Crystal Palace (basketball)
Crystal Palace was a British basketball club that played in the National Basketball League and later the British Basketball League until they merged with the London Towers in 1998. They played at the Crystal Palace Sports Centre and were the most successful British team in the 1970s and early 1980s.
The club began in 1966 as Old Suttonians, founded by former Sutton Grammar School pupils including David Last and Terry Doherty. In 1972 they joined the National League as Sutton basketball club and finished third in a six-team league. The next season they moved to Crystal Palace and became Sutton & Crystal Palace.
Success came quickly. In 1974 they won both the league and the National Cup. In 1975 they dropped the Sutton name and gained Cinzano sponsorship, helping them become Britain’s top team. They then completed three consecutive doubles in the National League and National Cup, and were seen as pioneers of UK basketball. Early stars included Jim Guymon, Martin Hall, Barry Huxley, Mark Saiers, Alan Baillie, Pete Jeremich and Paul Philp. In 1979–80 they earned a treble, with other notable players such as Dan Lloyd, Bob Roma, Paul Stimpson, Mick Bett and Alton Byrd, the latter famed for transforming British basketball.
Decline began with changes in TV coverage and the shift of attention to football club spending. In 1986 Crystal Palace merged with Brunel Uxbridge & Camden Ducks, with fixtures split between Crystal Palace and Brunel University. They bounced back briefly, finishing fourth in the league and winning the 1987 Play Offs, but soon faced financial problems, selling many players and reverting to the name Crystal Palace. The team relied on home-grown players from Roy Packham and Mark Dunning’s junior programs, plus others from Kingston Junior, including Graham Hill, Derek Johnson, Brian Moore, Roger Hosannah, Derek Lewis, Paul Smith, Michael Hosannah and Adrian Cummings, with senior players led by Daryl Reshaw and Shaughan Ryan.
After the 1988 season they dropped to the National League and did not compete in 1990/91. They returned in 1991/92 in the third division of the revamped Carlsberg League, finishing runners-up to Solent Stars. Tim Lewis led the home-grown squad alongside Clinton Ford, Brian Moore, Tunde Orelaja, Roger Lloyd and Adrian Jones, earning back-to-back promotions.
In 1993–94 Budweiser sponsored the top tier, moving Palace to Division One, where they finished runners-up to Coventry Crusaders. In 1994–95 Alton Byrd returned as player/manager and Palace won Division One. They stayed in the National League after missing a chance to join the top Budweiser League. The club continued developing British talent, with players such as Richard Scantlebury, Neill Rickets, Andy Powlesland, Graham Hill, Adrian Cummings, Ade Orelaja and Tim Lewis becoming regulars. In 1996 they returned to the top tier, but the transition to the BBL was tough. New players included Barry Gooch, Jason Crump, Clive Lindo, Jimmy Markham, Junior Williams and Wayne Henry.
A lack of sponsorship and Alton Byrd’s retirement hurt the club. Despite efforts to maintain a strong local-talent policy, coach Graham Hill and club stalwarts Roy Packham and Terry Doherty could not keep Crystal Palace afloat. The club merged with the London Towers in 1998, and the Crystal Palace name, once the most successful UK basketball club, ended.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:08 (CET).