HISTORY:

Ellesmere Port Jets were admitted to Division 2 of the NBL in 1986, and showed little sign of what was to come as they finished last in their first season, with just a single victory.

Edging up to seventh the next season, they then changed their name to Cheshire Jets, though still continuing to play in Ellesmere Port. They continued a steady mid-table development until, in 1991, they won the divisional title, despite suffering five defeats.

At this time the BBL (playing as the Carlsberg league Division One) was only just recovering from it's low point of just eight teams in the late 1980s. Hemel Hempstead had just returned to the top flight, after choosing to drop down for a spell, and Birmingham Bullets (finishing 8th in Division 2, having also chosen to leave the BBL) won the 1991 play-offs and were accepted back into Division 1.

Under these circumstances Cheshire were admitted to Carlsberg Division 1, increasing the numbers to eleven. To nobody's surprise they finished that first season in last place, with two wins, but unlike previous promoted teams they continued to plug away, and finished just off the foot of the table for the next four seasons. In 1993 they changed their name to Chester, having moved to the Northgate Arena in the city.

The real turning point for the club came in 1996, when the application of the Bosman ruling to basketball resulted in the departure of many of the top English players to European clubs, and the BBL changed its eligibility rule to entitle teams to use five non-national players.

Astute trans-Atlantic recruitment by coach and co-owner Mike Burton resulted in a highly competitive team, which finished fifth in the Budweiser League table in 1997.

They have remained highly competitive ever since, with best-ever performances in 2002 (Northern Conference Champions) and 2003 (3rd in the re-unified League), and a string of successes in the BBL trophy (4-times winners, from 2001 to 2004), culminating in the League Championship in 2005.

With the retirement of Mike Burton, in 2007, after 20 years at the club, the team was saved from extinction by a new management team set up by the club's fans, and, under sponsorship from local firm BiG Storage, they became "Cheshire" once again.

In 2008 the Jets reached an agreement with Ellesmere Port Panthers, to incorporate the latter into the Jets' organisation to enhance the development of young players. A fascinating development when you remember that the Jets themselves began life as ... Ellesmere Port!

ALL-TIME COMPETITION RECORD