1981_Speedway_National_League
1981 National League season
British motorcycle speedway season
The 1981 National League was contested as the second division/tier of Speedway in the United Kingdom.[1]
Quick Facts League, No. of competitors ...
| League | National League |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 19 |
| Champions | Middlesbrough Tigers |
| Knockout Cup | Edinburgh Monarchs |
| Individual | Mike Ferreira |
| Pairs | Canterbury Crusaders |
| Fours | Edinburgh Monarchs |
| Highest average | Mike Ferreira |
| Division/s above | 1981 British League |
Close
The league started with 20 teams with Nottingham Outlaws dropping out and Wolverhampton Wolves joining up, having moved down from the British League. Wolves promoter Mike Parker was replaced by Dan McCormick for the 1981 season.[2]
Berwick Bandits were forced to quit after 26 league meetings, their record being expunged. Middlesbrough Tigers comfortably won their first ever title.[3][4]
Exeter Falcons rider Tony Sanford died following an accident at the County Ground Stadium on 7 September. He was racing in a match against Milton Keynes when he hit a barrier near the final bend.[5] A memorial trophy was held in subsequent years in his memory.[6]
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 36 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 61 |
| 2 | Weymouth Wildcats | 36 | 26 | 1 | 9 | 53 |
| 3 | Newcastle Diamonds | 36 | 25 | 1 | 10 | 51 |
| 4 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 36 | 25 | 0 | 11 | 50 |
| 5 | Glasgow Tigers | 36 | 24 | 0 | 12 | 48 |
| 6 | Boston Barracudas | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 44 |
| 7 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 44 |
| 8 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 40 |
| 9 | Peterborough Panthers | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 39 |
| 10 | Crayford Kestrels | 36 | 19 | 0 | 17 | 38 |
| 11 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 36 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 37 |
| 12 | Oxford Cheetahs | 36 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 37 |
| 13 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 29 |
| 14 | Canterbury Crusaders | 36 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 29 |
| 15 | Stoke Potters | 36 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 28 |
| 16 | Rye House Rockets | 36 | 11 | 0 | 25 | 22 |
| 17 | Scunthorpe Stags | 36 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 13 |
| 18 | Workington Comets | 36 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 13 |
| 19 | Milton Keynes Knights | 36 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 8 |
The 1981 National League Knockout Cup was the 14th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Edinburgh Monarchs were the winners of the competition.[8]
First round
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29/03 | Mildenhall | 58-38 | Canterbury |
| 04/04 | Canterbury | 52-44 | Mildenhall |
| 17/04 | Ellesmere Port | 47-49 | Wolverhampton |
| 19/04 | Wolverhampton | 43-53 | Ellesmere Port |
| 23/04 | Middlesbrough | 69-27 | Glasgow |
| 29/05 | Glasgow | 55-40 | Middlesbrough |
| 11/04 | Stoke | 51-45 | Milton Keynes |
| 07/04 | Milton Keynes | 38-58 | Stoke |
Close
Second round
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29/05 | Edinburgh | 65-31 | Exeter |
| 01/06 | Exeter | 56-40 | Edinburgh |
| 04/06 | Oxford | 59-34 | Scunthorpe |
| 01/06 | Scunthorpe | 46-49 | Oxford |
| 07/06 | Mildenhall | 76-20 | Ellesmere Port |
| 29/05 | Ellesmere Port | 30-64 | Mildenhall |
| 29/05 | Peterborough | 70-26 | Rye House |
| 07/06 | Rye House | 32-64 | Peterborough |
| 06/06 | Berwick | 53-42 | Newcastle |
| 08/06 | Newcastle | 52-44 | Berwick |
| 09/06 | Weymouth | 74-20 | Workington |
| 29/05 | Workington | 31-59 | Weymouth |
| 07/06 | Boston | 69-27 | Crayford |
| 02/06 | Crayford | 42-51 | Boston |
| 07/06 | Middlesbrough | 55-41 | Stoke |
| 06/06 | Stoke | 48-48 | Middlesbrough |
Close
Quarter-finals
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/08 | Edinburgh | 65-31 | Oxford |
| 13/08 | Oxford | 41-54 | Edinburgh |
| 05/07 | Mildenhall | 61-35 | Peterborough |
| 26/06 | Peterborough | 49-47 | Mildenhall |
| 17/07 | Berwick | 51-45 | Weymouth |
| 14/07 | Weymouth | 48-48 | Berwick |
| 02/08 | Boston | 57-39 | Middlesbrough |
| ? | Middlesbrough | 45-51 | Boston |
Close
Semi-finals
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27/09 | Edinburgh | 64-32 | Mildenhall |
| 11/09 | Mildenhall | 46-50 | Edinburgh |
| 14/10 | Berwick | 64-32 | Boston |
| 27/09 | Boston | 58½-37½ | Berwick |
Close
Final
First leg
More information Berwick BanditsSteve McDermott 13Wayne Brown 11Mike Caroline 9Rob Grant 6Brett Saunders 5Brian Collins 3Jim Beaton 2, 49 – 46 ...
| Berwick Bandits Steve McDermott 13 Wayne Brown 11 Mike Caroline 9 Rob Grant 6 Brett Saunders 5 Brian Collins 3 Jim Beaton 2 | 49 – 46 | Edinburgh Monarchs Dave Trownson 10 Neil Collins 9 Ivan Blacka 9 Chris Turner 8 George Hunter 7 Scott Robson 3 Ian Westwell 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [9] |
Close
Second leg
More information Edinburgh MonarchsGeorge Hunter 13Dave Trownson 11Ivan Blacka 11Neil Collins 7Chris Turner 7Roger Lambert 6Ian Westwell 0, 55 – 40 ...
| Edinburgh Monarchs George Hunter 13 Dave Trownson 11 Ivan Blacka 11 Neil Collins 7 Chris Turner 7 Roger Lambert 6 Ian Westwell 0 | 55 – 40 | Berwick Bandits Charlie McKinna (guest) 14 Steve McDermott 9 Mike Caroline 7 Rob Grant 5 Brett Saunders 3 Brian Collins 2 Jim Beaton 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [9] |
Close
Edinburgh were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 101–89.
Mike Ferreira won the Riders' Championship, held at Wimbledon Stadium on 26 September 1981.[10]
More information Pos., Rider ...
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mike Ferreira | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
| 2 |  Simon Wigg | 1 3 3 3 3 | 13 |
| 3 |  Bruce Cribb | 3 3 2 0 3 | 11 |
| 4 | Dave Perks | 3 1 2 2 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Neil Collins | 2 3 2 2 1 | 10 |
| 6 | Steve Wilcock | 2 2 1 2 2 | 9 |
| 7 | Steve Lawson | 2 0 3 3 | 8 |
| 8 | Barry Thomas | 2 0 3 2 1 | 8 |
| 9 | Kelvin Mullarkey | 0 2 1 3 2 | 8 |
| 10 | Steve Finch | 0 2 2 1 | 6 |
| 11 | Wayne Brown | 3 2 | 5 |
| 12 | Ian Gledhill | 0 2 1 1 | 4 |
| 13 | Rob Maxfield | 1 1 1 1 0 | 4 |
| 14 | David Gagen | 2 0 1 0 | 3 |
| 15 | David Bargh | 1 1 1 0 | 3 |
| 16 |  Bob Humphreys | 1 0 0 | 1 |
| 17 | John Barclay | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | Neville Moore | 0 | 0 |
Close
- f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure
The National League Pairs was held at The Shay on 18 July and was won by Canterbury Crusaders.[11]
More information Group A, Pos ...
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Close
Semi finals
- Canterbury bt Wolverhampton
- Berwick bt Mildenhall
Final
- Canterbury bt Berwick
Edinburgh Monarchs won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Arena on 26 July.[12][13]
Semi finals
- SF1 = Wolverhampton 16, Edinburgh 16, Mildenhall 13, Crayford 3
- SF2 = Middlesbrough 16, Newcastle 16, Peterborough 11, Weymouth 4
Final
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 15 | Turner 4, Collins 4, Trownson 4, Blacka 3 |
| 2 | Newcastle Diamonds | 13 | Bargh 5, Emerson 3, Hunter 3, Blackadder 2 |
| 3 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 11 | Courtney 5, Pusey 3, Wilcock 2, Havelock 1 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 9 | Burton 5, Evitts 2, Stead 2, Cribb 0 |
Close
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Mike Ferreira | |
Canterbury Crusaders | 10.87 |
| 2 | Steve Lawson | |
Glasgow Tigers | 10.55 |
| 3 | Mark Courtney | |
Middlesbrough Tigers | 10.44 |
| 4 | Les Rumsey | |
Weymouth | 10.19 |
| 5 | Dave Perks | |
Oxford Cheetahs | 10.13 |
Berwick (withdrew from league)
- Wayne Brown 9.24
- Steve McDermott 8.40
- Rob Grant Sr. 6.95
- Mike Caroline 5.94
- Brian Collins 5.38
- Brett Saunders 5.05
- Roger Wright 4.92
- Graham Jones 4.61
- Jim Beaton 4.00
- Ian Anderson 1.26
Boston
- David Gagen 8.84
- Steve Lomas 8.84
- Steve Regeling 8.47
- Rob Hollingworth 8.45
- Dennis Mallett 6.35
- Mike Spinks 5.95
- Michael Holding 5.23
- Keven Dye 4.31
- Chris Cole 3.45
Canterbury
- Mike Ferreira 10.87
- Denzil Kent 7.75
- Barney Kennett 6.81
- Mark Martin 4.69
- Darryl Simpson 4.43
- Kevin Brice 4.21
- Brendan Shiletto 4.07
- Jamie Luckhurst 3.78
- Rob Dolman 3.30
- Graham Knowler 2.67
Crayford
- Barry Thomas 9.02
- Alan Sage 7.88
- Laurie Etheridge 6.90
- Mike Pither 5.72
- Trevor Barnwell 5.70
- Mike Spinks 4.83
- Paul Hollingsbee 4.47
- Keith Pritchard 4.15
- Paul Bosley 2.24
Edinburgh
- Neil Collins 9.68
- Dave Trownson 8.57
- George Hunter 8.45
- Chris Turner 7.49
- Ivan Blacka 7.07
- Benny Rourke 5.85
- Roger Lambert 5.27
- Guy Robson 2.77
- Ian Westwell 2.27
Ellesmere Port
- Billy Burton 8.63
- Steve Finch 8.14
- Peter Carr 7.49
- John Jackson 7.34
- Rob Ashton 6.51
- Phil Alderman 5.98
- Eric Monaghan 5.98
- Paul Embley 4.81
- Paul Price 3.11
- Andrew Reeves 1.68
Exeter
- Rob Maxfield 9.07
- Bob Coles 8.24
- Martin Hewlett 8.10
- John Barker 7.85
- Les Sawyer 7.68
- Andy Campbell 6.53
- Keith Wright 6.00
- John Williams 5.99
- Keith Millard 4.30
- Tony Sanford 3.20
Glasgow
- Steve Lawson 10.55
- Charlie McKinna 8.04
- Kenny McKinna 7.57
- Nigel Close 7.08
- Harry Maclean 6.02
- Colin Caffrey 5.80
- Andy Reid 5.52
- Ray Palmer 4.44
- Alan Mason 2.74
Middlesbrough
- Mark Courtney 10.44
- Steve Wilcock 9.95
- Martin Dixon 8.28
- Brian Havelock 7.20
- Mike Spink 7.18
- Geoff Pusey 6.71
- Bernie Collier 5.05
- Peter Tarrant 3.60
- Alan Armstrong 3.54
Mildenhall
- Robert Henry 8.59
- Ray Bales 8.35
- Mick Bates 8.25
- Ian Gledhill 7.89
- Richard Knight 7.24
- Carl Baldwin 4.48
- Andy Warne 3.78
- Mark Bilner 3.73
- Carl Blackbird 2.77
Milton Keynes
- Bob Humphreys 9.14
- Graham Plant 6.38
- Andy Hibbs 6.00
- Mick Blaynee 4.77
- Barry Allaway 4.41
- Mark Baldwin 4.36
- Steve Payne 4.30
- Nigel Davis 4.20
- Brett Alderton 4.15
Newcastle
- David Bargh 9.04
- Rod Hunter 8.68
- Robbie Blackadder 8.40
- Alan Emerson 8.07
- Keith Bloxsome 6.87
- Glenn MacDonald 5.54
- Kym Mauger 2.92
Oxford
- Dave Perks 10.13
- Derek Harrison 9.40
- Colin Ackroyd 8.12
- Paul Evitts 5.31
- Arthur Price 4.51
- John Grahame 4.14
- Mick Handley .4.04
- Mick Fletcher 3.94
- Alan MacLean 1.44
Peterborough
- Richard Greer 8.20
- Andy Hines 8.04
- Dave Allen 7.69
- Mick Hines 7.58
- Andy Fisher 6.08
- Nigel Couzens 5.97
- Andy Buck 5.32
- Ian Barney 4.91
Rye House
- Bobby Garrad 8.85
- Kelvin Mullarkey 8.27
- Steve Naylor 7.67
- Kevin Bowen 5.05
- Peter Johns 4.71
- Peter Tarrant 4.62
- Marvyn Cox 4.57
- Garry Monk 4.51
- Barry King 4.20
- Tony Garard 2.18
Scunthorpe
- Kevin Teager 7.56
- Nicky Allott 7.51
- Mark DeKok 5.71
- Tony Featherstone 5.33
- Rob Woffinden 5.19
- Tony Childs 3.62
- Graeme Beardsley 3.45
- Julian Parr 2.99
- Phil Kynman 2.73
Stoke
- Pete Smith 8.28
- Mike Sampson 7.97
- Arthur Browning 6.68
- Rob Lightfoot 6.55
- Mark Collins 6.29
- Rod North 6.11
- Steve Sant 6.06
- Ian Robertson 3.87
Weymouth
- Les Rumsey 10.19
- Martin Yeates 10.12
- Simon Wigg 10.07
- Brian Woodward 7.11
- Malcolm Shakespeare 7.02
- Terry Tulloch 5.91
- Steve Crockett 5.68
- Steve Schofield 5.64
- Bob Coles 5.22
Wolverhampton
- Bruce Cribb 9.99
- Les Rumsey 8.77
- Neil Evitts 7.80
- Billy Burton 6.74
- Tony Boyle 5.95
- Paul Stead 5.51
- Mike Wilding 4.11
- Rob Carter 3.55
- John Hough 3.49
- Steve Crockett 1.41
Workington
- Terry Kelly 6.97
- Wayne Jackson 6.22
- Mark Dickinson 5.67
- Guy Wilson 4.47
- Des Wilson 4.42
- Kevin Clapham 3.67
- David Blackburn 3.51
- John Frankland 2.69
- Michael Irving 0.89
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- "Parker is back - now he needs a team". Birmingham Mail. 10 December 1981. Retrieved 8 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "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.
- "Tony Sanford". Motorsport memorial. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- "PLYMOUTH: TONY SANFORD MEMORIAL TROPHY - PREVIEW". Speedway GB. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- "About - Exeter Speedway 1981". Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- "1981 National League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- "1981 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- "Tigers crash out". Cambridge Daily News. 28 September 1981. Retrieved 20 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "1981 season results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- "Tigers miss the boat in four teams final". Cambridge Daily News. 27 July 1981. Retrieved 23 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "1981 full season results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 23 May 2023.