1984 British League season

Team changes

Three teams dropped out and four teams replaced them. Midland's clubs Birmingham Brummies and Leicester Lions both dropped out and Hackney Hawks dropped to the National League, becoming the Hackney Kestrels after taking over from the Crayford Kestrels. The new teams to the league were Oxford Cheetahs, Newcastle Diamonds, Exeter Falcons (all from the National League) and the returning Wolverhampton Wolves who did not ride in 1982 and 1983. Exeter took over the Leicester licence.

Summary

Oxford Cheetahs returned to the league, financed by David Hawkins of Northern Sports, and spent heavily over the off-season. They bought Hans Nielsen from Birmingham for a record £30,000, Simon Wigg for £25,000 from Cradley Heath, Marvyn Cox for £15,000 from Rye House, Melvyn Taylor for £12,000 from King's Lynn and Jens Rasmussen. Defending champions Cradley Heath couldn't hold onto their title after losing Simon Wigg to Oxford and loaning Jan O. Pedersen to Sheffield Tigers because of their huge combined c.m.a. being over the limit.

The 50th season of British speedway saw a close fight between Ipswich Witches, Belle Vue Aces and Cradley Heathens. A resounding home win over Ipswich and a string of away wins meant Belle Vue looked favourites to win the league, but in October Ipswich took 3 points from Cradley home and away to end the midlanders hopes and clinched the title with a win at previously unbeaten at home Reading. They made it a cup double by beating Belle Vue home and away in the final with Belle Vue also missing out in the League Cup final to Cradley Heath. The Suffolk team had a great season despite losing their leading rider Dennis Sigalos who rode for Wolverhampton Wolves until breaking his leg early in the league season. Australian Billy Sanders remained one of the team's main scorers and he was supported by strong season scoring from American showman John Cook, Finn Kai Niemi and the English international pair of Jeremy Doncaster and Richard Knight.

The league season saw some notable absentees. Kenny Carter made no league appearances after breaking his leg and aggravating the injury in attempting to qualify for the World Final. Remarkably he won the British Final despite being barely able to walk. Michael Lee was judged to have endangered the safety of other riders when storming off the track in the wrong direction and received a season long ban (reduced from 3 years after appeal) and made no league appearances for Poole

Draconian measures were brought in to exclude any rider pushing the tapes, as opposed to breaking them. The aforementioned Lee walked out of an England / USA test match after falling foul of the rule strictly applied by the referee. Erik Gundersen scored heavily in the league but his high average was hampered by a string of exclusions for tape infringements so much that he finished outside the top 10 rider averages. In the World Championship, the FIM didn't apply the same strictness and he went on to win his first individual World Title.

A scandal broke in September when the Sunday People newspaper published a story about race fixing and riders being paid to forfeit their place in the British Final. Riders named were Simon Wigg, Malcolm Simmons, John Louis, Mark Courtney, Kelly Moran and Alan Grahame. Specifically Simmons dropping out for Wigg in the British Final and rides by Wigg's opponents in that final came under scrutiny. Wigg was disqualified from the 1985 World Championship.

Final table

Fixtures and results

Top ten riders (league averages)

British League Knockout Cup

The 1984 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 46th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Ipswich Witches were the winners.

First round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

First leg McKinna 9 Collins 8 Morton 6 Smith 6 Ross 2 Carr 2 Courtney 0 Sanders 12 Cook 10 Knight 8 Doncaster 7 Niemi 6 Flatman 2 Blackbird 0

Second leg Sanders 9 Doncaster 8 Cook 8 Blackbird 8 Niemi 6 Knight 5 Flatman 3 Smith 9 Ross 9 Morton 6 McKinna 4 Carr 2 Collins 1 Courtney 0

Ipswich Witches were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 92-64.

League Cup

The League Cup was split into North and South sections. The two-legged final was won by Cradley Heath Heathens beating Belle Vue Aces in the final 80–76 on aggregate.

North Group

South Group

North Group

South Group

Semi-finals

Final

First leg Collins Ph 12 Gundersen 11 King 10 Grahame 4 Cross 3 Jensen 3 Saunders (guest) 1 Morton 11 Smith 5 Collins Pe 5 Carr 5 Ross 4 McKinna 3 Courtney 1

Second leg Smith 9 Courtney 8 Collins Pe 7 Morton 7 Carr 6 Ross 3 McKinna 2 Gundersen 11 King 11 Collins Ph 7 Grahame 5 Cross 1 Collins S 1 Jensen 0

Cradley won on aggregate 80-76.

Riders' Championship

Chris Morton won the British League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 20 October.

• ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded r-retired

Pairs

The British League Pairs Championship was held at Monmore Green Stadium on 11 September and was won by Belle Vue.

Semi finals

• Belle Vue beat Coventry 7–2
• Reading beat Wimbledon 7–2

Final

• Belle Vue beat Reading 5–4

Midland Cup

Cradley Heath won the Midland Cup for the second consecutive year. The competition consisted of five teams and was sponsored by Marlboro.

First round

Semi final round

Final

First leg Phil Crump 12 Bo Petersen 10 Ari Koponen 6 Alf Busk 4 Shawn McConnell 3 Per Sorensen 2 Kevin Smith 0 Lance King 8 Erik Gundersen 7 Phil Collins 7 Finn Jensen 7 Alan Grahame 6 Simon Cross 5 Steve Collins 0

Second leg Erik Gundersen 10 Phil Collins 9 Lance King 8 Alan Grahame 6 Finn Jensen 6 Simon Cross 4 Steve Collins 0 Phil Crump 12 Bo Petersen 8 Per Sorensen 7 Ari Koponen 5 Alf Busk 1 Shawn McConnell 1 Kevin Smith 1

Cradley Heath won on aggregate 83–72

Riders & final averages

Belle Vue

• 10.31
• 9.10
• 7.75
• 7.25
• 7.14
• 6.66
• 6.39
• 2.00

Coventry

• 7.87
• 7.79
• 6.89
• 6.64
• 6.18
• 5.31
• 5.19
• 2.62

Cradley Heath

• 9.54
• 8.65
• 8.40
• 7.87
• 7.27
• 5.08
• 1.96
• 1.49

Eastbourne

• 9.42
• 8.07
• 8.05
• 6.76
• 6.01
• 4.91
• 4.37
• 4.18
• 4.00
• 3.81

Exeter

• 8.08
• 6.90
• 6.01
• 5.29
• 5.27
• 5.05
• 4.98
• 4.15
• 2.59
• 2.08
• 2.00
• 1.00

Halifax

• 9.21
• 7.44
• 6.08
• 5.16
• 4.95
• 4.64
• 4.58
• 3.52

Ipswich

• 9.69
• 8.83
• 8.16
• 7.98
• 7.43
• 5.29
• 4.97
• 3.53

King's Lynn

• 8.29
• 7.42
• 6.72
• 6.61
• 6.38
• 6.05
• 4.00

Newcastle

• 8.04
• 7.01
• 6.68
• 5.84
• 5.18
• 4.82
• 4.62
• 4.13
• 3.92

Oxford

• 10.76
• 9.69
• 6.29
• 6.06
• 5.57
• 4.59
• 4.48
• 4.15
• 2.00
• 1.93

Poole

• 9.24
• 6.71
• 6.32
• 6.15
• 5.85
• 5.77
• 5.62
• 4.57
• 3.54

Reading

• 10.05
• 9.26
• 6.52
• 5.75
• 5.43
• 5.41
• 4.87

Sheffield

• 9.85
• 8.03
• 7.83
• 6.00
• 6.00
• 5.18
• 4.77
• 3.59
• 2.94

Swindon

• 9.94
• 8.33
• 6.15
• 5.73
• 5.33
• 5.01
• 4.95
• 4.65
• 3.78

Wimbledon

• 8.38
• 8.38
• 7.18
• 6.04
• 5.82
• 5.69
• 5.45
• 2.95

Wolverhampton

• 9.87
• 8.45
• 7.47
• 7.23
• 4.61
• 4.52
• 4.51
• 3.69
• 3.23
• 3.00
• 2.90

References

References

1. "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
2. (24 January 1984). "Collins turns down Halifax".
3. Bamford/Shailes, Robert/Glynn. (2007). "The Story of Oxford Speedway". Tempus Publishing Ltd.
4. "1984 league tables". Speedway GB.
5. "Favourite-ever Ipswich Witches teams... FANS HAVE THEIR SAY".
6. "1984 fixtures & results". Speedway Researcher.
7. "1984 British League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
8. (28 October 1984). "Speedway". Sunday Sun (Newcastle).
9. (29 October 1984). "Speedway". Daily Mirror.
10. "1984 fixtures & results". Speedway Researcher.
11. "1984 fixtures & results". Speedway Researcher.
12. "1984 Cradley season".
13. (21 October 1984). "Morton takes title". Sunday Sun (Newcastle).
14. (12 September 1984). "Morton Collins, perfect partners". Birmingham Mail.
15. (28 October 1984). "Cradley finish on high note". Birmingham Weekly Mercury.