded. Based in Bracknell, Berkshire, the team's fans set up a new team to replace the Tigers and a month later the Guildford Heat was born. Playing in the nearby town of Guildford, at the Spectrum complex, the team started the 2005–06 British Basketball League season with many of the former Tigers players.
The franchise originally started out as the Southern Pirates, playing out of the city of Portsmouth, however they were soon moved inland in 1975 to the town of Guildford, following their coach, Brian Naysmith who had been appointed Director of Sport at the University of Surrey. The name Southern Pirates was retained at first before being renamed Guildford Pirates. In the 1978-79 season Guildford Pirates were champions of the Second Division of the National Basketball League and accepted an invitation to join the top tier. Known as Team Talbot Guildford Pirates following a sponsorship deal, the franchise spent three seasons in Guildford. The team struggled in NBL Division 1, although they improved each year. The Junior (U-18) Men were more successful winning the National (U-18) Cup.
In 1982, the Pirates moved again to nearby Bracknell, becoming the Bracknell Pirates and notching the franchise its first winning season and Play-Off appearances. In 1987 the Bracknell Tigers joined the BBL and won the first silverware in 1988/89 before becoming the Thames Valley Tigers. For many years, the Tigers were one of the front runners of the league, even winning the League Championship in 1994, but it was in the new millennium that the successes dried up and for owner John Nike the team was too much of a financial burden. In April 2005, he announced that he would no longer be funding the basketball franchise nor his ice hockey franchise Bracknell Bees.
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