1977 British League season
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The 1977 Gulf British League season was the 43rd season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom[1] and the 13th season known as the British League.[2]
Summary
Newport had dropped down to the National League but their riders transferred to the Bristol Bulldogs so the league retained 19 teams. Cradley Heath reverted to their nickname of Heathens after four years of being called United.[3] The league was sponsored by Gulf Oil for a third season.[4]
White City Rebels won the title in only their second season of existence. The London team caused a surprise with their consistent form throughout the season with heavy scoring of Gordon Kennett leading the team. The success came from a group of five other riders hitting around a seven average to support Kennett. The five were Englishmen Mike Sampson, Steve Weatherley and Trevor Geer, Pole Marek Cieślak and Finn Kai Niemi.[5] Wolverhampton Wolves signed 18 year-old Danish rider Hans Nielsen.
Kevin Holden of Poole Pirates had started the season in great form for his new club, following his move from Exeter Falcons. He was hitting over a 9 point average but sadly was killed during the home match against Reading on 27 April. After sliding into the fence he ruptured a blood vessel of the heart.[6]
Final table
Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | White City Rebels | 36 | 27 | 1 | 8 | 55 |
2 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 53 |
3 | Reading Racers | 36 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 53 |
4 | Ipswich Witches | 36 | 25 | 1 | 10 | 51 |
5 | Belle Vue Aces | 36 | 19 | 3 | 14 | 41 |
6 | King's Lynn Stars | 36 | 19 | 2 | 15 | 40 |
7 | Cradley Heathens | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 40 |
8 | Coventry Bees | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 39 |
9 | Wimbledon Dons | 36 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 36 |
10 | Poole Pirates | 36 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 36 |
11 | Swindon Robins | 36 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 35 |
12 | Bristol Bulldogs | 36 | 17 | 0 | 19 | 34 |
13 | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 34 |
14 | Hull Vikings | 36 | 15 | 0 | 21 | 30 |
15 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 28 |
16 | Hackney Hawks | 36 | 13 | 1 | 22 | 27 |
17 | Halifax Dukes | 36 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 24 |
18 | Birmingham Brummies | 36 | 8 | 0 | 28 | 16 |
19 | Leicester Lions | 36 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 12 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Top Ten Riders (League Averages)
Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Michael Lee | ![]() | King's Lynn | 10.64 |
2 | Ivan Mauger | ![]() | Exeter | 10.62 |
3 | Peter Collins | ![]() | Belle Vue | 10.49 |
4 | Gordon Kennett | ![]() | White City | 10.41 |
5 | Ole Olsen | ![]() | Coventry | 10.40 |
6 | Billy Sanders | ![]() | Ipswich | 10.39 |
7 | Anders Michanek | ![]() | Cradley | 10.35 |
8 | Dave Jessup | ![]() | Reading | 10.27 |
9 | Malcolm Simmons | ![]() | Poole | 10.22 |
10 | John Davis | ![]() | Reading | 9.84 |
British League Knockout Cup
The 1977 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 39th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. King's Lynn Stars were the winners.[7]
First round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
18/05 | Poole | 41-37 | Reading |
25/04 | Exeter | 50-28 | Swindon |
25/04 | Reading | 43-35 | Poole |
15/04 | Wolverhampton | 51-27 | Leicester |
12/04 | Leicester | 40-38 | Wolverhampton |
Second round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
23/07 | Halifax | 38-40 | Reading |
22/07 | Wolverhampton | 41-37 | Kings Lynn |
28/06 | White City | 51-27 | Birmingham |
20/06 | Birmingham | 34-44 | White City |
18/06 | Coventry | 57-21 | Exeter |
18/06 | Kings Lynn | 55-23 | Wolverhampton |
17/06 | Bristol | 56-22 | Wimbledon |
16/06 | Wimbledon | 48-30 | Bristol |
13/06 | Exeter | 38-40 | Coventry |
09/06 | Sheffield | 46-32 | Hackney |
08/06 | Hull | 46-32 | Cradley Heath |
11/06 | Cradley Heath | 42-36 | Hull |
03/06 | Hackney | 49-29 | Sheffield |
02/06 | Ipswich | 38-40 | Belle Vue |
30/05 | Reading | 53-25 | Halifax |
Quarter-finals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
22/08 | Reading | 51-27 | Belle Vue |
08/08 | White City | 50-28 | Coventry |
06/08 | Kings Lynn | 42-36 | Hackney |
05/08 | Bristol | 52-26 | Hull |
03/08 | Coventry | 43-35 | White City |
03/08 | Hull | 49-29 | Bristol |
29/07 | Hackney | 34-44 | Kings Lynn |
Semi-finals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
14/10 | Bristol | 42-36 | Reading |
10/10 | Reading | 47-31 | Bristol |
24/09 | Kings Lynn | 44-34 | White City |
21/09 | White City | 42-34 | Kings Lynn |
Final
First leg
Reading Racers John Davis 10 Dave Jessup 8 Hans Wassermann 7 Bengt Jansson 6 Doug Underwood 4 Bob Humphreys 3 Ian Gledhill 2 | 40 - 38 | King's Lynn Stars Michael Lee 15 Terry Betts 12 Carl Glover 5 Ian Turner 5 Richard Hellsen 1 Billy Spiers 0 David Gagen 0 |
---|---|---|
[8] |
Second leg
King's Lynn Stars Terry Betts 10 Michael Lee 7 Richard Hellsen 7 David Gagen 6 Ian Turner 6 Billy Spiers 3 Carl Glover 2 | 41 - 37 | Reading Racers Dave Jessup 15 John Davis 8 Bengt Jansson 6 Doug Underwood 4 Bob Humphreys 3 Hans Wassermann 1 Ian Gledhill 0 |
---|---|---|
[8] |
King's Lynn Stars were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 79-77.
Riders' Championship
Ole Olsen won the British League Riders' Championship for the third time, it was held at Hyde Road on 15 October and sponsored by Leyland Cars.[9]
Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
2 | ![]() | 3 3 3 2 3 | 14 |
3 | ![]() | 3 2 2 3 3 | 13 |
4 | ![]() | 3 2 2 2 3 | 12 |
5 | ![]() | 2 3 1 3 2 | 11 |
6 | ![]() | 2 1 3 2 1 | 9 |
7 | ![]() | 1 3 1 1 2 | 8 |
8 | ![]() | 1 0 2 2 2 | 7 |
9 | ![]() | 0 2 3 1 1 | 7 |
10 | ![]() | 2 0 2 1 0 | 5 |
11 | ![]() | 1 1 0 3 0 | 5 |
12 | ![]() | 0 2 1 0 1 | 4 |
13 | ![]() | 1 1 1 0 1 | 4 |
14 | ![]() | 0 EF 0 1 2 | 3 |
15 | ![]() | EF 1 0 0 0 | 1 |
16 | ![]() | 2 0 0 0 0 | 2 |
- ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded
Pairs
The British League Pairs Championship was held at Foxhall Stadium on 29 September and was won by Ipswich Witches for the second consecutive year.[10]
Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ipswich Witches | 26 | Billy Sanders 14, John Louis 12 |
2 | King's Lynn Stars | 23 | Michael Lee 18, David Gagen 5 |
3 | White City Rebels | 20 | Gordon Kennett 13, Steve Weatherley 7 |
4 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 17 | Jim McMillan 10, Finn Thomsen 7 |
5 | Reading Racers | 17 | Dave Jessup 10, John Davis 7 |
6 | Belle Vue Aces | 12 | Alan Wilkinson 8, Chris Morton 4 |
7 | Sheffield Tigers | 11 | Craig Pendlebury 6, Doug Wyer 5 |
Final leading averages
Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Michael Lee | ![]() | King's Lynn | 10.59 |
2 | Ole Olsen | ![]() | Coventry | 10.52 |
3 | Ivan Mauger | ![]() | Exeter | 10.50 |
4 | Peter Collins | ![]() | Belle Vue | 10.46 |
5 | Gordon Kennett | ![]() | White City | 10.41 |
6 | Anders Michanek | ![]() | Cradley | 10.35 |
7 | Dave Jessup | ![]() | Reading | 10.32 |
8 | Malcolm Simmons | ![]() | Poole | 10.27 |
9 | Billy Sanders | ![]() | Ipswich | 10.18 |
10 | John Davis | ![]() | Reading | 9.80 |
Midland Cup
Coventry won the Midland Cup for the second consecutive year. The competition consisted of six teams and was sponsored by the Trustee Savings Bank.[11]
First round
Team one | Team two | Score |
---|---|---|
Birmingham | Swindon | 36–42, 26–52 |
Leicester | Cradley | 38–40, 31–47 |
Semi final round
Team one | Team two | Score |
---|---|---|
Coventry | Swindon | 54–24, 48–29 |
Cradley | Wolverhampton | 51–27, 38–40 |
Final
First leg
Coventry Mitch Shirra 11 Ole Olsen 10 Tommy Nilsson 8 Mick Bell 6 Alan Molyneux 5 Frank Smith 4 Alf Busk 3 | 47–31 | Cradley Heath Bruce Cribb 11 Bob Valentine 8 Steve Bastable 5 Larry Ross (guest) 4 Arthur Price 2 Dave Perks 1 Anders Michanek r/r |
---|---|---|
Second leg
Cradley Heath Bruce Cribb 12 Steve Bastable 6 Bob Valentine 5 Les Collins (guest) 5 Arthur Price 4 Dave Perks 4 Bernt Persson r/r | 36–42 | Coventry Mitch Shirra 13 Ole Olsen 12 Alan Molyneux 9 Tommy Nilsson 6 Mick Bell 1 Alf Busk 1 Frank Smith 0 |
---|---|---|
Coventry won on aggregate 89–67
London Cup
White City Rebels won the London Cup. Two of their fixtures doubled up as League and Knockout Cup matches.[12]
Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | White City | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 161 | 150 | 6 |
2 | Wimbledon | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 170 | 141 | 5 |
3 | Hackney | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 136 | 176 | 1 |
Results
Team | Score | Team |
---|---|---|
White City | 42–36 | Wimbledon |
White City | 46–32 | Hackney |
Wimbledon | 51–27 | Hackney |
Wimbledon | 44–33 | White City |
Hackney | 38–40 | White City |
Hackney | 39–39 | Wimbledon |
Riders & final averages
Belle Vue
-
Peter Collins 10.46
-
Chris Morton 8.96
-
Alan Wilkinson 8.56
-
Les Collins 7.87
-
Russ Hodgson 5.90
-
Derek Richardson 5.07
-
Chris Turner 4.18
-
Kristian Praestbro 3.72
-
Jim Brett 3.61
-
Steve Lawson 2.30
Birmingham
-
Ray Wilson 8.74
-
Alan Grahame 6.36
-
Richard Greer 5.58
-
Lou Sansom 5.00
-
Jan Terje Gravningen 4.95
-
Malcolm Shakespeare 4.75
-
Carl Askew 4.56
-
Stuart Mountford 4.10
-
Finn Jensen 3.44
Bristol
-
Phil Crump 9.77
-
Phil Herne 9.23
-
Steve Gresham 7.12
-
Tormod Langli 6.39
-
Nigel Boocock 6.06
-
Phil Bass 4.61
-
Danny Kennedy 4.56
-
Edgar Stangeland 3.71
-
Tom Leadbitter 3.19
-
Tony Garard 3.17
-
Brian Woodward 2.00
Coventry
-
Ole Olsen 10.52
-
Mitch Shirra 8.22
-
Alan Molyneux 7.92
-
Mick Bell 7.79
-
Alf Busk 6.38
-
Tommy Nilsson 6.23
-
Frank Smith 3.85
-
Dave Mortiboys 2.00
Cradley Heath
-
Anders Michanek 10.35
-
Bernt Persson 8.34
-
Steve Bastable 7.86
-
Bruce Cribb 6.54
-
Bob Valentine 6.50
-
Dave Perks 6.00
-
Arthur Price 5.61
Exeter
-
Ivan Mauger 10.50
-
Scott Autrey 9.13
-
Václav Verner 8.59
-
John Titman 8.25
-
Mike Farrell 6.48
-
Steve Koppe 6.33
-
Peter Prinsloo 6.21
-
Walter Grubmuller 4.00
Hackney
-
Dave Morton 8.67 (5 matches only)
-
Keith White 7.45
-
Barry Thomas 6.51
-
Ted Hubbard 6.34
-
Bent Rasmussen 4.68
-
Vic Harding 4.19
-
Tony Featherstone 4.07
-
Laurie Etheridge 3.88
Halifax
-
Chris Pusey 8.11
-
Henny Kroeze 7.37
-
Mike Lohmann 7.14
-
Ian Cartwright 6.13
-
Graham Plant 6.10
-
Mick McKeon 4.83
-
Steve Finch 4.81
-
Tom Godal 3.80
-
Geoff Pusey 2.81
Hull
-
Graham Drury 8.63
-
Bobby Beaton 8.01
-
Joe Owen 6.61
-
Tom Owen 6.00
-
Mike Curoso 5.44
-
Frank Auffret 5.23
-
Mitch Graham 4.69
-
Phil Kynman 3.05
Ipswich
-
Billy Sanders 10.18
-
John Louis 9.50
-
Tony Davey 7.97
-
Andy Hines 5.40
-
Kevin Jolly 5.24
-
Ted Howgego 5.13
-
Mike Lanham 5.07
-
Dave Gooderham 4.62
King's Lynn
-
Michael Lee 10.59
-
Terry Betts 9.78
-
Ian Turner 7.36
-
David Gagen 5.93
-
Richard Hellsen 5.17
-
Carl Glover 4.48
-
Paul Tyrer 4.07
-
Billy Spiers 3.25
-
Billy Burton 2.17
Leicester
-
Ila Teromaa 8.92
-
John Boulger 8.42
-
Garry Middleton 6.68
-
Bolesław Proch 5.17
-
Pepe Teromaa 4.74
-
Doug Underwood 4.04
-
Tommy Pettersson 4.00
-
Ray Bales 3.89
-
Markku Helminen 3.33
-
Reidar Eide 3.24
-
Adi Funk 2.96
-
Chris Robins 2.96
-
John McNeill 2.29
Poole
-
Malcolm Simmons 10.27
-
Christer Sjösten 7.47
-
Eric Broadbelt 7.02
-
Neil Middleditch 6.30
-
Colin Gooddy 5.54
-
Richard May 4.98
-
Pete Smith 4.56
-
Martin Yeates 4.52
Reading
-
Dave Jessup 10.32
-
John Davis 9.80
-
Bengt Jansson 6.80
-
Bob Humphreys 6.05
-
Bernie Leigh 5.88
-
Hans Wassermann 5.58
-
Bolesław Proch 4.85
-
Doug Underwood 4.37
-
Ian Gledhill 3.26
-
Glyn Taylor 2.53
Sheffield
-
Doug Wyer 9.15
-
Reg Wilson 8.84
-
Craig Pendlebury 6.56
-
Arnold Haley 5.43
-
Keith Evans 5.05
-
Tony Boyle 4.31
-
Carl Glover 3.95
-
Billy Burton 3.25
Swindon
-
Martin Ashby 9.72
-
Bob Kilby 8.74
-
Jan Andersson 7.61
-
Bobby McNeil 6.67
-
Geoff Bouchard 5.49
-
Soren Karlsson 5.48
-
David Ashby 4.77
-
Kevin Young 3.04
White City
-
Gordon Kennett 10.41
-
Mike Sampson 7.35
-
Steve Weatherley 7.32
-
Marek Cieślak 7.15
-
Kai Niemi 6.85
-
Trevor Geer 6.84
-
Ian Clark 5.07
-
Dave Kennett 4.70
Wimbledon
-
Edward Jancarz 9.61
-
Mick Hines 7.80
-
Colin Richardson 7.74
-
Larry Ross 7.32
-
Stefan Salomonsso 5.47
-
Roger Johns 5.46
-
Graeme Stapleton 4.23
-
Brendan Shiletto 3.67
-
Rudy Muts 2.80
-
Rob Jones 2.40
Wolverhampton
-
Jimmy McMillan 8.68
-
Finn Thomsen 8.17
-
Hans Nielsen 7.25
-
George Hunter 5.70
-
Sören Sjösten 5.33
-
Rob Hollingworth 4.69
-
Steve Lomas 2.76
See also
- List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
- Knockout Cup (speedway)
References
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. pp. 129–133. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "HISTORY ARCHIVE". British Speedway. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 100. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
- ^ "Speedway riders, history and results". wwosbackup. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ "IT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY.....1977". Poole Speedway. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ "1977 British League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- ^ a b "Season 1977" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "Immaculate Olsen roars to title". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 17 October 1977. Retrieved 2 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Sport in Brief". Birmingham Daily Post. 30 September 1977. Retrieved 17 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Super Shirra leads Bees in Cup romp". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 30 September 1977. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1977 fixtures and results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
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