From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
1981 British League season
British speedway season
British speedway season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| competition | British League |
| competitors | 16 |
| domesticcup1 | Champions |
| domesticcup1 winners | Cradley Heath Heathens |
| domesticcup2 | Knockout Cup |
| domesticcup2 winners | Ipswich Witches |
| domesticcup3 | League Cup |
| domesticcup3 winners | Coventry Bees |
| domesticcup4 | Individual |
| domesticcup4 winners | Kenny Carter |
| domesticcup5 | Midland Cup |
| domesticcup5 winners | Coventry Bees |
| domesticcup6 | London Cup |
| domesticcup6 winners | Hackney Hawks |
| highest average | Bruce Penhall |
| leagues below | 1981 National League |
| prevseason | 1980 |
| nextseason | 1982 |
The 1981 British League season was the 47th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 17th known as the British League.
Summary
The league comprised 16 teams - one fewer than the previous season. Wolverhampton Wolves had dropped down to the National League.
American Bruce Penhall (who would be crowned world champion by the end of the season) topped the averages and helped Cradley Heathens win their first title. The Cradley team included Penhall, rising Danish star Erik Gundersen and British internationals Alan Grahame and Phil Collins. The league runner-up Ipswich Witches gained some consolation by winning the Knockout Cup.
The year saw a changing of the guard as a number of young riders broke through as heat leaders. American duo Penhall and Dennis Sigalos led Cradley Heath and Ipswich respectively, Danish trio Gundersen, Hans Nielsen and Tommy Knudsen all qualified for the World Final, and Kenny Carter finished as top Englishman in the World Final and won the League Riders' Championship.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cradley Heathens | 30 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 53 |
| 2 | Ipswich Witches | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 46 |
| 3 | Swindon Robins | 30 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 41 |
| 4 | Belle Vue Aces | 30 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 39 |
| 5 | Coventry Bees | 30 | 18 | 0 | 12 | 36 |
| 6 | Birmingham Brummies | 30 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 27 |
| 7 | Halifax Dukes | 30 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 27 |
| 8 | Hackney Hawks | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 26 |
| 9 | Poole Pirates | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 26 |
| 10 | Sheffield Tigers | 30 | 13 | 0 | 17 | 26 |
| 11 | Reading Racers | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 25 |
| 12 | Hull Vikings | 30 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 24 |
| 13 | Eastbourne Eagles | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 23 |
| 14 | King's Lynn Stars | 30 | 10 | 2 | 18 | 22 |
| 15 | Leicester Lions | 30 | 11 | 0 | 19 | 22 |
| 16 | Wimbledon Dons | 30 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 17 |
Fixtures and results
Top ten riders (league averages)
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruce Penhall | USA | Cradley |
| 2 | Kenny Carter | ENG | Halifax |
| 3 | Phil Crump | AUS | Swindon |
| 4 | Michael Lee | ENG | King's Lynn |
| 5 | Erik Gundersen | DEN | Cradley |
| 6 | Chris Morton | ENG | Belle Vue |
| 7 | Jan Andersson | SWE | Reading |
| 8 | Gordon Kennett | ENG | Eastbourne |
| 9 | Kelly Moran | USA | Eastbourne |
| 10 | Hans Nielsen | DEN | Birmingham |
British League Knockout Cup
The 1981 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 43rd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Ipswich Witches were the winners.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04/06 | Middlesbrough | 43-53 | Eastbourne |
| 23/05 | Berwick | 39-57 | Wimbledon |
| 08/05 | Peterborough | 50-46 | Halifax |
| 04/05 | Newcastle | 40-56 | Leicester |
| 08/05 | Edinburgh | 49-47 | Sheffield |
| 12/04 | Mildenhall | 38-58 | Poole |
| 31/05 | Rye House | 34-62 | Birmingham |
| 03/05 | Boston | 47-48 | Hull |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/07 | Poole | 49-47 | Leicester |
| 24/06 | Hull | 54-42 | Belle Vue |
| 23/06 | Leicester | 51-45 | Poole |
| 20/06 | Cradley Heath | 60-36 | Eastbourne |
| 14/06 | Peterborough | 38-58 | Birmingham |
| 13/06 | Belle Vue | 53-43 | Hull |
| 11/06 | Wimbledon | 40-56 | Reading |
| 08/06 | Birmingham | 63-33 | Peterborough |
| 08/06 | Reading | 55-41 | Wimbledon |
| 07/06 | Eastbourne | 49-47 | Cradley Heath |
| 30/05 | Coventry | 63-33 | Hackney |
| 30/05 | Swindon | 69-27 | Edinburgh |
| 29/05 | Hackney | 37-59 | Coventry |
| 01/05 | Kings Lynn | 47-49 | Ipswich |
| 21/05 | Ipswich | 53-43 | Kings Lynn |
| 12/06 | Edinburgh | 47-49 | Swindon |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/09 | Swindon | 74-22 | Leicester |
| 25/08 | Leicester | 45-51 | Swindon |
| 20/08 | Ipswich | 54-42 | Cradley Heath |
| 12/08 | Cradley Heath | 48-48 | Ipswich |
| 03/08 | Reading | 51-45 | Coventry |
| 24/07 | Birmingham | 52-44 | Hull |
| 22/07 | Hull | 49-47 | Birmingham |
| 11/07 | Coventry | 49-45 | Reading |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28/09 | Reading | 49-47 | Birmingham |
| 18/09 | Birmingham | 54-42 | Reading |
| 18/09 | Swindon | 46-50 | Ipswich |
| 10/09 | Ipswich | 57-39 | Swindon |
Final
First leg Hans Nielsen 14 Kai Niemi 13 Andy Grahame 8 Bruce Cribb 8 Neil Evitts 4 Simon Wigg 0 Paul Thorp 0 Preben Eriksen 12 John Cook 11 Kevin Jolly 7 Dennis Sigalos 6 Tim Hunt 6 Mike Lanham 5 Nigel Flatman 2 Second leg Dennis Sigalos 11 John Cook 10 Preben Eriksen 8 Kevin Jolly 7 Mike Lanham 7 Tim Hunt 6 Nigel Flatman 2 Hans Nielsen 17 Andy Grahame 17 Kai Niemi 8 Bruce Cribb 1 Neil Evitts 1 Mike Wilding 1 Paul Thorp 0
The Ipswich Witches were declared Knockout Cup champions, winning on aggregate 100-92.
League Cup
The League Cup was inaugurated in 1981 with the 16 teams split into North and South sections comprising 8 teams each that met each other home and away. The winners of each section qualified for the two-legged final with Coventry Bees beating King's Lynn Stars in the final 120–70 on aggregate.
North Group
South Group
North Group
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coventry Bees | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
| 2 | Cradley Heathens | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 22 |
| 3 | Belle Vue Aces | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 4 | Sheffield Tigers | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 5 | Birmingham Brummies | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| 6 | Hull Vikings | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 10 |
| 7 | Leicester Lions | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 8 |
| 8 | Halifax Dukes | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 8 |
South Group
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King's Lynn Stars | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 21 |
| 2 | Reading Racers | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
| 3 | Ipswich Witches | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 18 |
| 4 | Poole Pirates | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 5 | Swindon Robins | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 6 | Hackney Hawks | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 11 |
| 7 | Eastbourne Eagles | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 10 |
| 8 | Wimbledon Dons | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 |
Final
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/10 | Coventry | 68–28 | King's Lynn |
| 11/10 | King's Lynn | 42–54 | Coventry |
Riders' Championship
Kenny Carter won the British League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 17 October and sponsored by the Daily Mirror.
| Pos. | width=200px | Rider | width=70px | Heat Scores | width=50px | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||
| 7 | |||||||||
| 8 | |||||||||
| 9 | |||||||||
| 10 | |||||||||
| 11 | |||||||||
| 12 | |||||||||
| 13 | |||||||||
| 14 | |||||||||
| 15 | |||||||||
| 16 | |||||||||
| 17 |
- ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded r-retired
Final leading averages
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruce Penhall | USA | Cradley |
| 2 | Kenny Carter | ENG | Halifax |
| =3 | Phil Crump | AUS | Swindon |
| =3 | Michael Lee | ENG | King's Lynn |
| 5 | Jan Andersson | SWE | Reading |
| 6 | Hans Nielsen | DEN | Birmingham |
| 7 | Chris Morton | ENG | Belle Vue |
| 8 | Erik Gundersen | DEN | Cradley |
| 9 | John Davis | ENG | Poole |
| 10 | Gordon Kennett | ENG | Eastbourne |
Midland Cup
Coventry won the Midland Cup. The competition consisted of five teams and was sponsored by the Trustee Savings Bank.
First round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | Swindon | 39–39, 37–41 |
Semi final round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Leicester | Coventry | 33–44, 34–44 |
| Swindon | Cradley | 44–33, 32–46 |
Final
First leg Erik Gundersen 12 Bruce Penhall 11 Alan Grahame 9 Phil Collins 3 John McNeill 2 Dave Shields 2 Bent Rasmussen 0 Ole Olsen 9 Tommy Knudsen 8 Gary Guglielmi 7 Keith White 6 Kevin Hawkins 5 Steve Wilcock 3 Mitch Shirra 1
Second leg
Ole Olsen 12
Tommy Knudsen 8
Mitch Shirra 7
Keith White 7
Gary Guglielmi 6
Kevin Hawkins 4
Rob Hollingworth 1
Bruce Penhall 12
Alan Grahame 12
Dave Shields 5
Erik Gundersen 3
Phil Collins 1
Bent Rasmussen 0
John McNeill 0
Coventry won on aggregate 84–72
London Cup
Hackney won the London Cup but the competition consisted of just Wimbledon and Hackney.
Results
| Team | Score | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Wimbledon | 43–36 | Hackney |
| Hackney | 46–32 | Wimbledon |
Riders and final averages
Belle Vue
- 9.75
- 9.08
- 7.33 (3 matches only)
- 7.00
- 6.95
- 6.02
- 5.60
- 5.58
- 5.51
- 4.74
Birmingham
- 9.80
- 8.64
- 7.44
- 6.41
- 5.89
- 5.13
- 5.06
- 4.93
- 4.90
- 2.14
Coventry
- 9.42
- 9.41
- 8.13
- 6.61
- 6.58
- 6.17
- 5.55
- 5.46
- 3.29
Cradley Heath
- 11.01
- 9.72
- 9.11
- 7.58
- 5.23
- 5.00
- 3.86
- 0.70
Eastbourne
- 9.67
- 9.28
- 6.96
- 4.44
- 4.24
- 3.92
- 3.75
- 2.89
- 2.80
Hackney
- 9.58
- 7.83
- 7.04
- 6.28
- 5.52
- 5.19
- 4.94
- 3.58
- 3.13
- 1.06
Halifax
- 10.17
- 7.82
- 7.80
- 6.38
- 5.30
- 5.16
- 4.65
- 3.55
- 2.98
- 0.92
Hull
- 9.18
- 8.67
- 7.28
- 5.56
- 5.36
- 4.83
- 4.67
- 4.62
- 4.11
Ipswich
- 8.92
- 8.63
- 8.07
- 6.98
- 6.62
- 6.16
- 6.12
King's Lynn
- 10.30
- 9.56
- 7.34
- 6.93
- 4.51
- 4.13
- 3.65
- 3.16
- 2.96
- 2.42
Leicester
- 8.55
- 7.44
- 7.03
- 5.96
- 5.83
- 5.76
- 4.90
- 4.52
- 3.33
Poole
- 9.70
- 8.42
- 7.68
- 7.48
- 7.41
- 6.56
- 6.10
- 3.09
- 2.52
- 1.28
- 0.14
Reading
- 10.26
- 9.66
- 9.31
- 5.30
- 5.00
- 4.86
- 4.55
- 3.82
- 1.52
Sheffield
- 8.27
- 8.02
- 6.64
- 5.78
- 5.69
- 5.62
- 5.20
- 4.54
- 2.33
- 1.29
Swindon
- 10.30
- 8.55
- 7.52
- 7.05
- 6.88
- 6.03
- 4.98
- 4.70
- 1.78
- 0.42
Wimbledon
- 8.37
- 8.00
- 6.92
- 6.84
- 5.38
- 4.38
- 4.12
- 2.48
- 2.30
- 1.80
References
References
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- "HISTORY ARCHIVE".
- "1981".
- (18 October 1981). "Speedway". Sunday Sun (Newcastle).
- "1981 fixtures & results". Speedway Researcher.
- "1981 British League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- "1981 fixtures & results". Speedway Researcher.
- "1981 fixtures & results". Speedway Researcher.
- (11 October 1981). "Heathens Fury". Sandwell Evening Mail.
- "1981 fixtures and results".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 1981 British League season — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report