LANCASHIRE Spinners made the most of their lone year in EBL’s Division Two, writes Allen Gunn.

The Bury-based basketball club finished as runners-up in both the regular season and play-off finals while also adding a national award – their first in any competition – to the trophy case.

General manager Ken Masser said: “We were delighted to have achieved what we wanted to and that was to gain promotion and to do that in the right way. It’s easy to bring in two Americans and a Spaniard and win the league but we wanted to continue developing our existing players both on and off the court.

“I really want to give the players who have taken us to this far to get an opportunity to play at a high level.

“Winning the Patrons Cup was a great day out for the fans but personally, the best moment for me was the performance we put on against Ipswich. Castle Leisure Centre was jammed full and, as a venue, it demonstrated there is potential to develop it for years to come.”

Spinners were 11-1 when in the confines of their home court, including the playoffs, despite not having a place to permanently call home until January and they boasted an overall 19-3 league record all while starting three players under the age of 25.

And between mid-January until a loss on the final day of the season, the club won nine-straight league games.

Player-coach Steven Gayle said, “After the season we’ve had, I think anybody we play against in Division One will have to take us seriously. We’ve accomplished a lot by getting to every final and from a team perspective that’s great.

“The way we ended the season was exciting and a lot of fans were turning up to support us. I think a lot of people will talk about it and the crowds will be even bigger.”

In five months, Spinners built a following that turned up in numbers to the Castle with over 300 people attending the semi-final playoff game.

“I’m just so grateful for the support of our sponsors, particularly World Options and Debit Finance as well as all our player sponsors and partners. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve so much success without them. Bury Council and Bury Leisure have been a huge support as well, and I am already looking forward to next season.

“Also, I think it would be wrong of me to not thank Dawn Fidler and the Super Josh Charity for their support, and for giving us the opportunity to get to know Josh and be a small part of his amazing journey. We miss him dearly but hope to continue to do our hero proud.

“As we look ahead to next season, obviously it’s going to really important for us to continue to grow our group of sponsors and partners, as well as our fan base, and we look forward to developing relationships with local businesses over the coming months.”

Interested sponsors, partners or volunteers can contact Ken via email on ken.masser@lancashirespinners.co.uk.