Lancashire Spinners
| Lancashire Spinners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| League | EBL Division 2 | ||
| Established | 1962 | ||
| History |
Old Rossendalians 1962-1989 Rossendale Basketball Club 1989-2010 Rossendale Raptors 2010-2014 Lancashire Spinners 2014-present | ||
| Arena |
Castle Leisure Centre (Capacity: 500) | ||
| Location | Bury, Lancashire | ||
| Team colours | Red, Black and White | ||
| Head coach | Ken Masser | ||
| Website | LancashireSpinners.co.uk | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
The Lancashire Spinners are a semi-professional British basketball club based in Bury, Lancashire, which currently operates two Men's senior teams in the English Basketball League, competing in Division Two and Division Four. The club have held England Basketball Clubmark accreditation since 2011, and also enter Women's and Junior teams in local competition.[1]
Club History
Originally formed as an amateur outfit, the club started life as the Old Rossendalians, competing in local competition for several years before being invited to join the Manchester & District League in 1968. Despite the step up to regional competition, the club remained a small, locally-focussed organisation for many years, until a drive to attract players from outside the valley saw the club rebranded as the Rossendale Basketball Club in 1989. The award of a Lottery grant in 2001 paved the way for the club to expand their offering by developing a junior program, leading to a merger with the local Rossendale Aliens junior team.[2]
The growth of the club re-energized the organization, which led to greater investment from sponsors and in turn saw the club renamed as the Rossendale Raptors in 2010, followed swiftly by successfully applying for England Basketball Clubmark accreditation at the start of 2011 and making their debut in the national Division Four (North) league for the 2011/2012 season.[3] The newly named club's inaugural season at national level saw the Raptors claim the Division Four (North) title with a 20-2 record, setting up a run through to the final of the end-of-season playoffs where they defeated the Worcester Wolves' second team 91-87.
Stepping up to Division Three for the following year, the Raptors took sixth place in their first season and followed that up in their second by winning 17 of their 20 games on the way to the Division Three (North) title. While the Hackney White Heat prevented them from repeating the playoff victory, a second promotion in three years was achieved regardless.[4] With the goal of establishing themselves in the national ranks complete, the club relocated to the Castle Leisure Centre in Bury and rebranded themselves as the Lancashire Spinners in 2014 to attract a wider audience and to prepare for a future push towards the professional leagues.
Club Honours
EBL Division 3 League Champions
- 2014
EBL Division 4 League Champions
- 2012
EBL Division 4 Playoff Champions
- 2012
Season-by-season records
| Season[5] | Division | Played | Won | Lost | Points | League | Playoffs | National Cup | National Trophy | Patron's Cup | National Shield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rossendale Raptors | |||||||||||
| 2011-12 | EBL Division 4 (North) | 22 | 20 | 2 | 40 | 1st | Winners | 1st Round | DNE | DNE | 1st Round |
| 2012-13 | EBL Division 3 (North) | 22 | 14 | 8 | 28 | 6th | DNQ | 2nd Round | DNE | DNE | 3rd Round |
| 2013-14 | EBL Division 3 (North) | 20 | 17 | 3 | 34 | 1st | Quarter-Final | 2nd Round | DNE | DNE | Semi-Final |
| Lancashire Spinners | |||||||||||
| 2014-15 | EBL Division 2 | 3rd Round | DNE | DNE | |||||||
References
- ↑ "Rossendale Basketball Club achieve Clubmark". Basketball England.
- ↑ "Lottery grants helps kick start a youth revolution". Rossendale Free Press.
- ↑ "Raptors are on the rise". Lancashire Telegraph.
- ↑ "League Table History". Basketball England.
- ↑ "League Table History". Basketball England.