| Thames Valley Tigers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| League | British Basketball League | |||
| Established | 1975 | |||
| Folded | 2005 | |||
| History | Southern Pirates 1975 Guildford Pirates 1975–1979 Team Talbot, Guildford 1979–1982 Bracknell Pirates 1982–1987 Bracknell Tigers 1987–1990 Thames Valley Tigers 1990–2005 | |||
| Location | Bracknell,Berkshire | |||
| Team colors | Orange, Marine Blue. Turquoise blue and white | |||
| Ownership | John Nike | |||
Thames Valley Tigers was a British professionalbasketball team that competed in theBritish Basketball League (BBL) until 2005, when funding was ceased and the franchise folded. Based inBracknell,Berkshire, the team's fans set up a new team to replace the Tigers and a month later theGuildford Heat was born. Playing in the nearby town ofGuildford, at theSpectrum complex, the team started the 2005–06British Basketball League season with many of the former Tigers players.
The franchise originally started out as theSouthern Pirates, playing out of the city ofPortsmouth, however they were soon moved inland in 1975 to the town ofGuildford, following their coach, Brian Naysmith who had been appointed Director of Sport at the University of Surrey. The nameSouthern Pirates was retained at first before being renamedGuildford 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 asTeam 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 nearbyBracknell, becoming theBracknell Pirates and notching the franchise its first winning season and Play-Off appearances. In 1987 theBracknell Tigers joined the BBL and won the first silverware in 1988–89 before becoming theThames 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 ownerJohn 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 hisice hockey franchiseBracknell Bees.[1]
Immediately aconsortium of fans was formed to save the club, headed by local businessman and fan Mike Davies, and they put together a viable package to take over the administration of the team. However, Nike failed to reach agreement in time for them to lease the franchise, and the deadline for entry into the BBL for 2005–06 was reached.[2] The Tigers' BBL membership thus lapsed, but the fans obtained permission from the League to enter a new team in their place, and successful negotiations with theSpectrum Arena in Guildford, where the Pirates franchise started, led to the birth of the brand newGuildford Heat.
(All achieved as Thames Valley Tigers unless otherwise stated):
Senior Men
Junior (Under-18) Men
Individual Honours
| Season | League | Played | Won | Lost | % | Position | Play-offs | Cup | Trophy |
| TEAM TALBOT GUILDFORD PIRATES | |||||||||
| 1979–80 | NBL Div1 | 18 | 2 | 16 | .111 | 10th (10) | DNQ | R1 | |
| 1980–81 | NBL Div1 | 18 | 3 | 15 | .167 | 10th (10) | DNQ | Q-Final | |
| 1981–82 | NBL Div1 | 22 | 6 | 16 | .273 | 10th (12) | DNQ | R2 | |
| BRACKNELL PIRATES (aka HAPPY EATER BRACKNELL PIRATES) | |||||||||
| 1982–83 | NBL Div1 | 24 | 3 | 21 | .125 | 12th (13) | DNQ | R1 | |
| 1983–84 | NBL Div1 | 36 | 23 | 13 | .639 | 4th (13) | S-Final | R2 | |
| 1984–85 | NBL Div1 | 26 | 12 | 14 | .462 | 8th (14) | Q-Final | R1 | |
| 1985–86 | NBL Div1 | 28 | 11 | 17 | .393 | 12th (15) | DNQ | R2 | |
| 1986–87 | NBL Div1 | 24 | 11 | 13 | .458 | 6th (13) | Q-Final | Q-Final | |
| BRACKNELL TIGERS | |||||||||
| 1987–88 | BBL | 28 | 17 | 11 | .607 | 6th (15) | Q-Final | R2 | (group) |
| 1988–89 | BBL | 20 | 15 | 5 | .750 | 3rd (11) | S-Final | Winner | Winner |
| 1989–90 | BBL | 28 | 20 | 8 | .714 | 4th (8) | S-Final | S-Final | S-Final |
| THAMES VALLEY TIGERS | |||||||||
| 1990–91 | BBL | 24 | 14 | 10 | .583 | 3rd (9) | S-Final | S-Final | S-Final |
| 1991–92 | BBL | 30 | 25 | 5 | .833 | 2nd (11) | Finalist | Finalist | (group) |
| 1992–93 | BBL | 33 | 28 | 5 | .848 | 2nd (11) | Finalist | S-Final | Winner |
| 1993–94 | BBL | 36 | 31 | 5 | .861 | 1st (13) | Q-Final | Finalist | Winner |
| 1994–95 | BBL | 36 | 28 | 8 | .777 | 2nd (15) | Q-Final | Finalist | Winner |
| 1995–96 | BBL | 36 | 16 | 20 | .444 | 8th (13) | Q-Final | Q-Final | Q-Final |
| 1996–97 | BBL | 36 | 14 | 22 | .388 | 10th (13) | DNQ | Q-Final | Q-Final |
| 1997–98 | BBL | 36 | 24 | 12 | .667 | 5th (13) | Finalist | Winner | Q-Final |
| 1998–99 | BBL | 36 | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4th (13) | Finalist | S-Final | (group) |
| 1999–00 | BBL South | 34 | 18 | 16 | .529 | 2nd (6) | Q-Final | Last 16 | S-Final |
| 2000–01 | BBL South | 34 | 14 | 20 | .412 | 5th (6) | DNQ | S-Final | S-Final |
| 2001–02 | BBL South | 32 | 14 | 18 | .438 | 6th (6) | DNQ | S-Final | Q-Final |
| 2002–03 | BBL | 40 | 26 | 14 | .650 | 4th (11) | Q-Final | S-Final | (group) |
| 2003–04 | BBL | 36 | 18 | 18 | .500 | 7th (10) | Q-Final | S-Final | (group) |
| 2004–05 | BBL | 40 | 16 | 22 | .400 | 7th (11) | Q-Final | Q-Final | (group) |
