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1977 National League Season
The 1977 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom. Summary Newport had moved down from the British League. Their riders were transferred to Bristol Bulldogs but they acquired new riders and were renamed Newport Dragons. Paisley Lions dropped out so the league had 19 teams, the same as the previous season. Part way through the season, Coatbridge Tigers relocated and changed name to Glasgow Tigers. Eastbourne Eagles won the National League title, completing a league and cup double. Eastbournes's star rider was Colin Richardson, who won the Riders' Championship and averaged 10.70 for the season. He was backed up by Mike Sampson, who also surpassed a 10 average and Dave Kennett (8.37 average) and a member of Eastbourne's 1971 winning team. Joe Owen, the leading rider of 1976 had moved from champions Newcastle Diamonds to join British League side Hull Vikings. Newcastle were unable to compensate for the loss and finished in 6th place, d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Speedway British League Division Two
The British League Division Two was created in 1968 and was the second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom until the restructuring of British speedway in 1995. It was renamed the New National League in 1975 and the National League between 1976 and 1990. History After the formation of the British League in 1965, riders wanting to break into teams found it more difficult to do so. The idea of forming a second division was suggested and in 1968 the idea became a reality when ten teams formed the league. The ten teams were: Belle Vue Colts, Berwick Bandits, Canterbury Crusaders, Crayford Highwaymen, Middlesbrough Teessiders, Nelson Admirals, Plymouth Devils, Rayleigh Rockets, Reading Racers and the Weymouth Eagles. The league was renamed the New National League (to avoid confusion with the original National League) in 1975 after promoters of the Division Two tracks decided to form their own league after they became dissatisfied with the way the league was being run by the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paisley Lions
Paisley Lions were a motorcycle speedway team that participated in the British National League in 1975 and 1976.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. The team was based at Love Street in Paisley, Scotland, home of St Mirren F.C.Henry, J. & Moultray, I. (2001). ''Speedway in Scotland''. History The club's colours were red and gold with a Rampant Lion. The first meeting (during which the Lions raced against Birmingham Brummies) was held on 5 April 1975 in front of a crowd of over six thousand people. Sid Sheldrick led the parade on the first meet leading a lion cub called Leo on a chain. The Lions did not enjoy a great deal of success, finishing fifteenth out of twenty clubs in the 1975 New National League season and sixteenth out of eighteen clubs in the 1976 National League season The 1976 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom having been renamed from the previous season's moniker of New National L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scunthorpe Scorpions
The Scunthorpe Scorpions are a speedway team in the British SGB Championship. They have raced at various times since 1972, at three different venues. History 1972–1978 The original Scunthorpe side were known as Scunthorpe Saints from 1972 to 1978, when they rode at Quibell Park Stadium on Brumby Wood Lane, the seven years in division 2 were unspectacular finishing in a best position of 13th place. 1979–1985 In 1979, a change of venue and name took place, they were renamed the Scunthorpe Stags and rode at Ashby Ville. The team continued to compete in the second division and continued to produce moderate results. The best placing was a 5th place finish during the 1983 National League season. Following the 1985 season the team were disbanded. 2005–2007 In 2005, speedway returned to Scunthorpe, with the Scunthorpe Scorpions taking their place in division 3 (the 2005 Speedway Conference League). The following season The Scorpions won their first silverware, winning the pl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oxford Cheetahs
The Oxford Cheetahs are a British speedway teamLawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. based at Oxford Stadium, in Oxford, England. They were founded in 1939 and are five times champions of Britain, in 1964, 1985, 1986, 1989 and 2001. The club folded in 2007 but in 2021, it was announced that the Oxford Cheetahs will make a long-awaited return to racing, participating in the SGB Championship 2022. Throughout their history they ran under two other names, from 1972 to 1975, they were known as Oxford Rebels and from 2003 to 2005, they were known as Oxford Silver Machine. They also ran junior sides known as the Oxford Cubs, Oxford Silver Machine Academy, Oxford Lions and the Oxford Chargers. History 1939-1948 The Oxford Motorcycle Speedway Club moved to Oxford Stadium in 1939 from a grass circuit in Sandford-on-Thames. The Secretary Ted Mander orchestrated the move and the first individual meeting was held on Easter Saturday 8 April 1939 won by Roy Duke. The club co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crayford Kestrels
The Crayford Kestrels were a Speedway team which operated from 1968 until their closure in 1983. They were based at Crayford & Bexleyheath Stadium in Crayford. History Crayford were founder members of British League Division Two in 1968 and finished in sixth place in its inaugural season. The team were known as the Crayford Highwaymen from 1968 until 1970 but were disbanded after the 1970 season. Speedway returned to the stadium in 1975 with a team nicknamed the Kestrels. They competed for nine years, with their most successful season being the third place finish during the 1983 National League season The 1983 National League was the second tier of motorcycle speedway racing in the United Kingdom. Summary The winning team was Newcastle Diamonds. After the tragedy of losing a rider the previous season Milton Keynes endured a second loss when ... although they did win the Four-Team Championship in 1980. The team were forced to relocate for the 1984 season as the stadium ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middlesbrough Bears
The Middlesbrough Bears were a British speedway team which operated under various names from 1939 until their closure in 1996. History The team was initially nicknamed the Bears in 1939 by the club's general manager Vic Wieland. The track at Cleveland Park, which operated in the pioneer days of the late 1920s, was promoted by Albion Auto Racers of Stockport, Cheshire, ran sporadically throughout the 1930s and for a short spell in 1939, staged a couple of open meetings in 1945, then saw competitive league speedway from 1946 until 1948. The Bears won the Northern League in 1946 and Division Two in 1947 before the promotion moved to Newcastle in 1949. The Bears nickname was again used when the track re-opened in 1961 under the guidance of former rider turned promoter Reg Fearman, who was a multi track promoter and one of the brains behind setting up the Provincial League. At the end of the 1964 season the Bears team moved to Halifax and the track staged challenge matches in 1965 an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mildenhall Fen Tigers
The Mildenhall Fen Tigers are a British speedway team, founded in 1975 and currently riding in the National Development League. History 1971–1989 The original track was built in 1971 on farm land owned by Terry Waters, with chef Bernie Klatt the driving force behind establishing speedway in Mildenhall.Butt, Randall (1980) "Dream Come True", ''Speedway Star'', 15 November 1980, p. 7 Klatt had been the head chef at the officers club at the nearby air force base, and later established a restaurant at the track. The track moved to a second area on the same farm in 1973. After running as a training track, the Mildenhall team entered the New National League (division 2) in 1975. The team competed in division 2 for 15 consecutive seasons from 1975 to 1989. Their best season was the 1979 National League season, where the team won the league title. 1990–2005 The team disbanded after the 1989 season but the track remained open from 1990 to 1991. The 1992 season started with fixtu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canterbury Crusaders (speedway)
The Canterbury Crusaders were a motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Kingsmead Stadium, Kingsmead Road, Canterbury from 1968 to 1987. For all of their 20-year existence, the Crusaders operated at the second level of British league speedway, in British League Division Two and the National League. History Canterbury were founder members of British League Division Two in 1968. The first meeting at Kingsmead, on 18 May 1968, saw the Crusaders narrowly lose a British League Division Two fixture 38–39 to Belle Vue Colts. The Colts and the Crusaders had contested the first ever Division Two fixture ten days previously at Belle Vue on 8 May, when the Colts won 55–23. The Crusaders' first league title was won in 1970, and a second championship was to follow in 1978. In 1977 the promoters Johnnie Hoskins and Wally Mawdsley had to go to court in order to keep the Kingsmead track open after complaints of noise from local residents. However, the team were forced to disband in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ellesmere Port Gunners
Ellesmere Port Gunners were an English Motorcycle speedway, speedway team in Ellesmere Port, Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, which operated at the Ellesmere Port Stadium from 1972 until their closure in 1985. History The inaugural league season for the team was during the 1972 British League Division Two season in which they finished in 15th place. The first track record on the 424 yard track was 76.0 seconds, set by John Jackson on 2 May 1972. The team continued to operate from 1972 until 1982 continuously competing in Division Two for 11 years, with a best place finish of 2nd in 1976. A rider died on the Ellesmere Port track on 3 December 1977. Stuart Shirley lost his life on a Saturday morning training school after a collision. The club was resurrected for one season in 1985 and went on to win the title during the 1985 National League season. They won the title after beating Poole Pirates and Middlesbrough Bears, Middlesbrough Tigers by just one point. The team also reached the fin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rye House Rockets
The Rye House Rockets were a speedway team based at Rye House Stadium, Hoddesdon, England. They competed in various British speedway leagues from 1954 to 2018. History Rye House began life in 1934 hosting open meetings. Whilst at Hackney in 1937, Dicky Case took over the sixty acre estate of Rye House and set up a training school at Rye House Stadium, operating under the name of the Hackney Motor Club. The school operated until 1938 when Rye House entered the Sunday Dirt-track League.Jacobs, Norman (2007). ''70 Years of Rye House Speedway''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing Their first season competing in a league was in 1954 when as the Rye House Roosters they finished third in the 1954 Southern Area League. The team then won two league titles; the 1955 Southern Area League and the 1956 Southern Area League. The team competed in the 2nd division of speedway for 20 years, from 1974 to 1993, with their best successes being the 1980 league champions and 1979 Knockout Cup winners ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hull Vikings
The Hull Vikings were a speedway team from Hull, England, who operated primarily from The Boulevard (stadium) and Craven Park from 1971 to 2005. History The team originated as the Hull Angels and were based at Hedon Stadium in Hedon on the outskirts of Hull between 1947 and mid-1949. Their inaugural league season was in the 1948 Speedway National League Division Three where they finished 9th. The team withdrew during the 1949 season and were replaced by the Swindon Robins When speedway came back to Hull for the 1971 British League Division Two season, the team were known as the Vikings and raced at the Boulevard, a long track. The Boulevard was famous as the long time home of Rugby Football League team Hull FC. During the years of racing at The Boulevard, the Vikings had the dubious distinction of being the last league speedway team ever to appear at the famous West Ham Stadium, on 23 May 1972, when they beat the closing West Ham Hammers 40–38. The team raced at the Bou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newcastle Diamonds
Newcastle Diamonds were a motorcycle speedway team that raced in the SGB Championship, every Sunday night during the season (March–October) from their home at the Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium, previously known as Brough Park, is primarily used for greyhound racing with the speedway track built in the centre. Facilities The stadium has a large grandstand located on the home straight and a fully licensed bar which is located on the first floor of the grandstand providing unrestricted views of the stadium. History Early history The club were inaugural members of the 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League finishing in fourth place and then raced a single season of Northern League in 1930. The club did not race league speedway again until 1938 when they joined the National League. In 1946 the team raced as Newcastle Brough and in 1949 as Newcastle Magpies. from 1952 to 1960 the team did not race in the league. 1960–1990 Newcastle returned in 1961 co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
