Wikipedia
1981 British League season
The 1981 British League season was the 47th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 17th known as the British League.[1]
| League | British League |
|---|---|
| Champions | Cradley Heath Heathens |
| No. of competitors | 16 |
| Knockout Cup | Ipswich Witches |
| League Cup | Coventry Bees |
| Individual | Kenny Carter |
| London Cup | Hackney Hawks |
| Highest average | Bruce Penhall |
| Division/s below | 1981 National League |
Summary Edit
The league comprised 16 teams - one fewer than the previous season. Wolverhampton Wolves had dropped down to the National League.[2]
American Bruce Penhall (who would be crowned world champion by the end of the season) topped the averages and helped Cradley Heathens win their first title. The Cradley team included Penhall, rising Danish star Erik Gundersen and British internationals Alan Grahame and Phil Collins. The league runner-up Ipswich Witches gained some consolation by winning the Knockout Cup.[3]
Final League table Edit
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Cradley Heathens | 30 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 53 |
| 2 | Ipswich Witches | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 46 |
| 3 | Swindon Robins | 30 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 41 |
| 4 | Belle Vue Aces | 30 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 39 |
| 5 | Coventry Bees | 30 | 18 | 0 | 12 | 36 |
| 6 | Birmingham Brummies | 30 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 27 |
| 7 | Halifax Dukes | 30 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 27 |
| 8 | Hackney Hawks | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 26 |
| 9 | Poole Pirates | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 26 |
| 10 | Sheffield Tigers | 30 | 13 | 0 | 17 | 26 |
| 11 | Reading Racers | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 25 |
| 12 | Hull Vikings | 30 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 24 |
| 13 | Eastbourne Eagles | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 23 |
| 14 | King's Lynn Stars | 30 | 10 | 2 | 18 | 22 |
| 15 | Leicester Lions | 30 | 11 | 0 | 19 | 22 |
| 16 | Wimbledon Dons | 30 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 17 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Top Ten Riders (League Averages) Edit
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Bruce Penhall | Cradley | 11.08 | |
| 2 | Kenny Carter | Halifax | 10.50 | |
| 3 | Phil Crump | Swindon | 10.39 | |
| 4 | Michael Lee | King's Lynn | 10.34 | |
| 5 | Erik Gundersen | Cradley | 10.26 | |
| 6 | Chris Morton | Belle Vue | 10.26 | |
| 7 | Jan Andersson | Reading | 10.02 | |
| 8 | Gordon Kennett | Eastbourne | 9.95 | |
| 9 | Kelly Moran | Eastbourne | 9.83 | |
| 10 | Hans Nielsen | Birmingham | 9.83 |
British League Knockout Cup Edit
The 1981 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 43rd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Ipswich Witches were the winners.[4]
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04/06 | Middlesbrough | 43-53 | Eastbourne |
| 23/05 | Berwick | 39-57 | Wimbledon |
| 08/05 | Peterborough | 50-46 | Halifax |
| 04/05 | Newcastle | 40-56 | Leicester |
| 08/05 | Edinburgh | 49-47 | Sheffield |
| 12/04 | Mildenhall | 38-58 | Poole |
| 31/05 | Rye House | 34-62 | Birmingham |
| 03/05 | Boston | 47-48 | Hull |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/07 | Poole | 49-47 | Leicester |
| 24/06 | Hull | 54-42 | Belle Vue |
| 23/06 | Leicester | 51-45 | Poole |
| 20/06 | Cradley Heath | 60-36 | Eastbourne |
| 14/06 | Peterborough | 38-58 | Birmingham |
| 13/06 | Belle Vue | 53-43 | Hull |
| 11/06 | Wimbledon | 40-56 | Reading |
| 08/06 | Birmingham | 63-33 | Peterborough |
| 08/06 | Reading | 55-41 | Wimbledon |
| 07/06 | Eastbourne | 49-47 | Cradley Heath |
| 30/05 | Coventry | 63-33 | Hackney |
| 30/05 | Swindon | 69-27 | Edinburgh |
| 29/05 | Hackney | 37-59 | Coventry |
| 01/05 | Kings Lynn | 47-49 | Ipswich |
| 21/05 | Ipswich | 53-43 | Kings Lynn |
| 12/06 | Edinburgh | 47-49 | Swindon |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/09 | Swindon | 74-22 | Leicester |
| 25/08 | Leicester | 45-51 | Swindon |
| 20/08 | Ipswich | 54-42 | Cradley Heath |
| 12/08 | Cradley Heath | 48-48 | Ipswich |
| 03/08 | Reading | 51-45 | Coventry |
| 24/07 | Birmingham | 52-44 | Hull |
| 22/07 | Hull | 49-47 | Birmingham |
| 11/07 | Coventry | 49-45 | Reading |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28/09 | Reading | 49-47 | Birmingham |
| 18/09 | Birmingham | 54-42 | Reading |
| 18/09 | Swindon | 46-50 | Ipswich |
| 10/09 | Ipswich | 57-39 | Swindon |
Final Edit
First leg
| Birmingham Brummies Hans Nielsen 14 Kai Niemi 13 Andy Grahame 8 Bruce Cribb 8 Neil Evitts 4 Simon Wigg 0 Paul Thorp 0 | 47 - 49 | Ipswich Witches Preben Eriksen 12 John Cook 11 Kevin Jolly 7 Dennis Sigalos 6 Tim Hunt 6 Mike Lanham 5 Nigel Flatman 2 |
|---|---|---|
Second leg
| Ipswich Witches Dennis Sigalos 11 John Cook 10 Preben Eriksen 8 Kevin Jolly 7 Mike Lanham 7 Tim Hunt 6 Nigel Flatman 2 | 51 - 45 | Birmingham Brummies Hans Nielsen 17 Andy Grahame 17 Kai Niemi 8 Bruce Cribb 1 Neil Evitts 1 Mike Wilding 1 Paul Thorp 0 |
|---|---|---|
The Ipswich Witches were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 100-92.
League Cup Edit
The League Cup was inaugurated in 1981 with the 16 teams split into North and South sections comprising 8 teams each that met each other home and away. The winners of each section qualified for the two-legged final with Coventry Bees beating King's Lynn Stars in the final 120-70 on aggregate.
North Group
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Coventry Bees | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
| 2 | Cradley Heathens | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 22 |
| 3 | Belle Vue Aces | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 4 | Sheffield Tigers | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 5 | Birmingham Brummies | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| 6 | Hull Vikings | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 10 |
| 7 | Leicester Lions | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 8 |
| 8 | Halifax Dukes | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 8 |
South Group
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | King's Lynn Stars | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 21 |
| 2 | Reading Racers | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
| 3 | Ipswich Witches | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 18 |
| 4 | Poole Pirates | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 5 | Swindon Robins | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 6 | Hackney Hawks | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 11 |
| 7 | Eastbourne Eagles | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 10 |
| 8 | Wimbledon Dons | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 |
Final Edit
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/10 | Coventry | 68–28 | King's Lynn |
| 11/10 | King's Lynn | 42–54 | Coventry |
Riders' Championship Edit
Kenny Carter won the British League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 17 October and sponsored by the Daily Mirror.[5]
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny Carter | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Chris Morton | 3 3 2 2 3 | 13+3 |
| 3 | Shawn Moran | 3 2 3 2 3 | 13+2 |
| 4 | Phil Crump | 2 3 2 1 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Dave Jessup | 1 2 1 3 2 | 9 |
| 6 | Hans Nielsen | 1 3 3 1 0 | 8 |
| 7 | Dennis Sigalos | 2 1 0 2 3 | 8 |
| 8 | Bruce Penhall | 2 2 1 1 2 | 8 |
| 9 | Les Collins | 1 0 3 2 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Malcolm Simmons | 2 0 1 3 1 | 7 |
| 11 | Gordon Kennett | 1 2 2 0 1 | 6 |
| 12 | Scott Autrey | 3 0 1 0 1 | 5 |
| 13 | Jan Andersson | 0 1 2 0 2 | 5 |
| 14 | Bo Petersen | 0 1 0 3 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Ole Olsen | 0 1 0 1 | 2 |
| 16 | Joe Owen | 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Gary O'Hare (res) | 0 - - - - | 0 |
- ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded r-retired
Final leading averages Edit
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Bruce Penhall | Cradley | 11.01 | |
| 2 | Kenny Carter | Halifax | 10.17 | |
| =3 | Phil Crump | Swindon | 10.30 | |
| =3 | Michael Lee | King's Lynn | 10.30 | |
| 5 | Jan Andersson | Reading | 10.26 | |
| 6 | Hans Nielsen | Birmingham | 9.80 | |
| 7 | Chris Morton | Belle Vue | 9.75 | |
| 8 | Erik Gundersen | Cradley | 9.72 | |
| 9 | John Davis | Poole | 9.70 | |
| 10 | Gordon Kennett | Eastbourne | 9.67 |
London Cup Edit
Hackney won the London Cup but the competition consisted of just Wimbledon and Hackney.[6]
Results
| Team | Score | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Wimbledon | 43–36 | Hackney |
| Hackney | 46–32 | Wimbledon |
Riders & final averages Edit
Belle Vue
- Chris Morton 9.75
- Larry Ross 9.08
- Peter Collins 7.33 (3 matches only)
- Neil Collins 7.00
- Rob Maxfield 6.95
- Jimmy McMillan 6.02
- Louis Carr 5.60
- Mike Lohmann 5.58
- Larry Kosta 5.51
- Peter Ravn 4.74
Birmingham
- Hans Nielsen 9.80
- Andy Grahame 8.64
- Kai Niemi 7.44
- Ari Koponen 6.41
- Finn Jensen 5.89
- Keith Chrisco 5.13
- Bruce Cribb 5.06
- Neil Evitts 4.93
- Hasse Danielsson 4.90
- Paul Thorp 2.14
Coventry
- Ole Olsen 9.42
- Tommy Knudsen 9.41
- Mitch Shirra 8.13
- Gary Guglielmi 6.61
- Kevin Hawkins 6.58
- Alf Busk 6.17
- Keith White 5.55
- Rob Hollingworth 5.46
- Steve Wilcock 3.29
Cradley Heath
- Bruce Penhall 11.01
- Erik Gundersen 9.72
- Alan Grahame 9.11
- Phil Collins 7.58
- David Shields 5.23
- Bent Rasmussen 5.00
- John McNeil 3.86
- Arnold Haley 0.70
Eastbourne
- Gordon Kennett 9.67
- Kelly Moran 9.28
- Paul Woods 6.96
- Richard Greer 4.44
- Trevor Geer 4.24
- Dave Kennett 3.92
- Olli Tyrväinen 3.75
- Robert Słaboń 2.89
- Eric Dugard 2.80
Hackney
- Bo Petersen 9.58
- Finn Thomsen 7.83
- Sean Willmott 7.04
- Zenon Plech 6.28
- Barry Thomas 5.52
- Roman Jankowski 5.19
- Bob Garrad 4.94
- Ted Hubbard 3.58
- Ian Clark 3.13
- Simon Aindow 1.06
Halifax
- Kenny Carter 10.17
- John Louis 7.82
- Ian Cartwright 7.80
- Craig Pendlebury 6.38
- Piotr Pyszny 5.30
- Doug Wyer 5.16
- Dave Trownson 4.65
- Steve Baker 3.55
- Rob Ashton 2.98
- Ian Westwell 0.92
Hull
- Billy Sanders 9.18
- Ivan Mauger 8.67
- Joe Owen 7.28
- Bobby Beaton 5.56
- Graham Drury 5.36
- Frank Auffret 4.83
- Rod Hunter 4.67
- John Eskildsen 4.62
- David Bargh 4.11
Ipswich
- Dennis Sigalos 8.92
- John Cook 8.63
- Kevin Jolly 8.07
- Preben Eriksen 6.98
- Mike Lanham 6.62
- Nigel Flatman 6.16
- Tim Hunt 6.12
King's Lynn
- Michael Lee 10.30
- Dave Jessup 9.56
- Richard Hellsen 7.34
- Melvyn Taylor 6.93
- David Gagen 4.51
- Clive Featherby 4.13
- Nigel Sparshott 3.65
- Pierre Brannefors 3.16
- Hasse Danielsson 2.96
- Dennis Mallett 2.42
Leicester
- Les Collins 8.55
- John Titman 7.44
- Rolf GramstadR 7.03
- Phil Herne 5.96
- Colin Cook 5.83
- Finn Jensen 5.76
- Pete Smith 4.90
- Ian Clark 4.52
- Steve Regeling 3.33
Poole
- John Davis 9.70
- Scott Autrey 8.42
- Ron Preston 7.68
- Kevin Smith 7.48
- Danny Kennedy 7.41
- Peter Prinsloo 6.56
- Neil Middleditch 6.10
- Les Sawyer 3.09
- Pete Ellams 2.52
- Malc Bedkober 1.28
- Claes Jensen 0.14
Reading
- Jan Andersson 10.26
- John Davis 9.66
- Bobby Schwartz 9.31
- Bernie Leigh 5.30
- Tony Briggs 5.00
- Denny Pyeatt 4.86
- Ashley Pullen 4.55
- Ian Gledhill 3.82
- Peter Wurterle 1.52
Sheffield
- Shawn Moran 8.27
- Dave Morton 8.02
- Eric Broadbelt 6.64
- Phil White 5.78
- Alan Molyneux 5.69
- Reg Wilson 5.62
- Wayne Brown 5.20
- Mark Fiora 4.54
- Paul Stead 2.33
- Rob Carter 1.29
Swindon
- Phil Crump 10.30
- Steve Bastable 8.55
- Steve Gresham 7.52
- Mike Ferreira 7.05
- Malcolm Holloway 6.88
- Steen Mastrup 6.03
- Martin Yeates 4.98
- Bjorn Andersson 4.70
- Martin Satchell 1.78
- Veijo Tuoriniemi 0.42
Wimbledon
- Malcolm Simmons 8.37
- Edward Jancarz 8.00
- Roger Johns 6.92
- Colin Richardson 6.84
- Brad Oxley 5.38
- Anders Eriksson 4.38
- Rudy Muts 4.12
- Peter Johns 2.48
- Eric Dugard 2.30
- Alan Mogridge 1.80
See also Edit
References Edit
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "HISTORY ARCHIVE". British Speedway. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "1981". Cradley Speedway. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ "1981 British League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- ^ "Speedwayn". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 18 October 1981. Retrieved 4 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1981 fixtures and results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 1 October 2023.