Final Standings

	P	W	L	PF	PA	Pts
Sligo Dairies (C – D1C)	18	14	4			46
Waterford Crystal (D1C)	18	13	5			44
Burger King Limerick (D1C)	18	12	6			42
Tolka Rovers (D1C)	18	10	8			38
Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	18	10	8			38
Riverisland Castleisland	18	8	10			34
Team Oscar Tridents	18	5	13			28
St. Gall’s	18	0	18			18

Division 1 Championship

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Semi-Finals
14.03.1998	Waterford Crystal	87	Limerick	75
14.03.1998	Sligo Dairies	74	Tolka Rovers	67
	Final
15.03.1998	Waterford Crystal	90	Sligo Dairies	68

Note: Division 1 was merged with the Super League in 1998 and recreated as a second level in 2001. There was no second level at National League level from 1998-2001.

Regular Season Results

W/E	Home Team		Away Team
	Week 1
05.10.1997	St. Galls	71	Sligo Dairies	83
05.10.1997	Burger King Limerick	73	Tolka Rovers	76
05.10.1997	Riverisland Castleisland	98	Team Oscar Tridents	84
05.10.1997	Waterford Crystal	88	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	75
	Week 2
11.10.1997	Team Oscar Tridents	103	St. Galls	60
11.10.1997	Sligo All Stars	100	Tolka Rovers	75
11.10.1997	Riverisland Castleisland	77	Mid Sutton Baldoyle	83
12.10.1997	Waterford Crystal	w/o	Burger King Limerick	scr #
	Week 3
19.10.1997	Sligo All Stars	103	Riverisland Castleisland	69
19.10.1997	Waterford Crystal	95	Burger King Limerick	87
19.10.1997	Team Oscar Tridents	91	Mid Sutton Baldoyle	78
19.10.1997	Tolka Rovers	101	St. Galls	89
	Week 4
26.10.1997	Riverisland Castleisland	97	Tolka Rovers	93
26.10.1997	Team Oscar Tridents	82	Sligo Dairies	104
26.10.1997	Mid Sutton Baldoyle	91	Waterford Crystal	70
26.10.1997	Burger King Limerick	102	St. Galls	75
	Week 5
09.11.1997	Team Oscar Tridents	86	Waterford Crystal	107
09.11.1997	Tolka Rovers	85	Sligo Dairies	102
09.11.1997	Burger King Limerick	94	Mid Sutton Baldoyle	82
09.11.1997	St. Galls	66	Riverisland Castleisland	85
	Week 6
16.11.1997	Sligo Dairies	74	Waterford Crystal	72
16.11.1997	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	82	Team Oscar Tridents	67
16.11.1997	Riverisland Castleisland	75	Burger KIng Limerick	81
16.11.1997	Tolka Rovers	118	St. Galls	59
	Week 7
23.11.1997	Team Sligo Dairies	88	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	84
23.11.1997	Burger King Limerick	65	Oscar Tridents	72
23.11.1997	St. Galls	60	Riverisland Castleisland	71
23.11.1997	Waterford Crystal	112	Tolka Rovers	106 ot
	Week 8
30.11.1997	Team Oscar Tridents	89	Team Sligo Dairies	97
30.11.1997	Waterford Crystal	95	St. Galls	75
30.11.1997	Burger King Limerick	81	Riverisland Castleisland	72
30.11.1997	Tolka Rovers	83	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	84
	Week 9
07.12.1997	Sligo Dairies	74	Burger King Limerick	90
07.12.1997	Riverisland Castleisland	122	Waterford Crystal	113 ot
07.12.1997	St. Galls	81	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	82
07.12.1997	Tolka Rovers	87	Oscar Tridents	73
	Week 10
21.12.1997	St. Galls	85	Team Oscar Tridents	107
21.12.1997	Waterford Crystal	66	Burger King Limerick	71
21.12.1997	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	93	Riverisland Castleisland	79
21.12.1997	Tolka Rovers	98	Sligo Dairies	111
	Week 11
04.01.1998	Tolka Rovers	85	Burger King Limerick	103
04.01.1998	Sligo Dairies	122	St. Galls	74
04.01.1998	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	72	Waterford Crystal	75
04.01.1998	Oscar Tridents	64	Riverisland Castleisland	100
	Week 12
11.01.1998	Riverisland Castleisland	89	Sligo Dairies	101
11.01.1998	Burger King Limerick	74	Waterford Crystal	82
11.01.1998	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	102	Oscar Tridents	87
11.01.1998	St. Galls	71	Tolka Rovers	117
	Week 13
18.01.1998	Sligo Dairies	83	Team Oscar Tridents	85
18.01.1998	Waterford Crystal	104	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	84
18.01.1998	Tolka Rovers	102	Riverisland Castleisland	95
18.01.1998	St. Galls	71	Burgerland Limerick	98
	Week 14
01.02.1997	Sligo Dairies	85	Tolka Rovers	81
01.02.1997	Waterford Crystal	106	Oscar Tridents	87
01.02.1997	Riverisland Castleisland	129	St. Galls	81
01.02.1997	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	67	Burger King Limerick	51
	Week 15
08.02.1998	St. Galls	74	Tolka Rovers	115
08.02.1998	Oscar Tridents	51	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	81
08.02.1998	Waterford Crystal	91	Team Sligo Dairies	85
08.02.1998	Burger King Limerick	112	Riverisland Castleisland	89
	Week 16
15.02.1998	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	106	Sligo Dairies	87
15.02.1998	Tolka Rovers	109	Waterford Crystal	78
15.02.1998	Team Oscar Tridents	99	Burger King Limerick	110
15.02.1998	Riverisland Castleisland	112	St. Galls	71
	Week 17
22.02.1998	Team Sligo Dairies	111	Team Oscar Tridents	85
22.02.1998	Riverisland Castleisland	80	Burger King Limerick	89
22.02.1998	St. Galls	62	Waterford Crystal	127
22.02.1998	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	88	Tolka Rovers	92
	Week 18
22.02.1998	Burger King Limerick	61	Sligo Dairies	98
22.02.1998	Waterford Cyrstal	67	Riverisland Castleisland	61
22.02.1998	Mid Sutton-Baldoyle	121	St. Galls	82
22.02.1998	Team Oscar Tridents	76	Tolka Rovers	79

Report

Sligo All Stars (aka Sligo Dairies for sponsorship reasons) were out in front of the Irish Basketball Association Budweiser Men’s Division 1 at the end of October with four wins from four games. Waterford Crystal were hot on their heels with three wins and one loss.

A month later at the end of November, Team Sligo Dairies were still undefeated with 8 wins, two ahead of nearest challengers Waterford Crystal, with three teams on 4 wins: Riverisland Castleisland, MSB (Mid Sutton-Baldoyle) and Burger King Limerick.

Sligo Dairies dropped their first game of the season in Week 9 to Burger KIng Limerick who won by a surprising 16 points as they moved into a three-way tie for second on 6 wins with Waterford Crystal and MSB, three behinf Sligo Dairies by the end of 1997. Three other teams were still n contention for the playoffs with Riverisland Castleisland on five wins, and Tolka Rovers and Team Oscar Tridents on four each. Only St. Galls of Belfast out of the running with ten straight defeats.

By the last weekend of league action in January 1998, Sligo Dairies were still on top although had just lost their second game of the season to Oscar Tridents, who were second last. Waterford Crystal remained in contention with three wins in January, leaving them on 9-4. Burger King Limerick (8-5) and MSB (7-6) were the other two playoff placed teams.

At the end of the season, Sligo Dairies had held on to win the League with 14 wins from 18 games, one win ahead of Waterford Crystal and two ahead of Burger King Limerick. Tolka Rovers sneaked into the Division 1 Championship ahead of Mid Sutton-Baldoyle after both finished on 10-8. Riverisland Castleisland (8-10), Oscar Tridents (5-13) and St. Galls (0-18) took the bottom three spots.

In the Division 1 Championship Waterford Crystal overcame Sligo Dairies 90-68 in the Final, after they had knocked out Burger King Limerick and Tolka Rovers respectively in the Semi-Finals. All four were promoted to the Super League for 1998-99.

About the Basketball National Leagues

The Men’s Division 1 was the 2nd Level of the IBA National Basketball League from 1993-2003. There was automatic Promotion and Relegation to and from the Super League.

The Second Level was merged with the Super League after the 1997-98 season and re-established in 2001. Ballina won the Playoff Final in 2001-02, and completed the double in 2002-03.

References

Newspapers

[1] Anon. (1998) “Basketball”. Irish Independent. Monday, March 2, 1998. pp. 20-21.

[2] Anon. (1998) “Basketball”. Irish Independent. Monday, March 16, 1998. pp. 34-35

[3] Anon. (1997) “Factfile: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, October 6, 1997. Pg. 30

[4] Anon. (1997) “Factfile: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, October 13, 1997. Pg. 34

[5] Anon. (1997) “Ballina want McClean on the Plane from Spain” Irish Independent. Friday, October 17, 1997. Pg. 18

[6] Anon. (1997) “Factfile: Basketball” Irish Independent. Saturday, October 18, 1997. Pg. 22

[7] Anon. (1997) “Factfile: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, October 20, 1997. Pg. 32

[8] Anon. (1997) “McClean helps to sink Neptune” Irish Independent. Monday, October 20, 1997. Pg. 32

[9] Anon. (1997) “Factfile: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, October 27, 1997. Pg. 34

[10] Anon. (1997) “Factfile: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, November 10, 1997. Pg. 34.

[11] Anon. (1997) “Factfile: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, November 17, 1997. Pg. 34.

[12] Anon. (1997) “Factfile: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, November 24, 1997. Pg. 30.

[13] Anon. (1997) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, December 1, 1997. Pg. 30

[14] Anon. (1997) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, December8, 1997, Pg. 33

[15] Anon. (1997) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, December 22, 1997, Pg. 40

[16] Anon. (1998) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, January 5, 1998, Pg. 23

[17] Anon. (1998) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, January 12, 1998, Pg. 31

[18] Anon. (1998) “Neptune looking up as Augusto points the way” Irish Independent. Monday, January 19, 1998, Pg. 30

[19] Anon. (1998) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, January 26, 1998, Pg. 31

[20] Anon. (1998) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, February 2, 1998, Pg. 20

[21] Anon. (1998) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, February 9, 1998, Pg. 26

[22] Anon. (1998) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, February 16, 1998, Pg. 32

[23] Anon. (1998) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, February 23, 1998, Pg. 28

[24] Anon. (1998) “A-Z of Weekend Sport: Basketball” Irish Independent. Monday, March 2, 1998, Pg. 20

[3] Anon. (1997) “Sports Round Up” Irish Times. Monday, November 24, 1997. pg. 28 [Internet] Available online at: https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1997/1124/Pg028.html#Ar02800 [Accessed 19 December 2020]

[4] Anon. (1997) “Sports Round Up” Irish Times. Monday, December 1, 1997. pg. 30 [Internet] Available from: https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1997/1201/Pg030.html#Ar03000 [Accessed 19 December 2020]

Websites

[1] Basketball Ireland (2018) History [Internet] Available from: http://www.basketballireland.ie/history/ [Accessed 26 May 2018]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to John Folan.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 19 December 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.