1980 British League season

British motorcycle speedway season October 2023 October 2023 British League 17 Champions Reading Racers Knockout Cup Cradley Heath Heathens Individual Les Collins Gold Cup King's Lynn Stars Midland League Coventry Bees Midland Cup Cradley Heathens Northern Trophy Halifax Dukes London Cup Wimbledon Dons Hans Nielsen 1980 National League 1979 1981 The 1980 British League season was the 46th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 16th season known as the British League.http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/p/compet.html Historic league tables Speedway ArchiveOakes Peter 1981 Speedway Yearbook 1981 80 Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd 0-86215-017-5 Summary The league comprised 17 teams - one fewer than the previous season. Exeter Falcons had dropped down to the National League. Hackney Hawks underwent a dramatic transformation from being the bottom side in 1979 to title contenders in 1980, but their challenge faded in the last few weeks and Reading Racers were crowned champions for the second time.http://www.speedwaygb.co/history/leaguetables1979.php 1979 league tables Speedway GBhttp://www.speedwaygb.co/history/leaguetables1980.php 1980 league tables Speedway GB Reading's success came down to three strong heat leaders, Swedish champion Jan Andersson, their new American signing Bobby Schwartz and England international John Davis. All three produced season averages around the 10 mark, which enabled the team to constantly pick up victories.https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/historyarchive HISTORY ARCHIVE British Speedway 3 July 2021 Cradley Heathens successfully retained their Knockout Cup crown overcoming a huge first leg deficit in the final.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002139/19801030/055/0055 Cradley are KO kings in glory night Birmingham Mail 30 October 1980 British Newspaper Archive subscription 21 January 2025 Hans Nielsen topped the averages for the first time in his career. Neither Ivan Mauger or Ole Olsen finished in the top 10 in averages, as well as both failing to qualify directly for that years’ World Final (Olsen went as reserve). The young American riders continued to improve as more arrived in Britain, with Bruce Penhall qualifying for the World Final and Dennis Sigalos pipping Mauger to be Hull Vikings' top scorer. Final table Pos Team PL W D L Pts1 Reading Racers 32 24 1 7 492 Hackney Hawks 32 23 0 9 463 Belle Vue Aces 32 21 1 10 434 Coventry Bees 32 20 2 10 425 Cradley Heath Heathens 32 20 0 12 406 Ipswich Witches 32 16 2 14 347 King's Lynn Stars 32 17 0 15 348 Swindon Robins 32 16 2 14 349 Poole Pirates 32 15 2 15 3210 Halifax Dukes 32 15 1 16 3111 Leicester Lions 32 14 0 18 2812 Hull Vikings 32 11 5 16 2713 Wimbledon Dons 32 12 2 18 2614 Birmingham Brummies 32 11 1 20 2315 Wolverhampton Wolves 32 9 2 21 2016 Eastbourne Eagles 32 9 1 22 1917 Sheffield Tigers 32 8 0 24 16M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points Fixtures and results main FBR grey BV BIR COV CH EAS HAC HAL HV IPS KL LEI PP RR SHE SWI WIM WOL Belle Vue 41–37 40–38 42–36 53–25 49–29 44–34 43–35 44–34 40–38 41–37 45–33 43–35 47–30 52–25 46–31 41–37 Birmingham 37–41 35–43 45–33 33–45 44–34 41–37 44–34 42–36 34–44 41–37 41–37 32–46 41–37 35–43 46–32 36–42 Coventry 44–34 45–33 36.5–41.5 47–31 52–26 47–31 52–26 42–36 43–35 43–35 47–31 40–38 48–30 44–34 49–29 45–33 Cradley Heath 42–36 49–29 44.5–33.5 57–21 44–34 40–38 45–33 53–25 40–38 39–38 42–36 46–32 50–28 46–32 51–27 44–34 Eastbourne 45–33 37–41 47–31 45–31 34–43 41–37 37–41 40–38 42–36 31–47 34–44 26–52 46–32 30–48 39–39 41–37 Hackney 45–33 41–37 44–34 37–40 44–34 45–32 46–31 46–32 40–38 43–35 44–34 40–38 53–25 43–35 56–22 52–26 Halifax 46–32 44–34 37–41 40–38 52–26 38–39 48–30 44–34 42–36 43–35 42–36 39–39 49–29 42–36 40–38 51–27 Hull 38–40 51–27 39–39 42–36 46–32 38–40 32–46 39–39 41–37 42–36 39–39 40–38 60–18 42–36 44–33 41–36 Ipswich 41–36 54–24 43–35 46–32 48–30 49–28 56–22 43–35 40–38 48–30 45–33 31–47 59–19 48–30 50–27 38–40 King's Lynn 43–34 49–29 46–32 52–26 63–15 43–35 48–30 56–22 40–38 44–33 50–28 38–40 58–20 44–34 44–34 41–37 Leicester 37–41 46–32 42–36 40–38 49–29 38–40 51–27 43–35 42–36 40–38 42–36 32–46 48–30 38–40 45–33 43–35 Poole 43–35 43–35 37–41 48–30 46–32 45–32 57–21 39–39 47–31 41–37 41–37 38–40 44–34 44–34 43–35 43–32 Reading 47–31 45–33 43–35 40–38 52–26 47–31 48–30 43–35 56–22 52–26 53–25 47–31 54–24 38–40 53–25 49–29 Sheffield 27–51 38–40 31–47 48–30 46–32 38–40 34–43 43–35 37–41 43–35 28–50 34–43 41–37 45–33 41–37 44–34 Swindon 39–39 52–26 43–35 35–43 43–35 32–46 44–34 46–32 39–39 40–38 45–33 49–29 33–45 59–19 41–37 46–32 Wimbledon 36–42 43–35 39–39 44–34 47–31 37–41 51–24 47–31 40–37 40–38 44–34 47–31 35–43 49–29 43–35 40–38 Wolverhampton 49–29 39–39 36–42 34–43 43–34 34–43 42–36 39–39 37–41 36–42 43–35 44–34 27–51 61–17 35–43 44–34 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1980.html Speedway Researcher 1980 fixtures & results 19 March 2025 Top ten riders (league averages) Rider Nat Team C.M.A. 1 Peter Collins ENG Belle Vue 10.70 2 Hans Nielsen DEN Wolverhampton 10.70 3 Dave Jessup ENG King's Lynn 10.52 4 Bo Petersen DEN Hackney 10.46 5 Bruce Penhall USA Cradley 10.46 6 Michael Lee ENG King's Lynn 10.17 7 Chris Morton ENG Belle Vue 10.11 8 Jan Andersson SWE Reading 10.08 9 Scott Autrey USA Swindon 9.97 10 Bobby Schwartz USA Reading 9.95 British League Knockout Cup The 1980 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 42nd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Cradley Heath were the winners.http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2014/03/british-league-ko-cup-1980.html 1980 British League Knockout Cup Speedway archive First round Date Team one Score Team two06/05 Leicester 59-49 Poole05/05 Poole 53-55 Leicester Second round Date Team one Score Team two17/07 Coventry 54-54 Birmingham09/07 Cradley Heath 60-48 Kings Lynn04/07 Wolverhampton 53-55 Sheffield09/06 Birmingham 56-51 Coventry06/06 Eastbourne 52.5-55.5 Swindon05/06 Sheffield 56-52 Wolverhampton03/06 Hull 67-41 Hackney31/05 Belle Vue 60-48 Wimbledon31/05 Halifax57-50 Reading31/05 Swindon 62-46 Eastbourne30/05 Hackney 45-63 Hull29/05 Wimbledon 57-51 Belle Vue29/05 Ipswich 66-42 Leicester27/05 Leicester 54-54 Ipswich25/05 Kings Lynn 58-50 Cradley Heath21/04 Reading 62-46 Halifax Quarter-finals Date Team one Score Team two03/09 Birmingham 76-30 Sheffield23/08 Belle Vue 68-40 Hull21/08 Cradley Heath 54-54 Reading21/08 Sheffield 49-58 Birmingham04/08 Reading 53-55 Cradley Heath19/07 Swindon 63-45 Ipswich17/07 Ipswich 55-53 Swindon09/07 Hull 66-42 Belle Vue Semi-finals Date Team one Score Team two01/10 Cradley Heath 67-41 Birmingham24/09 Belle Vue 59-49 Swindon15/09 Birmingham 56-52 Cradley Heath30/08 Swindon 56-52 Belle Vue Final First leg 11 October 1980 Belle Vue AcesChris Morton 14Rob Maxfield 14Peter Collins 13Pekka Hautamaki 10Louis Carr 5Steve Wilcock 5Dave Allen 4Derek Richardson 2 67 - 41 Cradley HeathPhil Collins 13Alan Grahame 13Erik Gundersen 7Ila Teromaa 6John Hack 1Steve Lawson 1Craig Featherby 0Bruce Penhall R/R Hyde Road Stadium Second leg 29 October 1980 Cradley HeathBruce Penhall 15Erik Gundersen 13Phil Collins 12Alan Grahame 11Andy Reid 9Ila Teromaa 8Steve Lawson 5Craig Featherby 5 75 - 33 Belle Vue AcesPekka Hautamaki 10Louis Carr 10Tony Boyle 6John Williams 4Chris Morton 2 (inj)Peter Collins 1 (inj)Dave Allen 0Mark Lohmann R/R Dudley Wood Stadium Cradley Heath were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 116-100. Riders' Championship Les Collins won the British League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 18 October and sponsored by Gauntlet (Leyland Used Cars).Speedway The People 21 October 1979 4 June 2023 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002454/19791021/046/0046 British Newspaper Archive subscription Pos. Rider Heat Scores Total1 ENG Les Collins 3 3 3 3 2 142 USA Bruce Penhall 1 2 3 3 3 123 NZL Larry Ross 3 3 1 2 2 114 SWE Jan Andersson 2 1 3 3 1 10 5 ENG Peter Collins 2 1 2 2 3 10 6 DEN Hans Nielsen 3 2 2 1 2 107 ENG Kenny Carter 3 3 0 0 3 9 8 USA Scott Autrey 2 2 1 0 3 89 DEN Ole Olsen 2 3 1 1 0 7 10 USA Dennis Sigalos 0 0 2 2 2 6 11 ENG Steve Bastable 0 1 1 2 1 512 ENG John Louis 1 1 3 0 0 5 13 DEN Bo Petersen 0 0 0 3 1 4 14 ENG Michael Lee 1 2 0 - - 3 15 ENG Malcolm Simmons 1 0 2 0 0 3 16 ENG Bernie Collier (res) 1 1 - - - 2 17 ENG Gordon Kennett 0 0 0 1 - 1 18 ENG Mike Wilding (res) 0 - - - - 0 ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded r-retired Final leading averages Rider Nat Team C.M.A. 1 Hans Nielsen DEN Wolverhampton 10.69 2 Peter Collins ENG Belle Vue 10.67 =3 Dave Jessup ENG King's Lynn 10.39 =3 Bruce Penhall USA Cradley 10.39 5 Bo Petersen DEN Hackney 10.27 6 Michael Lee ENG King's Lynn 10.14 7 Chris Morton ENG Belle Vue 10.09 8 Jan Andersson SWE Reading 10.04 9 Bobby Schwartz USA Reading 10.00 10 Scott Autrey USA Swindon 9.92 Gold Cup East Group Team PL W D L PtsKing's Lynn 6 4 1 1 9 Ipswich 6 4 0 2 8 Reading 6 3 1 2 7 Hackney 6 0 0 6 0 West Group Team PL W D L Pts Poole 4 3 0 1 6 Eastbourne 4 2 0 2 4 Swindon 4 1 0 3 2 East Group main FBR grey HAC IPS KL REA Hackney 34–44 20–57 38–40 Ipswich 41–37 38–40 41–37 King's Lynn 58–20 27–51 41–37 Reading 54–23 44–34 39–39 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1980fixtures.pdf Speedway Researcher 1980 fixtures & results 6 October 2025 West Group main FBR grey EAS PP SWI Eastbourne 40–38 50–28 Poole 42–36 43–35 Swindon 44–34 37–40 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1980fixtures.pdf Speedway Researcher 1980 fixtures & results 6 October 2025 Final Team one Team two ScorePoole King's Lynn 39-39, 36-41 Midland Cup Cradley Heath won the Midland Cup, sponsored by the Trustee Savings Bank. The competition consisted of six teams.Schwartz is a cup hit for Cradley Sandwell Evening Mail 10 October 1980 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002487/19801010/055/0055 British Newspaper Archive 21 October 2023 subscription First round Team one Team two ScoreSwindonWolverhampton 43–35, 39–39CradleyBirmingham51–27, 48–30 Semi final round Team one Team two ScoreSwindonCoventry41–37, 36–42LeicesterCradley35–43, 30–48 Midland League Team PL W D L PtsCoventry 8 6 1 1 13 Cradley 8 5 0 3 10 Leicester 8 4 1 3 9 Birmingham 8 1 2 5 4 Wolverhampton 8 1 2 5 4 main FBR grey BIR COV CH LEI WOL Birmingham 36–42 36–42 40–37 39–39 Coventry 54–24 49–29 50–28 44–34 Cradley 55–23 44–34 37–41 45–33 Leicester 43–35 39–39 40–38 41–37 Wolverhampton 39–39 36–42 32–46 45–33 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1980fixtures.pdf Speedway Researcher 1980 fixtures & results 6 October 2025 Final First leg 2 October 1980 CoventryOle Olsen 13 Tommy Knudsen 8 Mitch Shirra 7 Alf Busk 5 Rob Henry 3 Alan Molyneux 1 Kevin Hawkins 1 38–40 Cradley HeathBruce Penhall 12 Alan Grahame 7 Phil Collins 6 Ila Teromaa 6 Erik Gundersen 6 John Hack 2 Andy Reid 1 Brandon Stadium Second leg 9 October 1980 Cradley Heath Phil Collins 12 Erik Gundersen 11Bobby Schwartz (guest) 10 Alan Grahame 9Steve Lawson 4 Ila Teromaa 2 John Hack 0 48–30 Coventry Mitch Shirra 9Ole Olsen 8 Kevin Hawkins 5 Tommy Knudsen 4 Alf Busk 2 Rob Hollingworth 2 Alan Molyneux 0 Dudley Wood Stadium Cradley Heath won on aggregate 88–68 Northern Trophy M W D L Pts 1Halifax 6 5 0 1 10 2 Belle Vue 6 4 0 2 8 3 Hull 6 2 0 4 4 4 Sheffield 6 1 0 5 2 main FBR grey BV HAL HUL SHE Belle Vue 42–35 44–34 41–36 Halifax 41–36 40–38 47–31 Hull 45–33 37–41 38–40 Sheffield 38–39 34–44 37–40 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1980fixtures.pdf Speedway Researcher 1980 fixtures & results 6 October 2025 London Cup Wimbledon won the London Cup but the competition consisted of just Wimbledon and Hackney.https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1980record.pdf 1980 fixtures and results Speedway Researcher 1 October 2023 Results Team Score TeamWimbledon 43–35 HackneyHackney 42–36 Wimbledon Riders and final averages Belle Vue 22em ENG Peter Collins 10.67 ENG Chris Morton 10.09 AUS Rob Maxfield 7.69 DEN Mike Lohmann 6.33 ENG Derek Richardson 6.24 FIN Pekka Hautamaki 5.35 ENG Louis Carr 5.17 USA Larry Kosta 4.91 ENG Dave Allen 4.25 ENG Steve Wilcock 4.22 Birmingham 22em ENG Steve Bastable 8.57 USA Kelly Moran 8.24 ENG Andy Grahame 7.39 CZE Zdeněk Kudrna 6.22 AUS Phil Herne 6.09 FIN Ari Koponen 5.97 DEN Finn Jensen 5.93 ENG Alan Emerson 5.56 CZE Ladislav Hrádecký 3.70 ENG Mick Blaynee 2.70 Coventry 22em DEN Ole Olsen 9.52 NZL Mitch Shirra 8.54 DEN Tommy Knudsen 8.10 ENG Alan Molyneux 6.83 ENG Kevin Hawkins 6.27 AUS Gary Guglielmi 5.83 DEN Alf Busk 5.61 ENG Rob Hollingworth 4.00 Cradley Heath 22em USA Bruce Penhall 10.39 ENG Alan Grahame 8.32 ENG Phil Collins 8.17 ENG Dave Perks 8.13 DEN Erik Gundersen 8.09 FIN Ila Teromaa 5.32 ENG Steve Lawson 5.16 ENG Mike Sampson 4.84 ENG John Hack 4.23 ENG Derek Harrison 4.05 ENG Craig Featherby 1.78 ENG Paul Bosley 0.73 Eastbourne 22em ENG Gordon Kennett 9.71 FIN Kai Niemi 8.35 ENG Paul Woods 6.28 FIN Veijo Tuoriniemi 6.12 ENG Dave Kennett 5.57 ENG Trevor Geer 4.87 ENG Eric Dugard 4.64 ENG Richard Greer 4.24 ENG Steve Naylor 3.87 SWE Jan Davidsson 3.61 NOR Sigvart Pedersen 1.81 Hackney 22em DEN Bo Petersen 10.27 POL Zenon Plech 8.12 DEN Finn Thomsen 7.76 ENG Sean Willmott 5.49 ENG Barry Thomas 5.29 POL Roman Jankowski 5.19 ENG Keith White 4.94 POL Andrzej Huszcza 4.24 Halifax 22em ENG Kenny Carter 8.92 ENG Ian Cartwright 7.92 AUS Mick McKeon 6.54 AUS Merv Janke 6.06 POL Piotr Pyszny 5.80 ENG Craig Pendlebury 5.39 AUS Les Sawyer 3.50 ENG Alan Stansfield 2.86 Hull 22em USA Dennis Sigalos 9.32 NZL Ivan Mauger 9.00 ENG Joe Owen 7.57 SCO Bobby Beaton 6.68 USA Shawn Moran 6.47 ENG Frank Auffret 5.17 AUS John McNeill 4.84 NZL David Bargh 4.67 AUS Rod Hunter 4.65 USA John Cook 4.17 Ipswich 22em ENG Kevin Jolly 9.09 ENG John Louis 8.80 AUS Billy Sanders 8.34 ENG Mike Lanham 7.20 DEN Preben Eriksen 6.37 ENG Nigel Flatman 5.82 ENG Tim Hunt 5.77 ENG Tony Davey 5.33 ENG Kevin Teager 4.80 ENG Andy Hines 4.72 King's Lynn 22em ENG Dave Jessup 10.39 ENG Michael Lee 10.14 SWE Richard Hellsen 8.95 ENG Melvyn Taylor 6.52 DEN Bent Rasmussen 5.22 ENG Pete Smith 4.26 ENG Nigel Sparshott 3.82 Leicester 22em ENG Les Collins 8.93 AUS John Titman 7.69 NOR Rolf Gramstad 7.42 POL Andrzej Huszcza 6.38 ENG Mark Courtney 6.20 ENG Bob Garrad 5.91 ENG Colin Cook 5.60 ENG Ian Clark 5.23 Poole 22em ENG Malcolm Simmons 9.40 USA Ron Preston 9.11 ZIM Peter Prinsloo 7.26 ENG Neil Middleditch 6.96 CZE Vaclav Verner 6.76 AUS Danny Kennedy 4.95 ENG Martin Yeates 4.77 AUS John McNeill 4.00 ENG Kevin Bowen 1.11 Reading 22em SWE Jan Andersson 10.04 USA Bobby Schwartz 10.00 ENG John Davis 9.59 CZE Jiří Štancl 7.37 ENG Bernie Leigh 5.87 ENG Martin Ashby 5.30 ENG Tony Briggs 4.98 ENG Ashley Pullen 1.80 Sheffield 22em ENG Reg Wilson 8.00 ENG Doug Wyer 7.11 ENG Eric Broadbelt 6.37 ENG Phil White 6.20 TCH Aleš Dryml Sr. 5.56 (6 matches only) ENG Neil Collins 5.09 ENG Nicky Allott 5.04 DEN Klaus Lohmann 4.86 POL Jan Ząbik 4.37 NED Henny Kroeze 3.67 ENG Paul Stead 3.23 Swindon 22em USA Scott Autrey 9.92 AUS Phil Crump 9.59 ENG Bob Kilby 7.41 USA Steve Gresham 7.24 CZE Milan Špinka 6.53 DEN Steen Mastrup 5.54 ZIM Mike Ferreira 5.42 ENG Malcolm Holloway 5.31 AUS Bob Humphreys 5.00 ENG John Barker 2.72 ENG Nigel Boocock 2.00 Wimbledon 22em NZL Larry Ross 9.12 ENG Roger Johns 8.22 POL Edward Jancarz 8.08 ENG Colin Richardson 6.36 SWE Stefan Salomonsson 5.82 ENG Mick Hines 5.08 NED Rudy Muts 3.06 ENG Peter Johns 2.46 ENG Dave Brewer 2.24 Wolverhampton 22em DEN Hans Nielsen 10.69 NOR Reidar Eide 7.08 SCO Jimmy McMillan 7.01 CZE Petr Ondrašík 5.85 NZL Bruce Cribb 5.73 ENG Dave Morton 5.36 SWE Hasse Danielsson 5.33 ENG Billy Burton 5.07 ENG Ivan Blacka 3.93 NZL Wayne Brown 3.68 DEN Hans Christensen 2.62 See also List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions Knockout Cup (speedway) References Category:British League Category:1980 in British motorsport Category:1980 in speedway