BCB TROPHY FIXTURES RELEASED

The BCB Trophy will tip off on September 5, with 20 teams set to battle for the first silverware of the new season in what promises to be an exciting competition.

Defending champions City of Birmingham Rockets return looking to retain the title they won last season and will be joined by 13 fellow BCB clubs in the race for the trophy. They will also face competition from six invited teams. Oaklands Wolves, Plymouth Raiders, Gloucester City Kings, Cardiff Met Archers, Portsmouth Force and Scotland's Signs Express Fury.

The 20 teams will be split into four groups of five, with only the top two teams from each group progressing. The quarter-finals are scheduled for October, when the remaining eight teams will compete for a place in the final four. The competition will then move into the semi-finals in November, with the winners earning the chance to compete for the BCB Trophy in January’s final, with the venue to be confirmed.

Key Fixtures

The action gets underway on Saturday, September 5, with three bumper encounters as Oaklands Wolves host the Milton Keynes Breakers in the Midlands group.

On Tyneside, last season’s runners-up Yorkshire Dragons will square off against the BCB Playoff champions, the Newcastle Knights; and there will be a Bristol derby in the South I pool, as the Hurricanes battle the Flyers II.

The Trophy champions, Birmingham, will get their title defence underway on September 13, when they host the Hemel Storm. League champions the Aldermore Reading Rockets will commence their Trophy campaign at home to the London Cavaliers on September 6.

The final round of group play will be on September 27, as the City of Birmingham Rockets hit the road to face the Oaklands Wolves in St Albans, with Plymouth Raiders hosting the Bristol Hurricanes and London Cavaliers going up against the Portsmouth Force.

To find your team's fixture list for the BCB Trophy, head to the relevant team's website or social media page.