1984 National League season

1984 National League season
LeagueNational League
No. of competitors16
ChampionsLong Eaton Invaders
Knockout CupHackney Kestrels
IndividualIan Barney
PairsStoke Potters
FoursMildenhall Fen Tigers
Highest averageSteve Lawson
Division/s above1984 British League

The 1984 National League was contested as the second division of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom.

Summary

A new team called the Arena Essex Hammers, promoted by Wally Mawdsley joined the league.[1] Crayford Kestrels moved to Hackney Wick Stadium to become the Hackney Kestrels.[2][3]

The title was won by the Long Eaton Invaders who finished just one point clear of the Mildenhall Fen Tigers.[4][5] Remarkably the Long Eaton Invaders had gone from finishing last in 1983 to first in 1984 under former rider Vic White. He had been brought in as the team manager and had signed Graham Drury and Chris Pidcock to support Dave Perks, Paul Stead and David Tyler.[6]

Final table

Pos Team PL W D L Pts
1 Long Eaton Invaders 30 21 1 8 43
2 Mildenhall Fen Tigers 30 19 4 7 42
3 Stoke Potters 30 17 3 10 37
4 Hackney Kestrels 30 16 0 14 32
5 Berwick Bandits 30 15 1 14 31
6 Boston Barracudas 30 15 1 14 31
7 Milton Keynes Knights 30 14 1 15 29
8 Rye House Rockets 30 14 0 16 28
9 Middlesbrough Tigers 30 13 2 15 28
10 Scunthorpe Stags 30 13 2 15 28
11 Glasgow Tigers 30 13 2 15 28
12 Canterbury Crusaders 30 13 1 16 27
13 Weymouth Wildcats 30 13 0 17 26
14 Arena Essex Hammers 30 11 3 16 25
15 Peterborough Panthers 30 12 0 18 24
16 Edinburgh Monarchs 30 10 1 19 21

Fixtures and results

Home \ Away AE BER BOS CAN ED GLA HAC LE MID MIL MK PET RH SCU STO WEY
Arena Essex 51–27 37–41 42–32 41–37 40–38 41–36 41–36 40–38 39–39 31–47 46–31 41–36 37–37 32–46 48–30
Berwick 38–40 49–29 44–34 40–38 48–30 47–31 41–37 46–32 40–37 46–32 44–34 43–34 44–34 37–41 51–37
Boston 51–27 50–28 40–36 54–24 47–31 40–34 41–37 49–29 38–40 40–38 60–18 47–31 41–37 41–37 57–21
Canterbury 49–29 47–31 54–24 45–32 39–39 42–36 35–43 44–34 40–37 45–33 51–27 45–33 42–36 44–34 50–28
Edinburgh 47–31 40–38 45–32 42–34 36–41 44–34 37–41 34–43 38–40 39–38 54–24 41–37 51–26 39–39 36–42
Glasgow 39–39 40–38 47–31 48–30 34–44 45–33 38–39 47–31 41–37 49–29 57–21 43–35 41–36 45–33 48–30
Hackney 44–34 44–34 46–32 47–31 47–31 43–35 42–36 46–32 37–41 46–32 53–25 48–30 55–23 45–33 45–32
Long Eaton 48–30 45–32 57–21 44–34 47–31 49–29 41–37 50–28 36–42 50–28 50–25 47–31 58–20 47–31 41–36
Middlesbrough 46–31 36–42 43–35 50–28 40–37 45–32 42–36 39–39 37–41 40–38 51–27 52–26 41–36 39–39 48–30
Mildenhall 48–30 39–39 39–39 50–28 45–33 52–26 54–24 44–34 47–31 39–39 48–30 44–34 41–36 42–36 51–27
Milton Keynes 40–38 38–40 55–23 40–38 49–29 51–27 47–30 37–41 41–37 42–36 55–2 41–37 43–35 40–38 46–31
Peterborough 44–34 41–37 43–34 45–33 44–34 53–25 42–34 38–40 43–35 36–42 44–34 52–25 41–37 38–40 41–37
Rye House 43–34 44–32 52–26 42–36 58–20 43–35 42–36 44–34 37–40 44–34 44–33 44–22 45–33 43–35 47–31
Scunthorpe 46–32 41–36 50–27 43–35 43–35 43–35 36–41 42–36 41–37 41–36 52–26 49–29 42–35 39–39 41–36
Stoke 48–30 44–34 44–34 44–34 50–28 53–25 42–36 36–42 47–30 49–29 44–33 53–25 43–35 42–36 55–23
Weymouth 39.5–38.5 42–35 46–32 47–31 44–34 45–32 38–40 38–40 52–26 38–40 51–27 41–37 50–28 44–33 40–38
Source: [7]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top five riders (league averages)

Rider Nat Team C.M.A.
1 Steve Lawson England Glasgow 10.41
2 Martin Yeates England Weymouth 10.35
3 Steve Wilcock England Middlesbrough 9.89
4 Tom Owen England Stoke 9.77
5 Steve McDermott England Berwick 9.74


National League Knockout Cup

The 1984 National League Knockout Cup was the 17th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Hackney Kestrels were the winners of the competition.[8]

First round

Date Team one Score Team two
08/06Peterborough48-30Arena Essex
31/05Arena Essex41-37Peterborough
11/05Peterborough42-36Arena Essex
26/04Arena Essex42-36Peterborough
26/04Middlesbrough52-26Scunthorpe
22/04Boston40-38Edinburgh
21/04Berwick44-34Glasgow
21/04Stoke39-38Long Eaton
20/04Edinburgh46-32Boston
20/04Glasgow33-44Berwick
18/04Long Eaton45-33Stoke
17/04Weymouth34-44Canterbury
16/04Scunthorpe43-35Middlesbrough
15/04Mildenhall44-34Milton Keynes
15/04Rye House36-42Hackney
14/04Canterbury39-39Weymouth
13/04Hackney53-25Rye House
10/04Milton Keynes41-37Mildenhall

Quarter-finals

Date Team one Score Team two
28/07Canterbury44-34Peterborough
20/07Edinburgh35-43Berwick
20/07Peterborough47-30Canterbury
18/05Hackney51-27Mildenhall
17/05Middlesbrough55-23Long Eaton
13/05Mildenhall44-34Hackney
05/05Berwick43-35Edinburgh
02/05Long Eaton48-30Middlesbrough

Semi-finals

Date Team one Score Team two
07/09Peterborough53-25Hackney
27/08Hackney54-24Peterborough
26/07Middlesbrough41-37Berwick
21/07Berwick46-31Middlesbrough

Final

First leg

Hackney Kestrels
Barry Thomas 11
Trevor Banks 11
Paul Bosley 7
Andy Galvin 6
Kevin Teager 5
Paul Whittaker 5
Linden Warner 1		46 – 32Berwick Bandits
Jim McMillan 13
Bruce Cribb 12
David Walsh 3
Dennis Gallagher 3
Eric Broadbelt 1
Mick Caroline 0
Steve McDermott R/R
[9][10]

Second leg

Berwick Bandits
Jim McMillan 12
Bruce Cribb 12
David Walsh 10
Dennis Gallagher 3
Craig Pendlebury 3
Mick Caroline 0
Steve McDermott R/R		40 – 37Hackney Kestrels
Barry Thomas 11
Trevor Banks 7
Kevin Teager 6
Paul Bosley 5
Andy Galvin 5
Paul Whittaker 3
Linden Warner 0
[9][10]

Hackney were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 83–72.

Riders' Championship

Ian Barney won the Riders' Championship. The final was originally held at Wimbledon Stadium on 23 September but was abandoned after eight heats due to rain. The Championship was restaged on 13 October at East of England Arena.[11]

Pos.RiderTotal
1England Ian Barney14+3
2England Dave Perks14+ef
3England Martin Yeates12+3
4England Andy Buck12+2
5England Steve Wilcock10
6England Colin Cook8
7England Tom Owen8
?England Alan Sage
?England Bob Garrad
?Australia Mark Fiora
?England Barry Thomas
?New Zealand Bruce Cribb4
?England Keith White
?England Jamie Luckhurst
?England Steve Lawson
?England Carl Baldwin

Pairs

The National League Pairs was held at Hackney Wick Stadium on 30 June and was won by Stoke Potters.[12][13]

Top 4 Qualifying
Pos Team Pts Riders
1 Stoke20Owen T 12, Crabtree 8
2 Berwick18Cribb 11, McDermott 7
3 Weymouth18Yeates, Biles 6
4 Mildenhall18Blackbird, Bales 7

Semi finals

  • Stoke bt Mildenhall
  • Berwick bt Weymouth

Final

  • Stoke bt Berwick

Fours

Mildenhall won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Showground on 22 July.[14]

Semi finals

  • SF1 = Boston 16, Stoke 13, Canterbury 10, Berwick 9
  • SF2 = Mildenhall 23 Milton Keynes 10, Middlesbrough 8, Hackney 7

Final

PosTeamPtsRiders
1Mildenhall Fen Tigers19Bales 6, Henry 5, Blackbird 5, Baldwin 3
2Stoke Potters15Crabtree 5, Thorp 4, Owen 4, Evitts 2
3Milton Keynes Knights11White 4, Blackburn 4, Payne 2, De'Ath 1, Framingham 0
4Boston Barracudas3Burton 2, Wilson 1, Cook 0, Hollingworth 0

Leading averages

Rider Team Average
Steve LawsonGlasgow10.38
Martin YeatesWeymouth10.35
Steve McDermottBerwick9.97
Tom OwenStoke9.86
Steve WilcockMiddlesbrough9.71
Nigel CrabtreeStoke9.56
Bobby BeatonEdinburgh9.30
Bruce CribbBerwick9.24
Alun RossiterWeymouth9.23
Carl BaldwinMildenhall9.11
Mark FioraEdinburgh9.10

Riders & final averages

Arena Essex

Berwick

Boston

Canterbury

Edinburgh

Glasgow

  • Steve Lawson 10.38
  • Andy Reid 7.64
  • Brian Collins 6.58
  • Colin Caffrey 6.11
  • Martin McKinna 5.44
  • Jim Beaton 4.55
  • David Cassels 3.26
  • Tam Baggley 2.75
  • Barry Ayres 2.67
  • Geoff Powell 2.59

Hackney

Long Eaton

  • Dave Perks 8.99
  • Paul Stead 8.75
  • Graham Drury 8.50
  • David Tyler 7.37
  • Chris Pidcock 6.96
  • Miles Evans 5.83
  • Mark Stevenson 5.41
  • John Frankland 5.35

Middlesbrough

  • Steve Wilcock 9.71
  • Mike Spink 8.50
  • Geoff Pusey 7.26
  • Paul Price 5.70
  • Pete Smith 4.87
  • Mark Crang 4.75
  • Jim Burdfield 4.68
  • Ashley Norton 4.24
  • Rob Carter 3.22
  • John Place 2.06

Mildenhall

Milton Keynes

Peterborough

  • Mick Hines 7.51
  • Dave Allen 6.98
  • Ian Barney 6.96
  • Andy Fisher 6.36
  • Keith Millard 6.25
  • Adrian Hume 5.86
  • Mike Spinks 4.65
  • Neil Cotton 4.32
  • Lawrie Bloomfield 3.90
  • Mike Smart 2.56

Rye House

Scunthorpe

  • Julian Parr 8.11
  • Andy Buck 7.80
  • Rob Woffinden 7.65
  • Derek Richardson 7.5
  • Paul Evitts 6.64
  • Mike Wilding 6.06
  • Kevin Armitage 5.54
  • Ian Gibson 4.73
  • Mark Burrows 3.94
  • Richie Owen 2.43

Stoke

Weymouth

  • Martin Yeates 10.35
  • Alun Rossiter 9.23
  • David Biles 7.06
  • John Barker 6.84
  • Kevin Price 5.21
  • Gordon Humphreys 4.28
  • Mike Semmonds 4.10
  • Michael Coles 3.78
  • Ian Humphreys 3.62
  • Dave Gibbs 3.55
  • Terry Mussett 2.92
  • Wayne Barrett 1.09

See also

References

  1. ↑ "New Speed track for Essex". Harlow Star. 13 October 1983. Retrieved 16 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ↑ "Goodbye Marvyn". Hoddesdon and Broxbourne Mercury. 18 November 1983. Retrieved 28 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ↑ "West Row Opener". Newmarket Journal. 9 February 1984. Retrieved 28 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
  5. ↑ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "Expect new faces on the track". Long Eaton Advertiser. 5 January 1984. Retrieved 22 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "1984 fixtures & results". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  8. ↑ "1984 National League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
  9. 1 2 "1984 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Berwick 1984 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Barney wins title". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 14 October 1984. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ↑ "1984 fixture list" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  13. ↑ "Stoke stars take title". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 1 July 1984. Retrieved 24 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ↑ "Red hot Tigers takes fours crown at last". Cambridge Daily News. 23 July 1984. Retrieved 8 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  • Oakes, Peter (1991) The Complete History of the British League, Front Page Books, ISBN 0-948882-07-7, p. 17 (Division Two section)
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