1987 British League season
League | British League |
---|---|
No. of competitors | 12 |
Champions | Coventry Bees |
Knockout Cup | Cradley Heathens |
League Cup | Coventry Bees |
Individual | Hans Nielsen |
Pairs | Oxford Cheetahs |
Midland Cup | Cradley Heathens |
Highest average | Hans Nielsen |
Division/s below | 1987 National League |
The 1987 British League season was the 53rd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 23rd known as the British League.[1]
Summary
[edit]Coventry Bees comfortably won the league finishing 16 points clear of Cradley Heath. The same five main riders who made up the 1986 team rode through the 1987 season but crucially four of them improved on their 1986 averages. Tommy Knudsen and Kelvin Tatum both hit over 10, while Rick Miller and David Bargh both improved by about 2 points on average. John Jørgensen also remained consistent for the Bees. Coventry also won the League Cup but lost to Cradley in the final of the Knockout Cup.[2] The double defending champions Oxford Cheetahs were forced to release Simon Wigg to Hackney and Per Sorensen because of the 45 point limit. They finished second from bottom despite Hans Nielsen topping the averages once again.[3]
The second leg replay of the League Cup final was the last ever meeting held at Hyde Road.
Final table
[edit]Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | BP | Pts |
1 | Coventry Bees | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 52 |
2 | Cradley Heath Heathens | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 36 |
3 | Swindon Robins | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 33 |
4 | Sheffield Tigers | 22 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 32 |
5 | Bradford Dukes | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 30 |
6 | Ipswich Witches | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 29 |
7 | Reading Racers | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 28 |
8 | Belle Vue Aces | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 26 |
9 | Hackney Kestrels | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 20 |
10 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 22 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
11 | Oxford Cheetahs | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 16 |
12 | King's Lynn Stars | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 11 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
British League Knockout Cup
[edit]The 1987 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 49th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Cradley Heath Heathens were the winners for the second successive year if including the tied 1986 final.[4]
First round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
10/07 | Hackney | 48-42 | Bradford |
10/07 | Oxford | 51-39 | Belle Vue |
04/07 | Kings Lynn | 41-49 | Sheffield |
13/06 | Swindon | 47-43 | Wolverhampton |
04/06 | Sheffield | 51-39 | Kings Lynn |
01/06 | Wolverhampton | 44-46 | Swindon |
30/05 | Belle Vue | 47-43 | Oxford |
30/05 | Bradford | 49-41 | Hackney |
Quarter-finals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
15/09 | Bradford | 41-49 | Cradley Heath |
15/08 | Swindon | 43-47 | Reading |
07/08 | Oxford | 48-42 | Ipswich |
06/08 | Ipswich | 47-43 | Oxford |
05/08 | Cradley Heath | 55-35 | Bradford |
27/07 | Reading | 48-41 | Swindon |
13/07 | Sheffield | 48-42 | Coventry |
11/07 | Coventry | 51-38 | Sheffield |
Semi-finals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
30/09 | Coventry | 48-42 | Reading |
30/09 | Oxford | 47-43 | Cradley Heath |
16/09 | Cradley Heath | 39-33 A | Oxford |
07/09 | Reading | 47-43 | Coventry |
Final
[edit]First leg
Coventry Bees Tommy Knudsen 17 John Jørgensen 8 David Bargh 8 David Clarke 6 Wayne Broadhurst 3 Rick Miller 3 Kelvin Tatum 0 (inj) | 45 - 45 | Cradley Heath David Walsh 12 Erik Gundersen 11 Jan O. Pedersen 11 Simon Cross 8 Jan Jakobsen 2 Paul Fry 1 Nigel Leaver 0 |
---|---|---|
[5] |
Second leg
Cradley Heath Erik Gundersen 11 Jan O. Pedersen 11 David Walsh 11 Simon Cross 9 Paul Fry 4 Jan Jakobsen 2 Nigel Leaver 1 | 49 - 41 | Coventry Bees Tommy Knudsen 16 Kelly Moran (guest) 7 David Bargh 7 John Jørgensen 5 David Clarke 3 Rick Miller 3 Wayne Broadhurst 3 |
---|---|---|
[5] |
Cradley Heath were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 94-86.
League Cup
[edit]The League Cup was contested as a league format. Coventry Bees won the final over two legs defeating Belle Vue Aces 84–72 on aggregrate. It was the last time that the competition was contested.[6]
Qualifying table
Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
1 | Coventry Bees | 22 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 43 |
2 | Oxford Cheetahs | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 39 |
3 | Belle Vue Aces | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 38 |
4 | Cradley Heathens | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 36 |
5 | Sheffield Tigers | 22 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 33 |
6 | Reading Racers | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 31 |
7 | Swindon Robins | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 26 |
8 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 23 |
9 | Bradford Dukes | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 22 |
10 | Hackney Kestrels | 22 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 17 |
11 | King's Lynn Stars | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 12 |
11 | Ipswich Witches | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 10 |
Semi-finals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
14/08 | Oxford | 42–36 | Belle Vue |
22/08 | Belle Vue | 44–34 | Oxford |
31/08 | Coventry | 45–33 | Cradley Heath |
31/08 | Cradley Heath | 36–42 | Coventry |
Final
[edit]Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
15/09 | Coventry | 41–37 | Belle Vue |
18/10 | Belle Vue | 41–37 | Coventry |
Replay first leg
Coventry Bees Tommy Knudsen 11 Kelvin Tatum 11 Rick Miller 8 David Bargh 7 John Jørgensen 6 David Clarke 3 Wayne Broadhurst 0 | 46 - 32 | Belle Vue Peter Ravn 11 Paul Thorp 7 Andy Smith 5 Chris Morton 4 Kenny McKinna 4 Glen Hornby 1 David Blackburn 0 |
---|---|---|
Replay second leg
Belle Vue Chris Morton 14 Peter Ravn 11 Kenny McKinna 8 Richard Knight 4 Glen Hornby 2 David Blackburn 1 Bernie Collier 0 | 40 - 38 | Coventry Bees David Bargh 10 Tommy Knudsen 8 Kelvin Tatum 8 Rick Miller 5 John Jørgensen 4 David Clarke 3 Wayne Broadhurst 0 |
---|---|---|
Coventry were declared League Cup winners, winning on aggregate 84-72.
Riders' Championship
[edit]Hans Nielsen won the British League Riders' Championship for the second successive year. It was the held at Hyde Road on 12 October, shortly before the venue closed for good.[7]
Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
3 2 3 3 3 | 14 |
2 | ![]() |
3 3 1 3 3 | 13 |
3 | ![]() |
2 2 2 2 3 | 11+3 |
4 | ![]() |
2 3 2 2 2 | 11+2 |
5 | ![]() |
TX 2 3 3 2 | 10 |
6 | ![]() |
3 1 1 3 2 | 10 |
7 | ![]() |
1 1 3 2 3 | 10 |
8 | ![]() |
1 3 3 0 1 | 8 |
9 | ![]() |
1 2 2 1 1 | 7 |
10 | ![]() |
2 3 0 1 0 | 6 |
11 | ![]() |
2 1 1 1 1 | 6 |
12 | ![]() |
0 TX 0 2 2 | 4 |
13 | ![]() |
1 0 2 1 0 | 4 |
14 | ![]() |
3 0 0 0 1 | 4 |
15 | ![]() |
0 0 1 1 0 0 | 2 |
16 | ![]() |
0 - - - - - | 0 |
17 | ![]() |
0 0 0 0 0 | 0 |
- ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded r-retired
Pairs
[edit]The British League Pairs Championship was held at Smallmead Stadium on 12 July and was won by Oxford for the third consecutive year.[8]
|
|
|
Semi Final | |||
---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
1 | Swindon | 16 | Shirra 8, Nilsen 8 |
2 | Oxford | 14 | Nielsen 12 Grahame 2 |
3 | Cradley | 13 | Pedersen 7, Gundersen 6 |
4 | Wolverhampton | 11 | Ermolenko 11, Eriksen 0 |
Final
In the final Nilsen fell and was excluded and Shirra touched the tapes and was excluded, leaving Nielsen and Grahame to complete a 7-0 (pts) uncontested heat.
Leading final averages
[edit]Rider | Team | Average |
---|---|---|
![]() |
Oxford | 11.38 |
![]() |
Cradley Heath | 10.44 |
![]() |
Coventry | 10.25 |
![]() |
Coventry | 10.06 |
![]() |
Wolverhampton | 9.86 |
![]() |
Ipswich | 9.67 |
![]() |
Swindon | 9.61 |
![]() |
Cradley Heath | 9.60 |
![]() |
Sheffield | 9.47 |
![]() |
Hackney | 9.38 |
Midland Cup
[edit]Cradley Heath won the Midland Cup. The competition consisted of six teams.[9]
First round
Team one | Team two | Score |
---|---|---|
Reading | Swindon | 38–39, 37–41 |
Wolverhampton | Cradley | 38–39, 31–47 |
Semi final round
Team one | Team two | Score |
---|---|---|
Coventry | Swindon | 48–30, 36–42 |
Cradley | Oxford | 43–35, 40–38 |
Final
[edit]Because of cancellations due to bad weather the final of the competition doubled up as the Knockout Cup final (see above for details).[9]
Riders & final averages
[edit]Belle Vue
-
Chris Morton 8.92
-
Paul Thorp 8.41
-
Peter Ravn 8.38
-
Andy Smith 6.35
-
Kenny McKinna 5.82
-
Carl Blackbird 5.55
-
David Blackburn 3.92
-
Glenn Hornby 2.65
Bradford
-
Neil Evitts 8.58
-
Lance King 8.47
-
Sean Willmott 7.35
-
Gary Havelock 7.31
-
Steve Bastable 5.73
-
Randy Green 5.71
-
Michael Graves 4.97
-
Anthony Hulme 1.48
Coventry
-
Tommy Knudsen 10.25
-
Kelvin Tatum 10.06
-
Rick Miller 8.20
-
John Jørgensen 7.80
-
David Bargh 7.46
-
David Clarke 3.44
-
Andy Hackett 2.58
-
Wayne Broadhurst 2.18
-
Darren Slater 2.13
Cradley Heath
-
Erik Gundersen 10.44
-
Jan O. Pedersen 9.60
-
Simon Cross 9.33
-
David Walsh 5.10
-
Alan Grahame 4.94
-
Jan Jakobsen 3.94
-
Dean Barker 3.79
-
Paul Fry 3.47
-
Wayne Garratt 1.18
Hackney
-
Simon Wigg 9.38
-
Roland Danno 7.03
-
Andy Galvin 6.10
-
Allan Johansen 5.60
-
Malcolm Simmons 5.40
-
Alan Mogridge 5.22
-
Barry Thomas 5.20
-
Mark Loram 5.08
Ipswich
-
Jeremy Doncaster 9.67
-
Armando Castagna 8.00
-
Kai Niemi 7.61
-
Gerd Riss 6.39
-
Andy Hines 5.03
-
Louis Carr 4.58
-
Martin Hagon 4.05
-
Robbie Fuller 3.97
-
Jamie Luckhurst 2.20
King's Lynn
-
Richard Knight 8.35
-
John Cook 6.67
-
Steve Regeling 6.42
-
Ian Barney 6.25
-
Andy Campbell 5.34
-
Stephen Davies 5.27
-
Einar Kyllingstad 4.94
-
Mick Poole 4.93
-
Ray Morton 4.39
Oxford
-
Hans Nielsen 11.38
-
Marvyn Cox 8.53
-
Andy Grahame 7.87
-
Jens Rasmussen 5.68
-
Nigel De'ath 4.39
-
Kevin Smart 3.72
-
Alastair Stevens 3.63
-
Jon Surman 3.04
Reading
-
Per Jonsson 9.34
-
Jan Andersson 8.99
-
John Davis 6.95
-
Tony Olsson 6.60
-
Peter Glanz 6.45
-
Malcolm Holloway 6.02
-
Gary Tagg 2.57
-
Rodney Payne 1.33
Sheffield
-
Shawn Moran 9.47
-
Kelly Moran 9.23
-
Neil Collins 7.59
-
Peter Carr 7.26
-
Sean Wilson 5.50
-
Ian M Stead 4.72
-
Adrian Stevens 3.88
Swindon
-
Jimmy Nilsen 9.61
-
Mitch Shirra 9.36
-
Andrew Silver 7.35
-
Richard Hellsen 6.73
-
Brian Karger 6.55
-
Alun Rossiter 6.37
-
Conny Ivarsson 5.73
-
Matthew Cross 1.54
-
Stephen Rose 0.63
Wolverhampton
-
Sam Ermolenko 9.86
-
Preben Eriksen 7.28
-
Ronnie Correy 6.33
-
Jan Stæchmann 6.01
-
Lars Munkedal 5.48
-
Andy Phillips 4.74
-
Chris Cobby 3.20
-
Andy Sumner 1.26
-
Torben Hansen 0.40
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "1987 league tables". Speedway GB.
- ^ Bamford/Shailes, Robert/Glynn (2007). The Story of Oxford Speedway. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. 137–138. ISBN 978-0-7524-4161-0.
- ^ "1987 British League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- ^ a b "Coventry Bees 1987 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Coventry Bees results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "Nielsen retains title after scare". Sandwell Evening Mail. 12 October 1987. Retrieved 5 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Oxford Wins Hans Down". Reading Evening Post. 13 July 1987. Retrieved 18 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "Speedway". Daily Mirror. 22 October 1987. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.