1985 National League season
The 1985 National League was contested as the second division of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom.[1]
| League | National League |
|---|---|
| Champions | Ellesmere Port Gunners |
| No. of competitors | 19 |
| Knockout Cup | Eastbourne Eagles |
| Individual | Neil Middleditch |
| Pairs | Ellesmere Port Gunners |
| Fours | Middlesbrough Tigers |
| London Cup | Wimbledon Dons |
| Highest average | Gordon Kennett |
| Division/s above | 1985 British League |
Team changes
A new team called the Barrow Blackhawks entered the league but only staged a handful of fixtures. The team failed to meet the minimum points limit resulting in the league authorities stopping their participation.[2] Scunthorpe Stags withdrew from the league in May.[3][4]
Summary
The title was won by the Ellesmere Port Gunners. Barrow Blackhawks withdrew in May and had their results expunged.[5][6]
Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 36 | 25 | 2 | 19 | 52 |
| 2 | Poole Pirates | 36 | 25 | 1 | 10 | 51 |
| 3 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 36 | 25 | 1 | 10 | 51 |
| 4 | Wimbledon Dons | 36 | 23 | 1 | 12 | 47 |
| 5 | Hackney Kestrels | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 44 |
| 6 | Arena Essex Hammers | 36 | 20 | 2 | 14 | 42 |
| 7 | Peterborough Panthers | 36 | 19 | 2 | 15 | 40 |
| 8 | Stoke Potters | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 40 |
| 9 | Berwick Bandits | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 39 |
| 10 | Eastbourne Eagles | 36 | 18 | 2 | 16 | 38 |
| 11 | Milton Keynes Knights | 36 | 16 | 1 | 19 | 33 |
| 12 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 32 |
| 13 | Rye House Rockets | 36 | 15 | 0 | 21 | 30 |
| 14 | Birmingham Brummies | 36 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 29 |
| 15 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 36 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 28 |
| 16 | Canterbury Crusaders | 36 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 28 |
| 17 | Glasgow Tigers | 36 | 10 | 2 | 24 | 22 |
| 18 | Long Eaton Invaders | 36 | 9 | 2 | 25 | 20 |
| 19 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 36 | 9 | 0 | 27 | 18 |
National League Knockout Cup
The 1985 National League Knockout Cup was the 18th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Eastbourne Eagles were the winners of the competition.[7]
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24/04 | Wimbledon | 62-16 | Poole |
| 23/04 | Poole | 38-40 | Wimbledon |
| 06/05 | Canterbury | 45-33 | Eastbourne |
| 03/05 | Peterborough | 45-33 | Arena Essex |
| 28/04 | Eastbourne | 47-31 | Canterbury |
| 26/04 | Edinburgh | 38.5-38.5 | Ellesmere Port |
| 25/04 | Ellesmere Port | 43-35 | Edinburgh |
| 23/04 | Barrow | 18-24a | Exeter |
| 22/04 | Exeter | 58-20 | Barrow |
| 21/04 | Birmingham | 50-28 | Glasgow |
| 19/04 | Glasgow | 42-36 | Birmingham |
| 18/04 | Arena Essex | 55-23 | Peterborough |
a=Abandoned (power failure, result stood)
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26/06 | Wimbledon | 43-35 | Arena Essex |
| 24/06 | Exeter | 50.5-27.5 | Berwick |
| 20/06 | Arena Essex | 40-38 | Wimbledon |
| 08/06 | Berwick | 57-21 | Exeter |
| 26/05 | Eastbourne | 50-28 | Milton Keynes |
| 21/05 | Milton Keynes | 36-42 | Eastbourne |
| 06/05 | Birmingham | 38-39 | Ellesmere Port |
| 05/05 | Mildenhall | 42-35 | Hackney |
| 04/05 | Stoke | 33-45 | Middlesbrough |
| 03/05 | Hackney | 44-34 | Mildenhall |
| 02/05 | Middlesbrough | 48-30 | Stoke |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18/08 | Berwick | 33-45 | Ellesmere Port |
| 16/08 | Ellesmere Port | 56-22 | Berwick |
| 11/08 | Eastbourne | 44-33 | Wimbledon |
| 07/08 | Wimbledon | 39-39 | Eastbourne |
| 14/07 | Middlesbrough | 45-33 | Rye House |
| 12/07 | Hackney | 47-31 | Long Eaton |
| 05/06 | Long Eaton | 33-45 | Hackney |
| 02/06 | Rye House | 37-41 | Middlesbrough |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27/09 | Hackney | 49-29 | Ellesmere Port |
| 26/09 | Ellesmere Port | 50-28 | Hackney |
| 12/09 | Middlesbrough | 48-30 | Eastbourne |
| 25/08 | Eastbourne | 49-29 | Middlesbrough |
Final
First leg
| Eastbourne Eagles Gordon Kennett 10 Colin Richardson 10 Martin Dugard 8 Andy Buck 7 Paul Clarke 6 Chris Mulvihill 4 Keith Pritchard 1 | 46 – 32 | Ellesmere Port Gunners Joe Owen 9 Louis Carr 9 Dave Morton 8 David Walsh 4 Miles Evans 1 Phil Alderman 1 Richie Owen 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [8][9] |
Second leg
| Ellesmere Port Gunners Louis Carr 13 Joe Owen 9 Dave Morton 9 David Walsh 4 Gary O'Hare 2 Phil Alderman 2 Richie Owen 2 | 41 – 37 | Eastbourne Eagles Gordon Kennett 12 Andy Buck 9 Colin Richardson 7 Martin Dugard 4 Paul Clarke 2 Chris Mulvihill 2 Keith Pritchard 1 |
|---|---|---|
| [8][9] |
Eastbourne were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 83–73.
Riders' Championship
Neil Middleditch won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 10 August at Brandon Stadium.[10]
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Neil Middleditch | 3 3 2 3 3 | 14 |
| 2 | Kevin Hawkins | 2 3 2 3 3 | 13 |
| 3 | Trevor Banks | 3 2 3 2 2 | 12 |
| 4 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Stan Bear | 3 fx 2 2 3 | 10 |
| 5 | Doug Wyer | 3 3 0 0 3 | 9 |
| 6 | Gordon Kennett | 2 3 3 ef 0 | 8 |
| 7 | Dave Mullett | 0 1 3 2 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Nigel De'ath | 0 2 0 3 2 | 7 |
| 9 | Louis Carr | 2 ex 1 3 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Dave Perks | 1 1 3 0 1 | 6 |
| 11 | Steve McDermott | 2 2 0 1 0 | 5 |
| 12 |  Mike Ferreira | 0 0 1 2 2 | 5 |
| 13 | Carl Baldwin | 1 0 2 1 1 | 5 |
| 14 | Tom Owen | 1 1 1 1 1 | 5 |
| 15 | Steve Lawson | 1 2 0 1 t | 4 |
| 16 | Steve Wilcock | 0 1 1 0 0 | 2 |
| 17 | Mike Bacon (res) | 0 | 0 |
- f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure
Pairs
The National League Pairs was held at Hackney Wick Stadium on 15 September and was won by Ellesmere Port Gunners.[11]
|
|
Semi finals
- Poole bt Wimbledon
- Ellesmere Port bt Peterborough
Final
- Ellesmere Port bt Poole
Fours
Middlesbrough Tigers won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Arena on 21 July.[12][13]
Semi finals
- SF1 = Hackney 18, Stoke 12, Berwick 10, Wimbledon 8
- SF2 = Middlesbrough 17, Peterborough 12, Poole 11, Arena Essex 8
Final
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 17 | Havelock 7, Fiora, Pusey, Wilcock, Dixon |
| 2 | Peterborough Panthers | 12 | Barney 8 |
| 3 | Hackney Kestrels | 10 | Banks 5 |
| 4 | Stoke Potters | 9 | Crabtree 5, Thorp 2, Owen 1, Wilding 0, Sumner 0 |
Leading averages
| Rider | Team | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Gordon Kennett | Eastbourne | 10.47 |
| Joe Owen | Ellesmere Port | 10.47 |
| Mike Ferreira | Wimbledon | 9.82 |
| Stan Bear | Poole | 9.79 |
| Carl Blackbird | Mildenhall | 9.64 |
| Roger Johns | Wimbledon | 9.64 |
| Neil Middleditch | Arena Essex | 9.47 |
| Steve Lawson | Glasgow | 9.39 |
| Louis Carr | Ellesmere Port | 9.37 |
| Kevin Smith | Poole | 9.32 |
London Cup
Wimbledon won the London Cup but the competition consisted of just Wimbledon and Hackney. It was also the first time that the competition had been competed for by second tier teams.[14]
Results
| Team | Score | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Hackney | 42–35 | Wimbledon |
| Wimbledon | 43–35 | Hackney |
Riders & final averages
Arena Essex
- Neil Middleditch 9.47
- Martin Goodwin 7.42
- Bob Humphreys 6.96
- David Cheshire 6.90
- David Smart 6.29
- Alan Sage 5.63
- Gary Chessell 4.77
- Ian Humphreys 2.44
- Sean Barker 2.12
Barrow (withrew from the league)
- Paul Price 4.40
- Kevin Armitage 4.00
- Gary O'Hare 3.76
- Eric Broadbelt 3.37
- Terry Kelly 1.87
- Bob Coles 1.71
- Gary Clegg 1.33
- Wayne Jackson 1.00
Berwick
- Jimmy McMillan 8.24
- Steve McDermott 7.70
- Bruce Cribb 7.56
- Charlie McKinna 7.56
- Rob Grant Sr. 7.06
- Sean Courtney 5.87
- Phil Kynman 5.27
- Jacko Irving 4.00
Birmingham
- Doug Wyer 8.57
- Reg Wilson 7.50
- Phil White 7.39
- Paul Evitts 6.03
- Paul Stead 5.90
- Linden Warner 4.50
- Mark Stevenson 4.43
- Ian M Stead 3.45
- Julian Parr 2.80
Canterbury
- Dave Mullett 8.78
- Mike Spink 7.97
- Rob Tilbury 6.44
- Neville Tatum 5.72
- Bill Barrett 5.64
- Steve Bryenton 5.16
- Lawrie Bloomfield 4.26
- Mark Terry 2.13
Eastbourne
- Gordon Kennett 10.47
- Colin Richardson 8.66
- Andy Buck 7.26
- Martin Dugard 5.69
- Keith Pritchard 5.63
- Paul Clarke 5.49
- Chris Mulvihill 4.38
- Derek Harrison 3.18
- Dean Standing 1.21
Edinburgh
- Brett Saunders 7.46
- Bobby Beaton 7.39
- Steve Finch 7.02
- Dave Trownson 6.13
- Phil Jeffrey 5.70
- Billy Burton 5.04
- Mark Burrows 4.18
- Alan Mason 3.76
- Gordon Whitaker 3.24
- Roger Lambert 2.97
- Scott Lamb 1.92
Ellesmere Port
- Joe Owen 10.47
- Louis Carr 9.37
- Dave Morton 8.03
- David Walsh 6.73
- Gary O'Hare 6.00
- Miles Evans 5.76
- Phil Alderman 5.37
- Richie Owen 4.78
Exeter
- Colin Cook 7.74
- Rob Maxfield 7.74
- Nigel Sparshott 7.39
- Steve Bishop 7.14
- Kevin Price 6.91
- Michael Coles 6.28
- Mike Semmonds 5.30
- Dave Roberts 2.42
Glasgow
- Steve Lawson 9.39
- Martin McKinna 6.60
- Andy Reid 5.99
- Kenny Brailsford 4.50
- David Cassels 4.23
- Jim Beaton 4.21
- Brian Collins 4.05
- Geoff Powell 4.00
- Colin Caffrey 3.65
Hackney
- Andy Galvin 8.02
- Paul Whittaker 7.76
- Alan Mogridge 7.32
- Barry Thomas 7.29
- Richard Pettman 4.98
Long Eaton
- Chris Pidcock 8.14
- Dave Perks 8.09
- David Tyler 7.06
- Paul Stead 6.54
- Graham Drury 5.97
- Alan Molyneux 5.91
- Gerald Short 5.85
- Pete Smith 4.78
- John Proctor 4.54
- John Frankland 4.44
- Mark Stevenson 4.00
- Derek Cooper 2.70
Middlesbrough
- Steve Wilcock 9.23
- Martin Dixon 8.93
- Mark Fiora 8.57
- Gary Havelock 7.33
- Jim Burdfield 6.72
- Geoff Pusey 6.04
- Mark Crang 3.83
- Ian Wedgwood 3.02
- Roland Tebbs 1.54
Mildenhall
- Carl Blackbird 9.64
- Melvyn Taylor 7.84
- Carl Baldwin 7.82
- Robert Henry 7.46
- Andy Hines 7.20
- Rob Hollingworth 5.84
- Dave Jackson 5.45
- Richard Green 3.92
- Rob Parish 3.26
- Wally Hill 2.54
Milton Keynes
- Keith White 8.55
- Nigel De'ath 8.48
- David Blackburn 6.28
- Derek Richardson 5.94
- Kevin Smart 5.70
- Mark Chessell .55
- Ashley Pullen 4.00
- Rob Wall 3.58
- Peter McNamara 3.53
- Rob Price 1.94
Peterborough
- Kevin Hawkins 9.12
- Mick Poole 7.52
- Dave Allen 7.27
- Ian Clark 6.73
- Ian Barney 6.00
- Keith Bloxsome 5.92
- Adrian Hume 4.81
- Pete Chapman 2.82
Poole
- Stan Bear 9.79
- Kevin Smith 9.32
- Martin Yeates 8.40
- David Biles 6.39
- Marcus Bisson 6.09
- Guy Wilson 5.98
- Ray Dole 5.96
- Dave Gibbs 3.95
Rye House
- Andrew Silver 8.61
- Alastair Stevens 7.37
- Rob Woffinden 6.84
- Bobby Garrad 6.34
- Kelvin Mullarkey 5.91
- Kevin Brice 4.41
- Neil Cotton 4.33
- Keith Millard 3.11
- Gary Rolls 3.11
- Nigel Leaver 2.10
Scunthorpe
- Andy Buck 9.64
- Rob Woffinden 7.54
- Steve Finch 7.50
- Derek Richardson 5.78
- Julian Parr 4.57
- Mark Burrows 4.40
- Peter McNamara 1.93
Stoke
- Nigel Crabtree 8.69
- Tom Owen 8.36
- Paul Thorp 7.38
- Graham Jones 5.70
- Mike Wilding 5.53
- Ian Stead 5.33
- Daz Sumner 4.82
- Nigel Harrhy 3.45
Wimbledon
- Mike Ferreira 9.82
- Roger Johns 9.64
- Jamie Luckhurst 8.34
- Kevin Teager 6.45
- Peter Johns 5.09
- Jeremy Luckhurst 4.94
- Mark Baldwin 4.73
References
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- "A Short History". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- "1985 fixtures and results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- "British League Tables - British League Era (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- "1985 fixtures" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- "1985 National League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- "1985 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- "Ellesmere Port KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- "Great, Neil". Sunday Mirror. 11 August 1985. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "1985 Ellesmere Port results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- "Speedway". Daily Mirror. 22 July 1985. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Oakes, Peter (1990). Speedway Yearbook 1990. Front Page Books. p. 46. ISBN 0-948882-15-8.
- "1985 fixtures and results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
United Kingdom Speedway Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tier One League Top division |
|  |
| Tier Two League Second division |
| |
| Tier Three League Third division | ||
| Champions | ||
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