1972 British League season

British speedway season September 2023 September 2023 British League 18 Champions Belle Vue Aces Knockout Cup Belle Vue Aces Individual Ole Olsen Midland Cup Leicester Lions Spring Gold Cup Reading Racers Ole Olsen British League (Div 2) 1971 1973 The 1972 British League season was the 38th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the eighth season of the British League.https://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/p/compet.html Historic league tables Speedway Archive Summary Ipswich Witches moved up from Division Two but London lost two clubs, when the Wembley Lions closed due to extra football fixtureshttps://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19720229/012/0012 Wembley Lions split Hull Daily Mail 29 February 1972 British Newspaper Archive subscription 5 September 2024 and West Ham Hammers withrew during the early part of the season, reducing the league to eighteen teams.Rogers Martin The Illustrated History of Speedway 1978 129–133 Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd 0-904584-45-3https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002137/19710124/306/0038 Don't Panic, Hammers Sunday Mirror 24 January 1971 British Newspaper Archive subscription 26 February 2025 Belle Vue Aces won their third consecutive title. Their team was littered with great riders including Ivan Mauger, Sören Sjösten and the young Peter Collins; they were backed up by the consistency of Chris Pusey, Eric Broadbelt, Alan Wilkinson and Ken Eyre, which led to a comfortable title win by a clear 12 points.Oakes Peter 1981 Speedway Yearbook 1981 100 Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd 0-86215-017-5https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/historyarchive HISTORY ARCHIVE British Speedway 1 July 2021 Oxford Cheetahs had a bizarre season when they were rebranded as Oxford Rebels following a takeover by a new consortium, which included former riders Bob Dugard and Danny Dunton, Dave Lanning and the famous musician Acker Bilk. The team under performed badly finishing 17th from 18 teams despite the new image. To make matters worse they signed a new Norwegian rider Svein Kaasa, who was quickly transferred to Glasgow following poor results. He died riding for Glasgow towards the end of the season (on 29 September) at Hampden Park. Kasa clipped Martin Ashby's bike in a race and hit the wooden fence receiving fatal injuries.http://www.speedwayplus.com/SveinKaasa.shtml Svein Kasa Speedway Plus 28 July 2021Bamford, R & Shailes, G (2007). “The Story of Oxford Speedway”. 978-0-7524-4161-0 Leicester won the Midland Cup and Reading won the Spring Gold Cup.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002471/19720727/571/0022 Reading win Spring Cup Reading Evening Post 27 July 1972 British Newspaper Archive subscription 16 July 2025 There was no London Cup due to there being only two teams following the demise of West Ham and Wembley. Final table Pos Team PL W D L Pts 1 Belle Vue Aces 34 31 1 2 63 2 Reading Racers 34 25 1 8 51 3 King's Lynn Stars 34 24 3 7 514 Sheffield Tigers 34 23 3 8 495 Leicester Lions 34 17 5 12 396 Ipswich Witches 34 17 1 16 357 Poole Pirates 34 15 2 17 328 Hackney Hawks 34 16 0 18 329 Wolverhampton Wolves 34 16 0 18 3010 Coventry Bees 34 14 2 18 2811 Exeter Falcons 34 13 2 19 2812 Halifax Dukes 34 13 2 19 2813 Wimbledon Dons 34 14 0 20 2614 Glasgow Tigers 34 12 2 20 2515 Swindon Robins 34 12 1 21 2516 Cradley Heath Heathens 34 11 3 20 2517 Oxford Rebels 34 10 0 24 2018 Newport Wasps 34 9 0 25 18M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points Fixtures and results main FBR grey BV COV CH EX GLA HAC HAL IPS KL LEI NW OX PP RR SHE SWI WIM WOL Belle Vue 47–30 47.5–30.5 59–19 46–32 53–25 56–21 57–21 43–35 52–26 56–22 55–22 51–27 53–25 48–30 45–33 55–23 50–28 Coventry 32–45 49–29 42–36 50–28 47–31 48–30 38–39 49–29 39–39 50–28 59–19 39–39 40–38 38–40 45–33 48–30 43–35 Cradley Heath 29–49 43–34 39–39 40–38 37–41 41–37 35–43 41–37 39–39 60–18 43–35 41–37 33–45 29–49 41–37 46–32 42–36 Exeter 38–40 49–29 51–27 41–37 52–26 35–43 51–27 39–39 38–40 44–34 46.5–31.5 40–38 41–37 35–43 46–32 50–28 42–36 Glasgow 34–44 45–33 39–39 42–35 43–35 45–33 43–35 38–40 39–39 56–22 43–35 51–27 37–41 28–50 43–35 51–27 53–25 Hackney 35–43 48–29 51–27 45–32 51–27 50–28 41–37 37–41 46–32 40–38 60–18 40–37 41–37 38–40 40–38 46–32 45–33 Halifax 39–39 41–37 49–29 42–36 47–30 42–36 37–41 37–41 44–34 40–38 47–31 40–38 41–37 39–39 44–34 44–34 38–40 Ipswich 36–42 44–34 51–27 38–40 45–32 41–36 45–33 39–39 38–40 52–26 43–34 41–36 38–40 31–47 49–29 56–22 41–37 King's Lynn 35–43 42–36 44–34 49–29 46–32 41–37 42–36 44–34 40–38 59–19 50–28 57–21 40–38 42–36 51–27 44–33 43–35 Leicester 38–40 47–31 41–37 44–34 44–34 48–30 46–32 50–28 42–36 42–36 44–34 49–29 39–39 38–40 45–33 47–31 44–34 Newport 31–46 38–40 36–42 40–38 46–32 43–35 41–37 37–41 24–54 41–37 48–29 37–41 32–46 30–48 42–36 42–36 50–28 Oxford 35–43 36–41 45–33 43–35 50–27 47–30 45–33 40–38 33–45 38–40 51–27 36–42 35–42 36–42 43–35 43–35 41–37 Poole 33–44 40–38 53–25 54–24 44–34 51–27 46–32 47–31 35–43 40–38 42–36 49–29 36–42 39–39 45–33 51–27 41–37 Reading 40–37 55–23 45–33 47–31 51–27 48–30 44–34 41–36 49–29 49–29 53–25 43–35 50–28 47–31 44–34 49–29 51–27 Sheffield 37–41 41–37 41–37 52–26 58–20 48–30 45–33 38–39 39–39 40–38 54–24 58–20 56–22 56–22 45–33 58–20 38–40 Swindon 36–42 47–30 42–36 48–30 45–33 38–40 54–24 41–37 44–34 39–39 46–32 43–35 50–28 34–44 38–40 45–33 46–32 Wimbledon 43–34 44–34 46–32 40–37 38–40 40–38 44–33 41–37 37–41 45–33 55–22 41–36 44–34 38–40 43–35 40–38 45–33 Wolverhampton 31–47 42–35 40–38 43–35 48–30 51–27 49–29 38–40 37–41 42–36 44–34 46–32 41–37 42–35 43–35 40–38 52–26 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1972.html Speedway Researcher 1972 fixtures & results 26 February 2025 Top ten riders (league averages) Rider Nat Team C.M.A. 1 Ivan Mauger NZL Belle Vue 11.42 2 Ole Olsen DEN Wolverhampton 11.36 3 Eric Boocock ENG Halifax 10.53 4 Anders Michanek SWE Reading 10.51 5 Bernt Persson SWE Cradley Heath 10.50 6 Terry Betts ENG King's Lynn 10.46 7 Barry Briggs NZL Swindon 10.38 8 Ronnie Moore NZL Wimbledon 10.31 9 Ray Wilson ENG Leicester 10.16 10 Martin Ashby ENG Swindon 10.07 British League Knockout Cup The 1972 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 34th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Belle Vue were the winners.https://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2014/03/british-league-division-one-ko-cup-1972.html 1972 British League Knockout Cup Speedway archive First round Date Team one Score Team two09/05 Ipswich 46–32 Sheffield08/05 Exeter 48–30 Swindon06/05 Halifax 42–36 Leicester Second round Date Team one Score Team two03/07 Exeter 50–28 Wimbledon26/06 Hackney 52–26 Cradley Heath21/06 Poole 52–26 Halifax16/06 Newport 42–36 Coventry16/06 Wolverhampton 38–40 Reading15/06 Oxford 35–42 Kings Lynn10/06 Cradley Heath 39–39 Hackney03/06 Belle Vue 41–37 Glasgow Quarter-finals Date Team one Score Team two31/08 Ipswich 38–40 Reading05/08 Belle Vue 58–20 Newport05/08 Kings Lynn 56–22 Exeter04/08 Hackney 45–33 Poole Semi-finals Date Team one Score Team two27/09 Kings Lynn 38–40 Belle Vue22/09 Hackney 40–38 Reading Final First leg 20 October 1972 Hackney HawksBengt Jansson 12Barry Thomas 9Geoff Maloney 7Dave Kennett 6Eddie Reeves 4Laurie Etheridge 2Hugh Saunders 0 40–37 https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/result-archive/heatdetails/season1972.pdf Season 1972 British Speedway 25 June 2021 Belle Vue AcesAlan Wilkinson 11Ivan Mauger 10Peter Collins 6Sören Sjösten 6Chris Pusey 3Eric Broadbelt 1Ken Eyre 0 Hackney Wick Stadium Second leg 25 October 1972 Belle Vue AcesSören Sjösten 10Chris Pusey 9Ivan Mauger 8Ken Eyre 7Peter Collins 5Alan Wilkinson 4Eric Broadbelt 2 45–33 Hackney HawksBengt Jansson 12Geoff Maloney 10Barry Thomas 6Dave Kennett 3Hugh Saunders 2Eddie Reeves 0Laurie Etheridge 0 Hyde Road Stadium Belle Vue Aces were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 82-73. Riders' Championship Ole Olsen won the British League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 21 October.Michanek fifth Reading Evening Post 23 October 1972 2 June 2023 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002471/19721023/374/0014 British Newspaper Archive subscription Pos. Rider Heat Scores Total1 DEN Ole Olsen 3 3 3 3 3 152 ENG Martin Ashby 2 3 3 3 3 143 NZL Ronnie Moore 3 3 2 3 2 134 ENG John Louis 1 1 3 3 3 11 5 SWE Anders Michanek 3 2 1 2 1 96 ENG Terry Betts 2 2 2 1 2 97 NZL Ivan Mauger 3 3 ef ef 2 8 8 AUS Garry Middleton 2 2 2 2 0 8 9 SWE Christer Löfqvist 2 0 1 1 3 7 10 SWE Bernt Persson ef 2 3 ex 1 6 11 ENG Ray Wilson 0 1 2 2 0 512 SWE Bengt Jansson 1 0 1 1 1 4 13 ENG Bob Kilby 1 0 0 0 2 3 14 ENG Eric Boocock 0 1 1 0 1 315 ENG Nigel Boocock 1 ef 0 1 0 2 16 SCO Jim McMillan (res) 2 217 ENG Arnie Haley 0 1 0 0 0 1 ef=engine failure, f=fell, ex=excluded Final leading averages Rider Nat Team C.M.A. 1 Ole Olsen DEN Wolverhampton 11.39 2 Ivan Mauger NZL Belle Vue 11.36 3 Terry Betts ENG King's Lynn 10.51 4 Anders Michanek SWE Reading 10.51 5 Barry Briggs NZL Swindon 10.38 6 Eric Boocock ENG Halifax 10.36 7 Ronnie Moore NZL Wimbledon 10.34 8 Bernt Persson SWE Cradley 10.27 9 Ray Wilson ENG Leicester 10.14 10 Martin Ashby ENG Swindon 10.08 11 Bob Kilby ENG Exeter 9.89 12 John Boulger AUS Leicester 9.46 13 John Louis ENG Ipswich 9.39 14 Bengt Jansson SWE Hackney 9.38 15 Garry Middleton AUS Oxford 9.24 16 Nigel Boocock ENG Coventry 9.23 17 Howard Cole (a.k.a. Kid Brodie) WAL King's Lynn 8.94 18 Sören Sjösten SWE Belle Vue 8.92 19 Christer Löfqvist SWE Poole 8.90 20 Jim McMillan SCO Glasgow 8.86 Midland Cup Leicester won the Midland Cup. The competition consisted of six teams.Speedway Daily Mirror 25 October 1972 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19721025/289/0031 British Newspaper Archive 21 October 2023 subscription First round Team one Team two ScoreOxford Swindon 44–34, 34–44WolverhamptonCradley40–38, 39–39Swindon Oxford 39–39, 36–41 Semi final round Team one Team two ScoreSwindon Leicester 42–36, 30–48Coventry Wolverhampton 41–37, 37–41Coventry Wolverhampton 42–36, 33–45 Final First leg 20 October 1972 WolverhamptonOle Olsen 14Jon Erskine 10Dave Gifford 8George Hunter 6Dave Baugh 2Tom Leadbitter 1Jan Simensen r/r 41–37 LeicesterJohn Boulger 11Malcom Shakespeare 8Ray Wilson 5Norman Storer 5Alan Cowland 4Dave Jessup 4Malcolm Brown 0 Monmore Green Stadium Second leg 24 October 1972 LeicesterJohn Boulger 10Ray Wilson 9Malcom Shakespeare 6Alan Cowland 6Norman Storer 5Dave Jessup 5Malcolm Brown 4 45–33 WolverhamptonJan Simensen 10Ole Olsen 9Jon Erskine 7Dave Gifford 4Dave Baugh 2Tom Leadbitter 1George Hunter r/r Leicester Stadium Leicester won on aggregate 82–74 Spring Gold Cup M W D L Pts 1Reading 8 7 0 1 14 2 King's Lynn 8 5 0 3 10 3 Hackney 8 4 0 4 8 4 Wimbledon 8 3 0 5 6 5 Ipswich 8 1 0 7 2 main FBR grey HAC IPS KL REA WIM Hackney 32–46 42–36 37–41 49–29 Ipswich 34–44 33–45 36–42 43–35 King's Lynn 45–33 42–36 36–42 46–32 Reading 38–40 53–25 50–28 53–25 Wimbledon 41–36 47–30 44–34 38–40 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1972fixtures.pdf Speedway Researcher 1972 fixtures & results 15 July 2025 Riders and final averages Belle Vue 22em NZL Ivan Mauger 11.36 SWE Sören Sjösten 8.92 ENG Peter Collins 8.44 ENG Chris Pusey 8.20 ENG Eric Broadbelt 6.72 ENG Alan Wilkinson 6.68 ENG Ken Eyre 5.56 ENG Paul Tyrer 5.11 Coventry 22em ENG Nigel Boocock 9.23 ENG Tony Lomas 8.10 ENG John Harrhy 7.07 SWE Jan Simensen 6.85 ENG Rick France 5.61 ENG Roy Carter 5.33 ENG Roger Hill 5.19 ENG Les Owen 4.52 ENG Pete Bailey 4.14 Cradley Heath 22em SWE Bernt Persson 10.27 ENG Bob Andrews 7.30 ENG Roy Trigg 6.95 ENG Pete Jarman 4.90 ENG John Hart 4.61 ENG Mick Handley 4.57 ENG Jimmy Squibb 3.73 NZL Ian Ross 2.00 ENG Dave Perks 0.91 Exeter 22em ENG Bob Kilby 9.89 NOR Edgar Stangeland 8.23 ENG Bob Coles 6.29 ENG Kevin Holden 6.06 ENG Peter Ingram 5.85 NZL Bruce Cribb 5.75 ENG Dave Hemus 5.28 ENG Chris Julian 4.89 ENG Phil Woodcock 4.00 ENG Clark Facey 1.18 Glasgow 22em SCO Jimmy McMillan 8.86 SCO Bobby Beaton 8.58 SCO George Hunter 8.41 AUS Charlie Monk 6.91 NOR Svein Kaasa 4.94 NZL Robin Adlington 4.00 SCO Jimmy Gallacher 3.72 NZL Paul O'Neal 3.47 NOR Kjell Gimre 2.09 SCO Jim Beaton 1.82 Hackney 22em SWE Bengt Jansson 9.38 ENG Barry Thomas 7.79 ENG Dave Kennett 6.38 ENG Geoff Maloney 6.32 ENG Hugh Saunders 6.27 ENG Laurie Etheridge 6.24 ENG Eddie Reeves 5.78 NZL Roger Wright 4.00 ENG Allan Emmett 3.20 Halifax 22em ENG Eric Boocock 10.36 SWE Göte Nordin 8.16 ENG Dave Younghusband 7.39 ENG Alan Jay 5.87 AUS Greg Kentwell 5.70 ENG Tommy Roper 5.36 AUS John Titman 4.03 ENG Mike Hiftle 3.57 ENG Malcolm MacKay 3.53 Ipswich 22em ENG John Louis 9.39 SWE Olle Nygren 7.78 SWE Tommy Johansson 7.67 HUN Sándor Lévai 6.96 ENG Pete Bailey 5.07 ENG Alan Sage 4.61 AUS Billy Sanders 4.46 ENG Tony Davey 4.35 King's Lynn 22em ENG Terry Betts 10.51 WAL Howard Cole (Kid Bodie) 8.94 ENG Malcolm Simmons 8.36 AUS Phil Crump 7.30 AUS Bob Humphreys 6.21 ENG Ian Turner 5.72 ENG Barry Crowson 5.47 ENG Arthur Price 4.75 ENG Clive Featherby 4.33 Leicester 22em ENG Ray Wilson 10.14 AUS John Boulger 9.46 ENG Dave Jessup 8.68 ENG Norman Storer 4.98 ENG Malcolm Shakespeare 4.81 ENG Geoff Ambrose 4.47 ENG Malcolm Brown 3.93 ENG Alan Cowland 3.25 Newport 22em ENG Ronnie Genz 7.45 ENG Tony Clarke 7.15 ENG Graham Plant 6.41 AUS Neil Street 5.28 ENG Phil Woodcock 4.49 SWE Bo Wirebrand 4.36 POL Ted Laessing 3.75 ENG Barry Duke 3.49 Oxford 22em AUS Garry Middleton 9.24 NOR Øyvind S. Berg 7.97 ENG Colin Gooddy 6.49 ENG Malcolm Ballard 6.25 NZL Rick Timmo 5.14 SCO Ken McKinlay 4.81 ENG Norman Strachan 4.37 DEN Preben Rosenkilde 3.64 ENG John Davis 3.00 Poole 22em SWE Christer Löfqvist 8.90 ENG Pete Smith 8.00 NOR Odd Fossengen 6.71 AUS John Langfield 6.47 SCO Brian Collins 5.75 NZL Frank Shuter 5.42 ENG Mike Cake 4.66 Reading 22em SWE Anders Michanek 10.51 NOR Dag Lövaas 8.78 AUS Geoff Curtis 7.73 AUS Geoff Mudge 7.07 ENG Richard May 6.38 ENG Mick Bell 6.24 ENG Bernie Leigh 5.02 NZL Graeme Smith 3.77 Sheffield 22em NOR Reidar Eide 8.85 ENG Arnold Haley 8.81 ENG Doug Wyer 7.46 ENG Reg Wilson 7.34 SCO Bert Harkins 7.15 AUS Bob Valentine 7.15 ENG Bob Paulson 6.33 Swindon 22em NZL Barry Briggs 10.38 ENG Martin Ashby 10.08 ENG Norman Hunter 6.08 ENG Mike Broadbank 4.88 ENG Brian Leonard 4.62 ENG Clive Hitch 4.21 ENG Mike Keen 3.88 ENG James Bond 3.56 ENG David Ashby 2.00 Wimbledon 22em NZL Ronnie Moore 10.34 ENG Trevor Hedge 8.13 SWE Tommy Jansson 7.45 ENG John Dews 5.02 NZL Graeme Stapleton 4.45 ENG Peter Murray 3.96 ENG Jim Tebby 3.53 AUS Neil Cameron 3.26 ENG Pete Wigley 1.71 Wolverhampton 22em DEN Ole Olsen 11.39 SWE Jan Simensen 7.76 ENG Norman Hunter 6.67 NZL Dave Gifford 5.88 ENG Tom Leadbitter 4.59 ENG Jon Erskine 4.04 ENG Dave Baugh 3.75 ENG Colin Meredith 1.65 See also List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions Knockout Cup (speedway) References Category:British League Category:1972 in British motorsport Category:1972 in speedway