1976_Speedway_National_League
1976 National League season
British motorcycle speedway season
The 1976 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom having been renamed from the previous season's moniker of New National League.[1][2][3]
Quick Facts League, No. of competitors ...
| League | National League |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 18 |
| Champions | Newcastle Diamonds |
| Knockout Cup | Newcastle Diamonds |
| Individual | Joe Owen |
| Pairs | Ellesmere Port Gunners |
| Fours | Newcastle Diamonds |
| Highest average | Joe Owen |
| Division/s above | 1976 British League |
Close
The league was reduced from 20 teams down to 18, following the loss of three teams and gain of one. Birmingham Brummies moved up to the British League and Bradford Barons and Crewe Kings both closed down.[4] Sadly for Crewe the team would never return.[5] The additional team was the Oxford Cheetahs, who had returned to their traditional name following a three year period known as the Oxford Rebels. The Rebels team and promoters had moved to White City during the winter[6] but Oxford were saved by new promoters Harry Bastable and Tony Allsop after a committee of fans had created a "Save Our Stadium" campaign over the previous winter.[7][8]
Newcastle Diamonds comfortably won their first National League title, completing a cup double, and dropping only seven points.[9][10] The Owen brothers Joe Owen and Tom Owen topped the averages for the second consecutive year. Joe finished with an 11+ average and won the British League Division Two Riders Championship and Newcastle completed the league and cup double.
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Newcastle Diamonds | 34 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 61 |
| 2 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 34 | 24 | 1 | 9 | 49 |
| 3 | Workington Comets | 34 | 20 | 1 | 13 | 41 |
| 4 | Canterbury Crusaders | 34 | 20 | 0 | 14 | 40 |
| 5 | Rye House Rockets | 34 | 17 | 2 | 15 | 36 |
| 6 | Crayford Kestrels | 34 | 17 | 1 | 16 | 35 |
| 7 | Coatbridge Tigers | 34 | 17 | 1 | 16 | 35 |
| 8 | Eastbourne Eagles | 34 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| 9 | Peterborough Panthers | 34 | 16 | 2 | 16 | 34 |
| 10 | Berwick Bandits | 34 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| 11 | Stoke Potters | 34 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 31 |
| 12 | Boston Barracudas | 34 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 31 |
| 13 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 34 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 31 |
| 14 | Oxford Cheetahs | 34 | 14 | 1 | 19 | 29 |
| 15 | Weymouth Wizards | 34 | 11 | 2 | 21 | 24 |
| 16 | Paisley Lions | 34 | 12 | 0 | 22 | 24 |
| 17 | Scunthorpe Saints | 34 | 11 | 1 | 22 | 23 |
| 18 | Teesside Tigers | 34 | 10 | 0 | 24 | 20 |
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Joe Owen |  |
Newcastle | 11.55 |
| 2 | Tom Owen | |
Newcastle | 10.28 |
| 3 | Steve Weatherley | |
Eastbourne | 10.27 |
| 4 | John Jackson | |
Ellesmere Port | 10.20 |
| 5 | Laurie Etheridge | |
Crayford | 9.96 |
The 1976 Speedway Star Knockout Cup was the ninth edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Newcastle Diamonds were the winners of the competition.[11]
First round
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22/04 | Oxford | 48-30 | Weymouth |
| 20/04 | Weymouth | 40-38 | Oxford |
Close
Second round
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/06 | Ellesmere Port | 46-32 | Paisley |
| 27/05 | Stoke | 37-41 | Newcastle |
| 24/05 | Newcastle | 59-19 | Stoke |
| 23/05 | Mildenhall | 38-40 | Peterborough |
| 22/05 | Paisley | 36-42 | Ellesmere Port |
| 21/05 | Peterborough | 42-36 | Mildenhall |
| 17/05 | Scunthorpe | 43-35 | Berwick |
| 16/05 | Eastbourne | 41-37 | Oxford |
| 16/05 | Workington | 46-32 | Coatbridge |
| 14/05 | Coatbridge | 33-45 | Workington |
| 13/05 | Oxford | 47-31 | Eastbourne |
| 11/05 | Crayford | 46-32 | Boston |
| 09/05 | Boston | 48-30 | Crayford |
| 02/05 | Rye House | 45-32 | Canterbury |
| 01/05 | Berwick | 45-32 | Scunthorpe |
| 01/05 | Canterbury | 44-34 | Rye House |
| 23/04 | Coatbridge | 52-25 | Teesside |
| 22/04 | Teesside | 46-32 | Coatbridge |
Close
Quarter-finals
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23/07 | Workington | 46-31 | Boston |
| 20/07 | Ellesmere Port | 50-28 | Rye House |
| 18/07 | Rye House | 38-39 | Ellesmere Port |
| 17/07 | Berwick | 48-30 | Oxford |
| 11/07 | Boston | 48-29 | Workington |
| 08/07 | Oxford | 40-38 | Berwick |
| 05/07 | Newcastle | 47-31 | Peterborough |
| 25/06 | Peterborough | 39-39 | Newcastle |
Close
Semi-finals
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05/09 | Boston | 42-35 | Berwick |
| 28/08 | Berwick | 49-29 | Boston |
| 17/08 | Ellesmere Port | 41-37 | Newcastle |
| 16/08 | Newcastle | 46-31 | Ellesmere Port |
Close
Final
First leg
More information Berwick BanditsMike Hiftle 10Graham Jones 10Dave Gifford 9Willie Templeton 5Eddie Argall 5Robin Adlington 4Wayne Brown 0, 43 – 35 ...
| Berwick Bandits Mike Hiftle 10 Graham Jones 10 Dave Gifford 9 Willie Templeton 5 Eddie Argall 5 Robin Adlington 4 Wayne Brown 0 | 43 – 35 | Newcastle Diamonds Joe Owen 15 Tom Owen 14 Robbie Blackadder 3 Phil Michelidies 1 Andy Cusworth 1 Tim Swales 1 Ron Henderson R/R |
|---|---|---|
| [12] |
Close
Second leg
More information Newcastle DiamondsJoe Owen 12Tom Owen 12Ron Henderson 6Tim Swales 5Andy Cusworth 5Robbie Blackadder 4Phil Michelidies 4, 48 – 29 ...
| Newcastle Diamonds Joe Owen 12 Tom Owen 12 Ron Henderson 6 Tim Swales 5 Andy Cusworth 5 Robbie Blackadder 4 Phil Michelidies 4 | 48 – 29 | Berwick Bandits Eddie Argall 11 Roger Wright (guest) 6 Dave Gifford 6 Graham Jones 4 Willie Templeton 2 Peter Waite 0 Mike Hiftle R/R |
|---|---|---|
| [12] |
Close
Newcastle were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 83–72.
Joe Owen won the Riders' Championship, sponsored by Gauloises and held at Wimbledon Stadium on 2 October.[13]
More information Pos., Rider ...
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Owen | 3 3 3 3 2 | 14 |
| 2 | John Jackson | 3 3 0 3 3 | 12+3 |
| 3 | Ted Hubbard | 1 2 3 3 3 | 12+2 |
| 4 | Alan Emerson | 2 2 3 2 2 | 11 |
| 5 | Steve Weatherley | 2 3 1 3 1 | 10 |
| 6 | Brian Clark | 2 2 2 1 3 | 10 |
| 7 |  Lou Sansom | 3 0 2 2 2 | 9 |
| 8 | Rob Hollingworth | 1 1 1 2 3 | 8 |
| 9 | Les Rumsey | 3 0 2 1 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Bob Coles | 1 1 2 1 2 | 7 |
| 11 |  Brian Collins | 2 3 0 0 1 | 6 |
| 12 | Laurie Etheridge | 1 2 3 0 0 | 6 |
| 13 | Martin Yeates | 0 1 0 1 1 | 3 |
| 14 | Graham Jones | 0 1 1 0 0 | 2 |
| 15 | Carl Askew (res) | 0 2 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Keith Evans | 0 0 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Les Collins | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Ian Williams (res) | 0 0 0 | 0 |
Close
- f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure
The National League Pairs was held at Hyde Road on 5 June and was won by Ellesmere Port Gunners.[14]
More information Group A, Pos ...
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Close
Semi finals
- Ellesmere Port bt Workington
- Newcastle bt Mildenhall
Final
- Ellesmere Port bt Newcastle
Newcastle won the fours championship final, held at King's Lynn Stadium on 17 July.[15]
Semi finals
- SF1 = Ellesmere Port 17, Workington 15, Rye House 10, Peterborough 5
- SF2 = Newcastle 17, Eastbourne 13, Coatbridge 9, Boston 9
Final
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle | 18 | Owen T 6, Owen J 6, Cusworth 3, Michelides 3 |
| 2 | Eastbourne | 13 | Weatherley 5, Sampson 4, Richardson 4, Dugard 0, Jarman 0 |
| 3 | Ellesmere Port | 12 | Jackson 6, Gardner 3, Turner 2, Finch 1 |
| 4 | Workington | 5 | Lawson 4, Goad 1, Havelock 0, Kelly 0 |
Close
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Joe Owen | |
Newcastle | 11.54 |
| 2 | Tom Owen | |
Newcastle | 10.43 |
| 3 | Steve Weatherley | |
Eastbourne | 10.35 |
| 4 | John Jackson | |
Ellesmere Port | 10.08 |
| 5 | Laurie Etheridge | |
Crayford | 9.87 |
Berwick
- Graham Jones 8.12
- Dave Gifford 7.91
- Mike Hiftle 7.17
- Robin Adlington 6.84
- Willie Templeton 6.63
- Eddie Argall 6.54
- Keith Williams 2.00
- Peter Waite 1.80
- Wayne Brown 1.71
Boston
- Rob Hollingworth 9.63
- Billy Burton 8.26
- Paul Gilbert 6.58
- Stuart Cope 5.82
- Trevor Whiting 5.57
- Chris Emery 5.56
- Steve Clarke 5.28
- Ron Cooper 5.00
- Dave Allen 3.46
Canterbury
- Graham Banks 8.06
- Steve Koppe 7.85
- Les Rumsey 7.50
- Barney Kennett 6.84
- Graham Clifton 6.55
- Reg Luckhurst 6.51
- Bob Spelta 5.47
- Terry Casserley 5.13
Coatbridge
- Brian Collins 9.09
- Grahame Dawson 7.91
- Mick McKeon 6.79
- Jimmy Gallacher 5.68
- Derek Richardson 5.65
- Max Brown 5.18
- Doug Templeton 5.18
- Rob Maxfield 5.02
- Benny Rourke 4.83
- John Wilson 2.93
Crayford
- Laurie Etheridge 9.87
- Alan Sage 8.78
- Mike Broadbank 7.33
- Pete Wigley 7.22
- Alan Johns 6.54
- Trevor Barnwell 5.71
- Bill Archer 5.45
- Richard Davey 4.71
- Gary Spencer 4.10
- John Hooper 3.09
- Dave Shepherd 2.77
Eastbourne
- Steve Weatherley 10.35
- Eric Dugard 7.03
- Pete Jarman 6.75
- Colin Richardson 6.50
- Mike Sampson 6.49
- Ian Gledhill 6.43
- Steve Naylor 5.45
- Roger Abel 5.27
- Ian Fletcher 4.32
Ellesmere Port
- John Jackson 10.08
- Chris Turner 9.35
- Steve Finch 8.07
- Robbie Gardner 7.45
- Duncan Meredith 6.09
- Gerald Smitherman 5.80
- Phil Collins 4.33
- Geoff Jones 3.71
- Louis Carr 2.78
Mildenhall
- Bob Coles 9.21
- Kevin Jolly 8.41
- Trevor Jones 7.88
- Alan Cowland 6.24
- Fred Mills 5.67
- John Gibbons 5.54
- Stan Stevens 5.13
- Robert Henry 4.93
- Mick Bates 4.81
- Neil Leeks 3.54
Newcastle
- Joe Owen 11.54
- Tom Owen 10.43
- Ron Henderson 8.33
- Phil Micheledies 7.54
- Brian Havelock 7.51
- Andy Cusworth 7.40
- Robbie Blackadder 6.20
- Tim Swales 5.91
Oxford
- Carl Askew 8.03
- Brian Leonard 7.33
- Phil Bass 7.14
- Mick Handley 7.02
- Malcolm Corradine 6.10
- Roy Sizmore 5.91
- Jim Wells 5.88
- Kevin Young 5.47
- Steve Holden 3.69
Paisley
- Colin Farquharson 8.22
- Mick Fishwick 6.99
- Stuart Mountford 6.79
- Mike Fullerton 5.37
- Alan Bridgett 5.17
- Sid Sheldrick 5.10
- Malcolm Chambers 3.96
- Chris Roynon 3.91
- Mick Sheldrick 3.83
- Colin Caffrey 3.16
- Tom Davie 2.34
Peterborough
- Brian Clark 9.37
- Tony Featherstone 8.11
- Ian Clark 6.93
- Roy Carter 6.85
- Ken Matthews 6.53
- Steve Taylor 6.42
- Kevin Hawkins 5.33
- Nigel Couzens 5.11
- Alan Cowland 4.24
- Paul Cooper 4.19
- Russ Osborne 4.15
Rye House
- Ted Hubbard 9.17
- Kelvin Mullarkey 7.55
- Hugh Saunders 7.47
- Brian Foote 7.03
- Karl Fiala 6.73
- Bobby Garrad 6.13
- Bob Cooper 5.11
- Ashley Pullen 4.91
Scunthorpe
- Keith Evans 9.27
- Andy Hines 6.77
- Tony Boyle 5.97
- Phil Kynman 5.72
- Colin Cook 5.34
- Sid Sheldrick 5.10
- Ray Watkins 4.98
- Tony Gillias 4.75
Stoke
- Les Collins 9.31
- Jack Millen 7.90
- Malcolm Corradine 7.35
- Ricky Day 6.07
- Jim Brett 5.74
- Mick Newton 5.69
- Steve McDermott 5.33
- Tim Nunan 5.01
- Colin Meredith 4.82
Teesside
- Alan Emerson 8.41
- Tom Leadbitter 7.67
- Steve Wilcock 5.85
- Pete Reading 5.54
- Andy Cowan 5.27
- Pete Smith 4.92
- Nigel Close 4.78
- John Robson 2.95
- Martyn Cusworth 2.50
Weymouth
- Martin Yeates 8.69
- Vic Harding 7.18
- Chris Robins 7.07
- Gerald Purkiss 6.25
- Danny Kennedy 5.82
- Billy Spiers 5.32
- Garry May 3.51
- Trevor Vincent/Charley 3.94
- Jack Walker 3.54
- Roger Stratton 3.47
Workington
- Lou Sansom 8.77
- Steve Lawson 8.72
- Taffy Owen 8.07
- Colin Goad 7.67
- Brian Havelock 7.67
- Roger Wright 6.54
- Terry Kelly 5.57
- Chris Bevan 3.80
- Stewart Collin 3.16
- Oakes, P.(2006). Speedway Star Almanac. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- "Crewe Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- Lawson,K (2018) “Rebels 1975 – The Last Season”. ISBN 978-0-244-99725-0
- Oakes, P (2006). Speedway Star Almanac. Pinegen Ltd. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0.
- Lawson,K (2018) “The Cheetahs – The Resurrection”. ISBN 978-0-244-69934-5
- "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 101. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
- "1976 National League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- "1976 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- "Joe Owen gains speedway double". Lincolnshire Echo. 4 October 1976. Retrieved 17 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "1976 season results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- "Brothers clinch win for Diamonds". Lynn Advertiser. 20 July 1976. Retrieved 9 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.