1968 British League season
- ← 1967
- 1969 →
The 1968 British League season was the 34th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the fourth season known as the British League.[1][2]
Summary
Edinburgh relocated to become the Coatbridge Monarchs. The Long Eaton team closed its doors, but a new team in Leicester returned to Speedway to join the League.[3]
Coventry Bees secured their first title on points difference and after they scored points in the last heat of their last match away at King's Lynn. The title win came after two consecutive years as being runner-up. Coventry's Nigel Boocock was again one of the league's leading riders with his average going well above ten for the fifth consecutive year. He was well supported by Ron Mountford and Czechoslovakian star Antonín Kasper Sr.[4] Wimbledon Dons who could only manage a mid table finish went on to win the British League Knockout Cup.[5]
Fixtures & results
Home \ Away | BV | CM | COV | CH | EX | GLA | HAC | HAL | KL | LE | ND | NW | OX | PP | SHE | SWI | WH | WIM | WOL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Belle Vue Aces | 41–37 | 55–23 | 47–31 | 34–44 | 50–28 | 45–33 | 49–29 | 40–38 | 40–38 | 41–37 | 51–27 | 52–26 | 45–33 | 37–41 | 55–23 | 44–34 | 52–26 | 41–37 | |
Coatbridge Monarchs | 41–36 | 38–40 | 51–27 | 39–39 | 48–30 | 53–25 | 52–26 | 49–29 | 43–35 | 46–32 | 48–30 | 54–24 | 44–34 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 48–30 | 46–32 | 53–23 | |
Coventry Bees | 37–41 | 47–31 | 53–25 | 43–35 | 48–30 | 41–36 | 46–32 | 47–31 | 45–33 | 43–35 | 46–32 | 56–22 | 49–29 | 44–34 | 43–35 | 42–36 | 50–28 | 45–33 | |
Cradley Heathens | 45–33 | 54–24 | 37–41 | 42–36 | 53–25 | 46–32 | 37–41 | 46–32 | 36–42 | 38–40 | 42–36 | 50–28 | 43–35 | 42–35 | 39–39 | 40–38 | 44–34 | 49–29 | |
Exeter Falcons | 46–31 | 53–25 | 51–27 | 53–25 | 50–28 | 51–27 | 58–19 | 59–19 | 56–22 | 47–31 | 53–25 | 50–28 | 52–26 | 50–28 | 49–29 | 41–37 | 49–29 | 51–27 | |
Glasgow Tigers | 44–34 | 38–40 | 47–31 | 39–39 | 36–42 | 36–42 | 34–44 | 44–34 | 47–31 | 41–37 | 55–23 | 49–29 | 46–32 | 38–40 | 43–35 | 31–47 | 40–38 | 49–29 | |
Hackney Hawks | 48–30 | 40–36 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 43–35 | 47–31 | 46–32 | 41–37 | 43–35 | 42–36 | 48–30 | 46–32 | 47–31 | 42–35 | 47–31 | 42–36 | 52–26 | 42–36 | |
Halifax Dukes | 52–26 | 51–27 | 42–36 | 56–22 | 43–35 | 50–27 | 54–24 | 44–34 | 47–31 | 40–38 | 47–31 | 52–26 | 42–36 | 39–39 | 45–33 | 43–35 | 50–28 | 49–29 | |
King's Lynn Stars | 41–37 | 50–28 | 37–41 | 39–39 | 45–33 | 36–42 | 36–42 | 43–35 | 41–37 | 41–37 | 40–38 | 48–30 | 50–28 | 49–29 | 42–36 | 38–40 | 47–26 | 40–38 | |
Leicester Lions | 44–34 | 40–38 | 37–41 | 50–27 | 40–38 | 43–35 | 39–39 | 41–37 | 48–30 | 44–34 | 51–27 | 44–34 | 41–37 | 39–37 | 45–33 | 41–37 | 43–35 | 40–38 | |
Newcastle Diamonds | 59–19 | 48–30 | 52–26 | 40–38 | 50–28 | 45–33 | 46–32 | 50–28 | 40–38 | 40–38 | 53–25 | 41–37 | 43–35 | 46–32 | 46–32 | 49–29 | 49–28 | 40–38 | |
Newport Wasps | 46–32 | 43–35 | 42–36 | 47–31 | 41–37 | 49–29 | 46–32 | 45–33 | 42–36 | 44–33 | 51–27 | 53–25 | 48–29 | 49–29 | 47–31 | 39–39 | 46–32 | 45–33 | |
Oxford Cheetahs | 43–35 | 43–35 | 41–37 | 30–47 | 43–35 | 42–36 | 45–33 | 51–26 | 43–35 | 43–35 | 41–37 | 54–24 | 42–36 | 42–36 | 38–40 | 46–32 | 43–35 | 44–34 | |
Poole Pirates | 36–42 | 38–40 | 43–35 | 39–39 | 40–38 | 45–33 | 39–39 | 42–36 | 45–33 | 43–35 | 44–34 | 43–35 | 49–29 | 43–35 | 38–40 | 41–37 | 45–32 | 42–36 | |
Sheffield Tigers | 54–24 | 46–32 | 51–27 | 53–25 | 44.5–33.5 | 51–27 | 43–35 | 42–36 | 51–27 | 45–33 | 50–27 | 51–27 | 49–29 | 51–27 | 50–28 | 41–37 | 50–28 | 44–34 | |
Swindon Robins | 56–22 | 57–20 | 43–34 | 36–42 | 50–28 | 61–17 | 36–42 | 48–30 | 51–27 | 43–35 | 38–39 | 54–24 | 45–33 | 53–24 | 47–31 | 36–42 | 39–38 | 46–32 | |
West Ham Hammers | 41–36 | 43–35 | 46–32 | 39–38 | 48–30 | 36–42 | 41–37 | 42–35 | 48–30 | 50–28 | 44–34 | 50–28 | 41–37 | 45–33 | 48–29 | 37–40 | 43–35 | 52–25 | |
Wimbledon Dons | 54–24 | 51–26 | 54–24 | 42–36 | 50–28 | 49–29 | 46–32 | 42–35 | 49–29 | 47–31 | 46–31 | 49–29 | 37–41 | 41–37 | 55–22 | 43–34 | 41–37 | 41–37 | |
Wolverhampton Wolves | 45–32 | 51–27 | 33–44 | 45–33 | 43–35 | 45–33 | 40–38 | 54–24 | 50–28 | 46–31 | 47–31 | 43–34 | 43–35 | 48–30 | 49–29 | 43–35 | 41–37 | 34–44 |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Final table
M | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Coventry Bees | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 1436 | 1369 | 44 |
2 | Hackney Hawks | 36 | 21 | 2 | 13 | 1421 | 1383 | 44 |
3 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 1556.5 | 1248.5 | 41 |
4 | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 1463.5 | 1337.5 | 41 |
5 | Newcastle Diamonds | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 1454 | 1350 | 40 |
6 | West Ham Hammers | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 1454 | 1348 | 39 |
7 | Halifax Dukes | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 1424 | 1379 | 39 |
8 | Coatbridge Monarchs | 36 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 1404 | 1397 | 37 |
9 | Wimbledon Dons | 36 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 1411 | 1384 | 36 |
10 | Belle Vue Aces | 36 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 1387 | 1417 | 36 |
11 | Swindon Robins | 36 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 1448 | 1353 | 35 |
12 | Leicester Lions | 36 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 1373 | 1430 | 35 |
13 | Newport Wasps | 36 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 1348 | 1457 | 35 |
14 | Cradley Heath Heathens | 36 | 15 | 4 | 17 | 1373 | 1430 | 34 |
15 | Oxford Cheetahs | 36 | 17 | 0 | 19 | 1319 | 1487 | 34 |
16 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 1388 | 1413 | 32 |
17 | Poole Pirates | 36 | 13 | 2 | 21 | 1327 | 1478 | 28 |
18 | King's Lynn Stars | 36 | 13 | 1 | 22 | 1330 | 1473 | 27 |
19 | Glasgow Tigers | 36 | 13 | 1 | 22 | 1312 | 1495 | 27 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Top Ten Riders (League Averages)
Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ivan Mauger | ![]() | Newcastle | 11.40 |
2 | Barry Briggs | ![]() | Swindon | 10.88 |
3 | Nigel Boocock | ![]() | Coventry | 10.79 |
4 | Martin Ashby | ![]() | Exeter | 10.68 |
5 | Charlie Monk | ![]() | Sheffield | 10.14 |
6 | Eric Boocock | ![]() | Halifax | 10.13 |
7 | Anders Michanek | ![]() | Leicester | 10.07 |
8 | Norman Hunter | ![]() | West Ham | 9.94 |
9 | Sverre Harrfeldt | ![]() | West Ham | 9.88 |
10 | Torbjörn Harrysson | ![]() | Newport | 9.82 |
British League Knockout Cup
The 1968 British League Knockout Cup was the 30th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Wimbledon were the winners.[7]
First round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
27/04 | Coatbridge | 66-42 | Glasgow |
27/04 | Halifax | 57-51 | Exeter |
16/04 | West Ham | 55-52 | Hackney |
Second round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
01/06 | Belle Vue | 64-44 | West Ham |
14/05 | Leicester | 52-56 | Coventry |
20/05 | Newcastle | 77-30 | Coatbridge |
23/05 | Sheffield | 71-37 | Cradley Heath |
25/05 | Swindon | 58-50 | Oxford |
23/05 | Wimbledon | 60-48 | Kings Lynn |
22/05 | Poole | 56-52 | Newport |
17/05 | Wolverhampton | 60-47 | Halifax |
Third round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
17/08 | Belle Vue | 65-42 | Sheffield |
26/07 | Poole | 54-54 | Swindon |
27/06 | Wimbledon | 64-44 | Newcastle |
28/06 | Wolverhampton | 58-50 | Coventry |
23/08 replay | Swindon | 60-47 | Poole |
Semi-finals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
20/09 | Wolverhampton | 67-40 | Belle Vue |
12/09 | Wimbledon | 80-28 | Swindon |
Final
First leg
Wolverhampton Wolves Hasse Holmqvist 15 Jim Airey 14 Peter Vandenberg 8 James Bond 6 Dave Hemus 6 Doug White 3 Mick Handley 1 Pete Jarman 0 | 53 - 55 | Wimbledon Dons Olle Nygren 14 Trevor Hedge 12 Reg Luckhurst 10 Bob Dugard 9 Alan Cowland 4 Jim Tebby 3 Peter Murray 3 Garry Middleton 0 |
---|---|---|
[8] |
Second leg
Wimbledon Dons Trevor Hedge 17 Olle Nygren 14 Reg Luckhurst 12 Garry Middleton 8 Alan Cowland 6 Bob Dugard 2 Jim Tebby 2 Peter Murray 2 | 63 - 45 | Wolverhampton Wolves Hasse Holmqvist 12 James Bond 10 Peter Vandenberg 8 Jim Airey 7 Mick Handley 5 Pete Jarman 3 Dave Hemus 0 Doug White 0 |
---|---|---|
[8] |
Wimbledon Dons were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 118-98.
Riders' Championship
Barry Briggs won the British League Riders' Championship for the fourth consecutive year, held at Hyde Road on 19 October. Briggs defeated Boocock in a run off for the title.[9]
Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 3 3 3 2 3 | 14 |
2 | ![]() | 3 3 3 3 2 | 14 |
3 | ![]() | 2 3 3 3 2 | 13 |
4 | ![]() | 3 2 3 3 f | 11 |
5 | ![]() | 3 2 2 1 3 | 11 |
6 | ![]() | 1 2 1 3 1 | 8 |
7 | ![]() | 2 r 2 1 3 | 8 |
8 | ![]() | 0 3 1 2 2 | 8 |
9 | ![]() | 2 1 1 2 1 | 7 |
10 | ![]() | 1 1 2 2 1 | 7 |
11 | ![]() | 2 2 0 0 1 | 5 |
12 | ![]() | 1 1 ef 0 3 | 5 |
13 | ![]() | ef 0 2 1 2 | 5 |
14 | ![]() | 0 1 ef 1 0 | 2 |
15 | ![]() | 1 ef 1 0 0 | 2 |
16 | ![]() | ef ns 0 0 0 | 0 |
- ef=engine failure, f=fell, exc=excluded
Final leading averages
Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ivan Mauger | ![]() | Newcastle | 11.37 |
2 | Barry Briggs | ![]() | Swindon | 10.87 |
3 | Nigel Boocock | ![]() | Coventry | 10.74 |
4 | Martin Ashby | ![]() | Exeter | 10.72 |
5 | Anders Michanek | ![]() | Leicester | 10.19 |
6 | Eric Boocock | ![]() | Halifax | 10.17 |
7 | Charlie Monk | ![]() | Sheffield | 10.07 |
8 | Sverre Harrfeldt | ![]() | West Ham | 9.78 |
9 | Torbjörn Harrysson | ![]() | Newport | 9.82 |
10 | Norman Hunter | ![]() | West Ham | 9.71 |
11 | Ron Mountford | ![]() | Coventry | 9.62 |
12 | Hasse Holmqvist | ![]() | Wolverhampton | 9.58 |
13 | Colin Pratt | ![]() | Hackney | 9.58 |
14 | Terry Betts | ![]() | King's Lynn | 9.45 |
15 | Malcolm Simmons | ![]() | King's Lynn | 9.40 |
16 | Ole Olsen | ![]() | Newcastle | 9.39 |
17 | Ray Wilson | ![]() | Leicester | 9.37 |
18 | Olle Nygren | ![]() | Wimbledon | 9.39 |
19 | Bernt Persson | ![]() | Edinburgh | 9.28 |
20 | Jim Airey | ![]() | Wolverhampton | 9.24 |
London Cup
Wimbledon won the London Cup.[10]
Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wimbledon Dons | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 233 | 198 | 6 |
2 | West Ham Hammers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 225 | 207 | 5 |
3 | Hackney Hawks | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 189 | 242 | 1 |
Results
Team | Score | Team |
---|---|---|
West Ham | 59–49 | Hackney |
Wimbledon | 56–22 | West Ham |
West Ham | 60–48 | Wimbledon |
Wimbledon | 63–44 | Hackney |
Hackney | 42–66 | Wimbledon |
Hackney | 54–54 | West Ham |
Midland Cup
Swindon won the Midland Cup for the second consecutive season. The competition consisted of six teams.[11]
First round
Team one | Team two | Score |
---|---|---|
Oxford | Wolverhampton | 42–36, 41–37 |
Leicester | Cradley | 45–32, 41–37 |
Semi final round
Team one | Team two | Score |
---|---|---|
Leicester | Cradley | 45–32, 36–42 |
Swindon | Oxford | 46–32, 39–38 |
Final
First leg
Swindon Barry Briggs 11 Bob Kilby 10 Clive Hitch 6 Pete Munday 5 Frank Shuter 5 Mike Keen 5 Mike Broadbank 0 | 42–35 | Leicester Anders Michanek 10 John Boulger 9 Ray Wilson 9 John Hart 5 Graham Plant 2 George Major 0 Norman Storer 0 |
---|---|---|
Second leg
Leicester Ray Wilson 12 Anders Michanek 10 Norman Storer 6 John Boulger 6 John Hart 3 Graham Plant 3 George Major 2 | 42–36 | Swindon Barry Briggs 9 Frank Shuter 7 Clive Hitch 6 Mike Broadbank 6 Mike Keen 3 Bob Kilby 3 Pete Munday 2 |
---|---|---|
Swindon won on aggregate 78–77
Riders & final averages
Belle Vue
-
Sören Sjösten 9.13
-
Tommy Roper 8.50
-
Sándor Lévai 7.40
-
Cyril Maidment 7.34
-
Bill Powell 5.62
-
Norman Nevitt 5.56
-
Taffy Owen 4.48
-
Ken Eyre 4.29
-
Chris Pusey 3.65
-
Eric Broadbelt 2.78
Coatbridge
-
Bernt Persson 9.28
-
Reidar Eide 9.02
-
George Hunter 6.48
-
Bert Harkins 6.36
-
Doug Templeton 6.05
-
Brian Collins 4.39
-
Alec Hughson 3.62
Coventry
-
Nigel Boocock 10.74
-
Ron Mountford 9.62
-
Antonín Kasper Sr. 7.51
-
Col Cottrell 7.09
-
Les Owen 6.46
-
Rick France 6.13
-
Roger Hill 5.46
-
Tom Ridley 4.73
-
Chris Harrison 3.40
-
Dave Callington 1.88
Cradley Heath
-
Roy Trigg 8.91
-
Bob Andrews 7.70
-
Graham Coombes 6.71
-
Chris Julian 6.32
-
Lars Jansson 6.20
-
Ivor Brown 5.67
-
Tommy Bergqvist 5.02
-
Ken Wakefield 5.02
-
Archie Wilkinson 4.19
-
Peter Wrathall 3.62
-
Alan Totney 3.16
Exeter
-
Martin Ashby 10.72
-
Wayne Briggs 7.70
-
Neil Street 7.51
-
Jimmy Squibb 7.46
-
Tommy Sweetman 7.31
-
Mike Cake 6.37
-
Chris Blewett 5.71
-
Chris Bass 4.64
Glasgow
-
Jimmy McMillan 8.31
-
Oyvind Berg 7.91
-
Alf Wells 7.43
-
Bo Josefsson 6.79
-
Russ Dent 5.78
-
Lars Jansson 5.68
-
Willie Templeton 4.92
-
Bill McMillan 4.79
-
Åke Andersson 4.17
-
Brian Whaley 2.37
Hackney
-
Colin Pratt 9.58
-
Bengt Jansson 8.99
-
Les McGillivray 6.74
-
Des Lukehurst 6.24
-
Jack Biggs 6.08
-
Malcolm Brown 5.31
-
Alan Jackson 4.40
-
Gary Everett 4.08
-
Laurie Etheridge 3.17
Halifax
-
Eric Boocock 10.17
-
Dave Younghusband 8.83
-
Eric Boothroyd 7.95
-
Alan Jay 6.27
-
Greg Kentwell 5.94
-
Dennis Gavros 5.43
-
Les Sharpe 3.88
-
Bob Jameson 3.75
-
Maury Robinson 3.69
King's Lynn
-
Terry Betts 9.45
-
Malcolm Simmons 9.40
-
Clive Featherby 6.11
-
Howard Cole (Kid Bodie) 5.94
-
Brian Davies 5.24
-
David Crane 5.10
-
Geoff Penniket 4.34
-
Alan Bellham 4.29
-
Allan Brown 4.00
Leicester
-
Anders Michanek 10.19
-
Ray Wilson 9.37
-
John Boulger 6.62
-
George Major 5.51
-
John Hart 5.43
-
Norman Storer 5.24
-
Vic White 4.06
-
Graham Plant 2.80
-
Roger Mills 2.58
Newcastle'
-
Ivan Mauger 11.37
-
Ole Olsen 9.39
-
Dave Gifford 6.86
-
Alan Butterfield 6.08
-
Goog Allan 5.76
-
Mike Watkin 5.48
-
Alf Wells 5.09
-
Alan Jay 5.05
-
Alan Paynter 3.67
-
Gary Peterson 3.56
-
Murray Burt 2.24
Newport
-
Torbjörn Harrysson 9.73
-
Jimmy Gooch 7.97
-
Jon Erskine 6.56
-
Norman Strachan 6.47
-
Bob Hughes 6.26
-
Cyril Francis 5.69
-
Alby Golden 5.72
-
Terry Shearer 2.00
Oxford
-
Ronnie Genz 8.53
-
Eddie Reeves 7.32
-
Colin Gooddy 6.87
-
Leo McAuliffe 6.58
-
Rick Timmo 5.52
-
John Bishop 4.38
-
Peter Seaton 2.77
Poole
-
Bill Andrew 8.32
-
Geoff Mudge 7.67
-
Pete Smith 7.46
-
Odd Fossengen 6.94
-
Bruce Cribb 5.71
-
Ted Laessing 5.25
-
Maury Mattingley 5.14
-
Tim Bungay 4.53
-
Tony Lewis 4.36
Sheffield
-
Charlie Monk 10.07
-
Bengt Larsson 7.97
-
Arnold Haley 7.54
-
Bob Paulson 6.79
-
John Dews 6.39
-
Brian Maxted 6.13
-
Billy Bales 4.76
-
Dave Baugh 1.49
Swindon
-
Barry Briggs 10.87
-
Mike Broadbank 8.51
-
Bob Kilby 8.20
-
Mike Keen 6.18
-
Clive Hitch 5.99
-
Frank Shuter 5.25
-
Pete Munday 4.94
-
Peter Jackson 4.29
West Ham
-
Sverre Harrfeldt 9.78
-
Norman Hunter 9.71
-
Ken McKinlay 9.11
-
Brian Leonard 5.36
-
Tony Clarke 4.95
-
Stan Stevens 4.46
-
George Barclay 3.33
-
Barry Crowson 2.57
Wimbledon
-
Olle Nygren 9.31
-
Trevor Hedge 9.15
-
Reg Luckhurst 7.93
-
Garry Middleton 5.87
-
Jim Tebby 5.61
-
Alan Cowland 5.49
-
Bob Dugard 5.18
-
Peter Murray 3.54
Wolverhampton
-
Hasse Holmqvist 9.58
-
Jim Airey 9.24
-
Peter Vandenberg 7.68
-
James Bond 6.82
-
Pete Jarman 5.97
-
Dave Hemus 4.86
-
Mick Handley 4.30
-
Doug White 2.86
-
Geoff Ambrose 2.35
-
Dave Parry 2.29
See also
- List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
- Knockout Cup (speedway)
References
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 100. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. pp. 129–133. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "HISTORY ARCHIVE". British Speedway. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "Season 1968" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "1968 fixtures & results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "1968 British League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- ^ a b "Season 1968" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Briggs foils Boocock bid". Derby Daily Telegraph. 21 October 1968. Retrieved 1 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Wimbledon 1968" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
- ^ "Lions Lode By Point On Aggregate". Leicester Daily Mercury. 16 October 1968. Retrieved 19 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.