1982 British League season

British speedway season October 2023 October 2023 British League 15 Champions Belle Vue Aces Knockout Cup Cradley Heath Heathens League Cup Cradley Heath Heathens Individual Kenny Carter Midland Cup Coventry Bees Kenny Carter 1982 National League 1981 1983 The 1982 British League season was the 48th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 18th known as the British League.http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/p/compet.html Historic league tables Speedway Archivehttps://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/historyarchive HISTORY ARCHIVE British Speedway 3 July 2021 Summary Hull Vikings had disbanded following the loss of their home at the Boulevard.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19811017/021/0021 Speedway battle is destined for courts Hull Daily Mail 17 October 1981 British Newspaper Archive subscription 21 September 2024 After a ten-year drought Belle Vue Aces won the league pushing defending champions Cradley Heath into second place. A special performance was going to be needed to finish ahead of the star-studded Cradley Heath team and it was the consistency of the support riders which helped Belle Vue achieve this. England international Chris Morton was the heat leader but he was supported by a group of consistent scorers throughout the season that included Larry Ross (a former 5 times New Zealand champion), the former world champion Peter Collins, the Carr brothers Louis and Peter, Dane Peter Ravn and Scot Jim McMillan.http://www.speedwaygb.co/history/leaguetables1982.php 1982 league tables Speedway GBhttps://www.retro-speedway.com/docs_pdf/Teams2.pdf 1982 FactFile Retro Speedway Researcher 12 August 2021 Cradley Heath went on to win their third Knockout Cup in four years and the League Cup. The Midlands' club had been in position to take the league title, but their heat leader Bruce Penhall quit speedway immediately after winning his second world title in September to pursue an acting career (specifically for a role in CHiPs).https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000769/19820904/035/0035 Penhall must keep world crown Coventry Evening Telegraph 4 September 1982 British Newspaper Archive subscription 21 January 2025 Hackney Wick Stadium was subject to a second fatal accident within three years when American Denny Pyeatt lost his life in a league match on 16 July. Pyeatt riding for Reading Racers crashed into a lamp standard.https://www.speedwaybikes.com/rw/uDenny_Pyeatt.htm Denny Pyeatt Speedway Bikes 30 July 2021https://wwosbackup.proboards.com/thread/9373/july-24th-1982 Speedway Star Cover Men wwosbackup 30 July 2021 Swindon rider Martin Hewlett suffered a stroke after the Swindon versus Birmingham fixture in September and died four days later on 15 September.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002487/19820916/044/0044 Speedway ace dies Sandwell Evening Mail 16 September 1982 British Newspaper Archive subscription 21 January 2025 Final table Pos Team PL W D L Pts1 Belle Vue Aces 28 23 0 5 462 Cradley Heath Heathens 28 20 0 8 403 Ipswich Witches 28 16 2 10 344 Coventry Bees 28 16 2 10 345 Sheffield Tigers 28 14 3 11 316 Birmingham Brummies 28 13 1 14 277 Hackney Hawks 28 12 3 13 278 Swindon Robins 28 13 1 14 279 Reading Racers 28 12 2 14 2610 Leicester Lions 28 13 0 15 2611 Wimbledon Dons 28 12 2 14 2612 Eastbourne Eagles 28 11 3 14 2513 Halifax Dukes 28 10 1 17 2114 King's Lynn Stars 28 9 3 16 2115 Poole Pirates 28 3 3 22 9M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points Fixtures and results main FBR grey BV BIR COV CH EAS HAC HAL IPS KL LEI PP RR SHE SWI WIM Belle Vue 45–33 45–33 48–30 48–30 53–25 52–26 37–41 50–28 53–25 44–34 52–26 40–38 56–21 53–25 Birmingham 38–40 37–41 35–43 41–37 42–36 48–30 41–37 49–29 47–31 46–31 45–32 42–36 43–35 41–37 Coventry 38–40 33–45 40–38 46–32 42–36 46–32 40–38 43–35 47–31 49–29 45–33 46–32 41–37 49–29 Cradley Heath 46–32 45–32 45–33 49–29 48–30 46–32 40–37 46–32 47–31 45–33 40–38 50–28 49–29 48–29 Eastbourne 35–43 46–32 49–29 39–38 38–40 43–35 39–39 45–33 50–28 54–24 45–33 39–39 44–34 51–27 Hackney 35–43 36–41 34–4 40–38 43–34 49–29 42–36 45–33 41–37 42.5–35.5 42–36 47–31 47–31 39–39 Halifax 38–39 40–38 37–40 42–36 54–24 49–28 38–40 51–27 54–24 45–33 46–32 39–39 36–41 56–22 Ipswich 36–42 42–36 37–41 40–38 40–38 38–40 46–32 47–30 43–35 47–31 39–39 49–29 54–24 51.5–26.5 King's Lynn 35–42 44–34 39–39 30–48 42–36 39–39 44–34 41–37 40–38 43–35 45–33 46–32 37–41 46–32 Leicester 41–37 49–29 42–36 41–37 48–30 43–35 38–40 38–40 45–32 43–35 40–38 40–38 38–40 50–28 Poole 36–42 39–39 41–37 32–46 39–39 39–39 50–28 36–42 43–35 38–40 38–40 38–40 35–43 37–41 Reading 38–40 42–36 47–30 32–46 41–37 43–35 49–29 37–41 44–34 41–37 55–23 42–36 40–38 42–36 Sheffield 50–28 44–34 39–39 43–35 46–31 52–26 48–30 40–38 45–33 47–31 51–27 50–28 41–37 47–31 Swindon 36–42 41–37 42–36 33–45 30–48 41–37 41–37 41–37 44–34 42–36 46–32 39–39 44–34 36–42 Wimbledon 40–38 43–35 40–38 32–46 41–37 48–30 41–37 31–47 39–39 37–41 42–36 40–37 49–29 43–35 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1982.html Speedway Researcher 1982 fixtures & results 26 March 2025 Top ten riders (league averages) Rider Nat Team C.M.A. 1 Kenny Carter ENG Halifax Dukes 11.05 2 Erik Gundersen DEN Cradley Heathens 10.75 3 Hans Nielsen DEN Birmingham Brummies 10.49 4 Bruce Penhall USA Cradley Heathens 10.39 5 Dennis Sigalos USA Ipswich Witches 10.26 6 Bobby Schwartz USA Reading Racers 10.11 7 Chris Morton ENG Belle Vue 9.98 8 Shawn Moran USA Sheffield Tigers 9.98 9 Kelly Moran USA Eastbourne Eagles 9.97 10 Billy Sanders AUS King's Lynn Stars 9.93 British League Knockout Cup The 1982 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 44th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Cradley Heath Heathens were the winners.http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2014/04/british-league-ko-cup-1982.html 1982 British League Knockout Cup Speedway archive First round Date Team one Score Team two08/06Leicester 45-33 Kings Lynn06/06 Eastbourne 46-32 Swindon05/06 Kings Lynn 48-30 Leicester29/05 Halifax45-33 Hackney28/05 Hackney 38-40 Halifax28/05 Ipswich 46-31 Coventry27/05 Sheffield 42-36 Cradley Heath22/05 Coventry 40-38 Ipswich22/05 Cradley Heath 43-35 Sheffield22/05 Swindon 38-40 Eastbourne17/05 Reading 38-40 Belle Vue15/05 Belle Vue 57-18 Reading12/05 Poole 44-34 Birmingham30/04 Birmingham 48-30 Poole Quarter-finals Date Team one Score Team two19/08 Wimbledon 40-38 Eastbourne09/08 Cradley Heath 41-37 Ipswich01/08 Eastbourne 43-35 Wimbledon29/07 Ipswich 38.5-39.5 Cradley Heath19/07 Birmingham 43-35 Kings Lynn17/07 Kings Lynn 43-35 Birmingham11/07 Halifax 41-37 Belle Vue10/07 Belle Vue 44-34 Halifax25/09 Kings Lynn 42-36 Birmingham13/09 Birmingham 40-38 Kings Lynn Semi-finals Date Team one Score Team two03/10 Kings Lynn 36-42 Belle Vue02/10 Belle Vue 49-29 Kings Lynn19/09 Eastbourne 41-36 Cradley Heath18/09 Cradley Heath 48-30 Eastbourne Final First leg 23 October 1982 Cradley HeathErik Gundersen 15Lance King 13Phil Collins 7Simon Wigg 5Andy Reid 3Alan Grahame 3Wayne Jackson 0 46 - 32 https://www.cradleyspeedway.co.uk/years/1982.htm Coventry Bees 1982 season Cradley Speedway 25 June 2021 Belle Vue AcesChris Morton 12Peter Collins 6Peter Ravn 6Larry Ross 4Louis Carr 2Peter Carr 1Jim McMillan 1 Dudley Wood Stadium Second leg 30 October 1982 Belle Vue AcesChris Morton 10Peter Collins 7Peter Ravn 7Larry Ross 6Rod Hunter 6Louis Carr 5Andy Smith 2 43 - 35 Cradley HeathErik Gundersen 15Lance King 8Alan Grahame 8Simon Wigg 2Phil Collins 1Andy Reid 1 Belle Vue Stadium Cradley were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 81-75. League Cup The League Cup was split into North and South sections. The two-legged final was won by Cradley Heath Heathens beating Ipswich Witches in the final 83–73 on aggregate. North Group Pos Team PL W D L Pts1 Cradley Heathens 12 8 2 2 182 Coventry Bees 12 9 0 3 183 Belle Vue Aces 12 6 2 4 144 Halifax Dukes 11 6 1 4 135 Birmingham Brummies 12 3 1 8 76 Leicester Lions 11 3 1 7 77 Sheffield Tigers 12 2 1 9 5 South Group Pos Team PL W D L Pts1 Ipswich Witches 14 12 0 2 242 Eastbourne Eagles 14 8 2 4 183 Wimbledon Dons 14 8 1 5 174 Poole Pirates 14 6 0 8 125 Hackney Hawks 14 6 0 8 126 Reading Racers 14 6 0 8 127 King's Lynn Stars 14 5 0 9 108 Swindon Robins 14 3 1 10 7 Final Date Team one Score Team two19/06 Cradley Heath 42–36 Ipswich24/06 Ipswich 37–41 Cradley Heath North Group main FBR grey BV BIR COV CH HAL LEI SHE Belle Vue 45–33 49–29 37–41 46–32 43–35 44–34 Birmingham 38–40 36–42 39–39 42–36 42–35 54–24 Coventry 44–34 46–32 44–34 44–34 47–31 41–35 Cradley 42–36 41–37 34.5–43.5 46–32 48–30 49–28 Halifax 45–33 51–26 46–32 39–39 45–33 50–28 Leicester 39–39 41–37 40–38 35–43 n–h 46–32 Sheffield 39–39 40–37 38–40 24–54 35–43 43–35 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1982fixtures.pdf Speedway Researcher 1982 fixtures & results 8 October 2025 South Group main FBR grey EAS HAC IPS KL PP REA SWI WIM Eastbourne 40–38 33–45 51–27 46–32 44–34 49–29 39–39 Hackney 36–42 42–35 44–34 45–32 46–32 48–30 38–40 Ipswich 44–32 54–24 46–32 44–34 40–38 46–32 48–29 King's Lynn 38–40 45–33 38–40 44–34 42–36 42–36 36–42 Poole 53–25 42–36 41–37 44–34 48–30 37–41 45–33 Reading 37–41 43–35 38–40 40–38 44–34 40–38 43–35 Swindon 39–39 37–41 35–43 38–40 46–32 39–38 36–42 Wimbledon 44–34 43–35 38–40 47–31 44–34 38–40 46–32 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1982fixtures.pdf Speedway Researcher 1982 fixtures & results 8 October 2025 Riders' Championship Kenny Carter won the British League Riders' Championship for the second consecutive year, held at Hyde Road on 16 October.Carter's maximum Sunday Sun (Newcastle) 17 October 1982 4 June 2023 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001723/19821017/037/0037 British Newspaper Archive subscription Pos. Rider Heat Scores Total1 ENG Kenny Carter 3 3 3 3 3 152 USA Shawn Moran 2 3 3 3 3 143 DEN Hans Nielsen 3 2 3 2 3 134 DEN Erik Gundersen 2 3 2 0 3 10 5 USA Bobby Schwartz 3 1 2 2 1 96 ENG Les Collins 0 1 3 3 2 97 SWE Jan Andersson 3 0 2 1 2 88 ENG Steve Bastable 2 3 1 1 0 79 AUS Billy Sanders 0 2 2 1 2 7 10 DEN Ole Olsen 0 1 1 3 1 6 11 ENG Chris Morton 1 2 1 2 0 612 DEN Finn Thomsen 1 1 0 2 1 5 13 USA Dennis Sigalos 2 0 r - 414 ENG Dave Jessup 1 0 1 0 1 3 15 ENG Gordon Kennett 1 0 0 0 2 3 16 ENG John Davis 0 - - - - 017 ENG Andy Smith (res) 0 0 1 0 - 118 ENG Lee Edwards (res) 0 0 - - - 0 ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded r-retired Final leading averages Rider Nat Team C.M.A. 1 Kenny Carter ENG Halifax 11.03 2 Bruce Penhall USA Cradley 10.74 =3 Erik Gundersen DEN Cradley 10.18 =3 Chris Morton ENG Belle Vue 10.18 5 Dennis Sigalos USA Ipswich 10.10 6 Jan Andersson SWE Reading 9.96 7 Hans Nielsen DEN Birmingham 9.89 8 Bobby Schwartz USA Reading 9.83 9 Gordon Kennett ENG Eastbourne 9.72 10 Michael Lee ENG King's Lynn 9.65 Midland Cup Coventry won the Midland Cup for the second consecutive year. The competition consisted of five teams.Heathens Misery Sandwell Evening Mail 12 October 1982 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002487/19821012/023/0023 British Newspaper Archive 21 October 2023 subscription First round Team one Team two ScoreSwindonBirmingham 44–34, 41–37 Semi final round Team one Team two ScoreCoventryLeicester 37–41, 44–34 CradleySwindon 49–29, 54–24 Final First leg 4 October 1982 Cradley HeathErik Gundersen 15 Phil Collins 7Lance King 6Simon Wigg 6 Alan Grahame 5 Andy Reid 4 Bruce Penhall r/r 43–35 CoventryTommy Knudsen 13Gary Guglielmi 9Ole Olsen 5 Mitch Shirra 3 Kevin Hawkins 2Alf Busk 2Charlie McKinna 1 Dudley Wood Stadium Second leg 11 October 1982 Coventry Mitch Shirra 12Tommy Knudsen 11Ole Olsen 11Gary Guglielmi 5Alf Busk 3 Kevin Hawkins 2Charlie McKinna 0 44–34 Cradley HeathErik Gundersen 9Simon Wigg 7Lance King 5 Alan Grahame 5 Andy Reid 5 Phil Collins 3 Bruce Penhall r/r Brandon Stadium Coventry won on aggregate 79–77 Riders & final averages Belle Vue 22em ENG Chris Morton 10.18 NZL Larry Ross 9.37 ENG Peter Collins 8.78 ENG Louis Carr 6.01 DEN Peter Ravn 5.65 SCO Jimmy McMillan 5.44 ENG Peter Carr 4.98 ENG Andy Smith 4.40 Birmingham 22em DEN Hans Nielsen 9.89 ENG Andy Grahame 9.03 FIN Ari Koponen 6.20 CZE Aleš Dryml Sr. 6.03 DEN John Eskildsen 6.03 DEN John Jorgensen 5.65 CZE Zdeněk Kudrna 5.23 ENG Neil Evitts 5.03 GER Karl Maier 4.72 NZL Bruce Cribb 3.56 ITA Armando Dal Chiele 0.80 Coventry 22em DEN Tommy Knudsen 9.22 DEN Ole Olsen 9.09 NZL Mitch Shirra 7.38 AUS Gary Guglielmi 6.69 ENG Kevin Hawkins 5.79 DEN Alf Busk 5.19 DEN Sam Nikolajsen 3.48 SCO Charlie McKinna 3.25 Cradley Heath 22em USA Bruce Penhall 10.74 DEN Erik Gundersen 10.18 ENG Alan Grahame 9.22 ENG Phil Collins 7.29 ENG Simon Wigg 6.67 USA Lance King 6.30 ENG Ian Gledhill 3.45 ENG Andy Reid 3.02 ENG Wayne Jackson 3.00 CZE Jan Verner 2.69 AUS Bill Barrett 1.78 Eastbourne 22em ENG Gordon Kennett 9.72 USA Kelly Moran 9.62 USA Ron Preston 9.18 ENG Paul Woods 6.62 SWE Lillebror Johansson 3.55 ENG Dave Kennett 3.55 SWE Lars Hammarberg 3.37 SWE Borge Ring 3.36 ENG Keith Pritchard 3.27 Hackney 22em DEN Bo Petersen 9.38 DEN Finn Thomsen 7.29 AUS John Titman 6.59 CZE Antonín Kasper Jr. 6.53 ENG Sean Willmott 5.96 DEN Jens Rasmussen 5.53 ENG Bob Garrad 4.00 ENG Martin Hagon 3.52 Halifax 22em ENG Kenny Carter 11.03 ENG John Louis 7.52 ENG Ian Cartwright 7.28 AUS Merv Janke 6.39 ENG Martin Dixon 5.51 ENG Doug Wyer 5.36 AUS Steve Baker 4.98 AUS Rob Ashton 4.71 ENG Rob Tate 0.80 Ipswich 22em USA Dennis Sigalos 10.10 DEN Preben Eriksen 8.53 USA John Cook 7.77 ENG Kevin Jolly 6.98 ENG Jeremy Doncaster 6.07 ENG Nigel Flatman 5.79 ENG Andy Hines 5.67 ENG Mike Lanham 5.16 ENG Carl Baldwin 4.40 King's Lynn 22em ENG Michael Lee 9.65 AUS Billy Sanders 9.09 SWE Richard Hellsen 7.00 ENG Melvyn Taylor 5.78 ENG Colin Richardson 4.90 ENG Rob Hollingworth 4.04 SWE Peo Gudmundsson 3.00 ENG Keven Dye 1.76 CZE Jiří Hnidak 1.58 ENG Peter Framingham 0.44 Leicester 22em ENG Les Collins 8.77 ENG Neil Collins 7.07 AUS Phil Herne 6.42 ENG Joe Owen 5.93 ENG Colin Cook 5.87 ENG Mark Courtney 5.57 DEN Finn Jensen 5.41 AUS Steve Regeling 5.09 Poole 22em ENG John Davis 8.68 USA Scott Autrey 8.13 ENG Neil Middleditch 6.01 CZE Václav Verner 5.86 ENG Kevin Smith 5.83 AUS Danny Kennedy 5.30 ZIM Peter Prinsloo 4.49 AUS Les Sawyer 4.20 ENG Pete Ellams 3.29 Reading 22em SWE Jan Andersson 9.96 USA Bobby Schwartz 9.83 USA Steve Gresham 5.57 USA Denny Pyeatt 5.28 CZE Jiří Štancl 5.23 ENG Tim Hunt 5.08 ENG Dave Trownson 4.66 ENG Colin Ackroyd 4.00 ENG John Grahame 3.87 SWE Uno Johansson 2.78 Sheffield 22em USA Shawn Moran 9.55 NZL David Bargh 6.84 ENG Dave Morton 6.50 ENG Reg Wilson 6.48 NZL Wayne Brown 6.46 ENG Phil White 5.57 POL Zenon Plech 4.95 AUS Mark Fiora 3.82 AUS Robbie Foy 1.71 Swindon 22em AUS Phil Crump 9.47 ENG Steve Bastable 7.58 SWE Bjorn Andersson 6.46 ENG Malcolm Holloway 5.97 ZIM Mike Ferreira 5.26 DEN Steen Mastrup 5.19 ENG Martin Yeates 4.18 ENG Martin Hewlett 4.13 CZE Jan Verner 3.26 Wimbledon 22em ENG Dave Jessup 8.77 ENG Malcolm Simmons 8.75 FIN Kai Niemi 8.04 POL Edward Jancarz 5.82 SWE Anders Eriksson 5.37 ENG Roger Johns 5.37 USA Brad Oxley 5.09 ENG Richard Knight 4.08 ENG Alan Mogridge 2.06 See also List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions Knockout Cup (speedway) References Category:British League League British League