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Surrey Scorchers
The Surrey Scorchers were an English professional basketball team based in Guildford, Surrey, that competed in the British Basketball League.
The team was established in 2005 as the Guildford Heat by fans of former British Basketball League team Thames Valley Tigers, who folded during the same year. Making an appearance in the ULEB Cup in 2007, the franchise was rebranded as the Surrey Heat in 2012. After the sale of the franchise by former owner Alison Reeve, the Heat were rebranded once again in September 2013 to become Surrey United. The franchise became wholly owned by Surrey Sports Park in June 2015, and was rebranded as the Surrey Scorchers. They originally played their home games at the Guildford Spectrum, before moving to the Surrey Sports Park in 2010.
The town of Guildford has been home to several elite basketball teams down the years. With the opening of the Guildford Spectrum, the successful Kingston team uprooted, moved in and renamed themselves as the Guildford Kings in 1992, briefly calling the place home until they folded in 1994, as did the Guildford Pumas before they relocated to Sutton in 1999. However it was the first major team, the Guildford Pirates who played in the town from 1975 to 1982 that would come back to figure prominently in the birth of the new club, the Guildford Heat.
In 1982, the Pirates moved to nearby Bracknell, becoming the Bracknell Pirates and later the Thames Valley Tigers. For many years, the Tigers were one of the front runners of the British basketball scene, 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.
Immediately a consortium of Tigers fans was formed to save the club. Headed by local businessman Mike Davies, they put together a viable package to take over the administration and running of the team. However, Nike failed to reach agreement in time for them to lease the franchise, and the deadline for entry into the British Basketball League for the 2005–06 season was reached. The Tigers' BBL membership thus lapsed, but the fans obtained permission from the League to enter a new team in its place, and successful negotiations with The Spectrum in Guildford led to the birth of the Guildford Heat franchise.
The Heat played their first ever league game on 1 October 2005 against the Newcastle Eagles at the Metro Radio Arena, losing in overtime 89–88. The very next night they defeated the Leicester Riders in the BBL Cup 69–65 at home. Heat's rookie season saw victories over established teams such as London Towers, Plymouth Raiders, Brighton Bears, and reigning Champions, Chester Jets, amongst others, making the Heat a success and a true phoenix from the flames of the Tigers franchise.
They ended the season with an impressive record of 20–20, finishing 5th in the league and qualifying for the post-season Play-offs, a remarkable achievement for the new team. In the first round of the Play-offs, playing away from home, Heat demolished the London Towers 99–81. However the opposition in the semi-finals, the all-conquering Newcastle Eagles proved too much and Heat succumbed to a 115–97 defeat. They also made the semi-final of the BBL Trophy, but missed out on a final following a nail-biting home defeat at the hands of eventual Runner-up, Leicester.
The arrival of American swingman Daniel Gilbert from Germany was a major coup for the Heat during the summer of 2006, proving playcaller Paul James still has great ability in spotting stars of the future. Guildford kick-started the season with a close away victory against the Scottish Rocks, 95–91, starting a three-game winning streak in the Championship. Heat also qualified for their first-ever cup final appearance after defeating the Sheffield Sharks 87–81 in the semi-final of the BBL Cup.
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Surrey Scorchers
The Surrey Scorchers were an English professional basketball team based in Guildford, Surrey, that competed in the British Basketball League.
The team was established in 2005 as the Guildford Heat by fans of former British Basketball League team Thames Valley Tigers, who folded during the same year. Making an appearance in the ULEB Cup in 2007, the franchise was rebranded as the Surrey Heat in 2012. After the sale of the franchise by former owner Alison Reeve, the Heat were rebranded once again in September 2013 to become Surrey United. The franchise became wholly owned by Surrey Sports Park in June 2015, and was rebranded as the Surrey Scorchers. They originally played their home games at the Guildford Spectrum, before moving to the Surrey Sports Park in 2010.
The town of Guildford has been home to several elite basketball teams down the years. With the opening of the Guildford Spectrum, the successful Kingston team uprooted, moved in and renamed themselves as the Guildford Kings in 1992, briefly calling the place home until they folded in 1994, as did the Guildford Pumas before they relocated to Sutton in 1999. However it was the first major team, the Guildford Pirates who played in the town from 1975 to 1982 that would come back to figure prominently in the birth of the new club, the Guildford Heat.
In 1982, the Pirates moved to nearby Bracknell, becoming the Bracknell Pirates and later the Thames Valley Tigers. For many years, the Tigers were one of the front runners of the British basketball scene, 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.
Immediately a consortium of Tigers fans was formed to save the club. Headed by local businessman Mike Davies, they put together a viable package to take over the administration and running of the team. However, Nike failed to reach agreement in time for them to lease the franchise, and the deadline for entry into the British Basketball League for the 2005–06 season was reached. The Tigers' BBL membership thus lapsed, but the fans obtained permission from the League to enter a new team in its place, and successful negotiations with The Spectrum in Guildford led to the birth of the Guildford Heat franchise.
The Heat played their first ever league game on 1 October 2005 against the Newcastle Eagles at the Metro Radio Arena, losing in overtime 89–88. The very next night they defeated the Leicester Riders in the BBL Cup 69–65 at home. Heat's rookie season saw victories over established teams such as London Towers, Plymouth Raiders, Brighton Bears, and reigning Champions, Chester Jets, amongst others, making the Heat a success and a true phoenix from the flames of the Tigers franchise.
They ended the season with an impressive record of 20–20, finishing 5th in the league and qualifying for the post-season Play-offs, a remarkable achievement for the new team. In the first round of the Play-offs, playing away from home, Heat demolished the London Towers 99–81. However the opposition in the semi-finals, the all-conquering Newcastle Eagles proved too much and Heat succumbed to a 115–97 defeat. They also made the semi-final of the BBL Trophy, but missed out on a final following a nail-biting home defeat at the hands of eventual Runner-up, Leicester.
The arrival of American swingman Daniel Gilbert from Germany was a major coup for the Heat during the summer of 2006, proving playcaller Paul James still has great ability in spotting stars of the future. Guildford kick-started the season with a close away victory against the Scottish Rocks, 95–91, starting a three-game winning streak in the Championship. Heat also qualified for their first-ever cup final appearance after defeating the Sheffield Sharks 87–81 in the semi-final of the BBL Cup.