Some stories don’t need embellishment. They just need telling. And the story of Bexley Tigers’ 2025/26 senior men’s season is one that deserves to be told in full — because what this squad achieved, against the odds and across two competitions, speaks to everything this club is built on.
After a hiatus from senior men’s basketball, the Tigers returned to the Medway Basketball Association this season with a point to prove. Placed in Division 2, they set about their campaign with quiet intent. What followed was anything but quiet.
An Unbeaten Season — But Nothing Was Given
Bexley Tigers finished the MBA Division 2 season unbeaten. On paper, that reads simply. In reality, it was anything but.
The defining moment came on 18th February 2026, when the Tigers travelled to Maidstone to face the Warriors — a side who would ultimately finish the season as runners-up. With everything on the line and their perfect record in the balance, the Tigers found themselves locked in one of the tensest contests of the season. Points traded. Leads changed hands. With two points separating the sides at the final buzzer, Bexley held on: 68–70 to the Tigers.
It was the kind of game that tests not just ability, but character. And this squad passed that test.
A Season Shaped by Adversity
Behind the unbeaten record lies a story of resilience that the scorelines alone won’t tell you.
Head coach Akin Lisk-Carew navigated a season marked by persistent lineup changes — a challenge familiar to many community clubs, but no less disruptive for that. Players came and went. Combinations were rebuilt. Throughout it all, we got through it especially with the addition of player-coach Ayo Tijani, filling dual roles with the kind of calm authority that earns a dressing room’s respect.
One supporter, watching the squad evolve through the season, perhaps put it best: “It was a tough season as we had many lineup changes, but the team that we finished the season with would have won the London Met League as well.”
That is not a throwaway sentiment. It is a reflection of what this group became — and a glimpse of what they may yet achieve.
Two Fronts, One Squad
The Tigers did not limit themselves to one competition this season. Alongside their MBA campaign, they competed in the London Met Basketball League — a division that pits clubs against some of the capital’s most established senior sides.
It was there that the season produced its most extraordinary night.
When Bexley Tigers hosted Waltham Forest Cardinals, no one anticipated what was coming. What began at 8pm stretched deep into the night — through regulation, through one period of overtime, then another, then a third. Three overtime periods. A final buzzer that didn’t sound until close to midnight. Basketball in its most dramatic, unforgiving form.
The Tigers would ultimately fall short on that occasion. But they took the lesson to Waltham Forest’s court for the return fixture — and delivered their answer emphatically. A 64–89 victory, away from home, against the same side. Statement made.
Bexley finished the London Met Basketball League season in fourth place — a highly creditable result on debut against seasoned competition, and a foundation that the club will look to build on.
The Man of the Moment: Jordan Webster
Every great team has a player who rises when it matters most. This season, that player was Jordan Webster.
Named the club’s Men’s Team MVP, Webster was the standout performer across both competitions — delivering big performances when the stakes were highest and setting the standard that his teammates rallied around. In a season defined by its challenges, his consistency was the thread that ran through everything.
A New Chapter Begins
This was also the first season that Bexley Tigers competed with Specsavers as a sponsor — a milestone that reflects the club’s growing profile and ambitions. The partnership marks the beginning of what the club hopes will be a sustained period of growth both on and off the court.
With an unbeaten MBA Division 2 title secured, a top-four finish in the London Met League, and a squad that finished the season stronger than it started — Bexley Tigers have announced their return to senior men’s basketball in the most emphatic terms.
The Tigers are back. And by the look of things, they are here to stay.
