Solent Kestrels claim third National Cup crown with dominant display

By Sam Neter on January 26, 2026

Solent Kestrels 2026 National Cup Champions

Image Credit: Basketball England

Solent Kestrels secured their third NBL National Cup title with a 93-74 victory over a depleted Manchester Magic on Sunday at University of Worcester Arena.

Kestrels took control early in the second quarter, establishing a double-digit advantage they would maintain throughout, led by an MVP performance from Luke Busumbru who had 28 points on a blistering hot 10-for-12 shooting.

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“This is his second time with the club, and he’s one of the top British talent,” Solent Head Coach Matt Guymon said on Busumbru.

“We’re so lucky to have him back, he’s leading with our community programme but still capable of playing at the highest level so we’re really fortunate to have him with us.”

And winning another National Cup title was one of the club’s targets for the season.

“It’s great, it’s one of the goals we had for the season,” Guymon added.

“We felt like we had the group that potentially cold make a Cup run like this. And the guys, credit to them, they really delivered on the day.”

Solent benefited from a short-handed Manchester side, who lost veteran Tyme Regent-Bascombe ahead of the final before influential guard Pharroh Gordon suffered a training injury on Thursday, and as a result, went with just a seven-man rotation.

Solent shot an efficient 56% from the field (40/71), including a dominant 69% on two-point attempts, to record their first cup win since 2021/22.

Andre Arissol contributed 20 points while Greg Durand chipped in 12, with Solent utilising 11 of their 12-man roster for at least five minutes.

U19 prospects Jack Walton and Demi Babalola led Manchester with 19 points and 18 points, respectively.

Box score.

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