1984 National League season

British motorcycle speedway season

1984 National League seasonLeague| National League

|

No. of competitors| 16
Champions| Long Eaton Invaders
Knockout Cup| Hackney Kestrels
Individual| Ian Barney
Pairs| Stoke Potters
Fours| Mildenhall Fen Tigers
Highest average| Steve Lawson
Division/s above| 1984 British League

* ← 1983
* 1985 →

The 1984 National League was contested as the second division of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom.

## Summary

[edit]

A new team called the Arena Essex Hammers, promoted by Wally Mawdsley joined the league.[1] Crayford Kestrels moved to Hackney Wick Stadium to become the Hackney Kestrels.[2][3]

The title was won by the Long Eaton Invaders who finished just one point clear of the Mildenhall Fen Tigers.[4][5] Remarkably the Long Eaton Invaders had gone from finishing last in 1983 to first in 1984 under former rider Vic White. He had been brought in as the team manager and had signed Graham Drury and Chris Pidcock to support Dave Perks, Paul Stead and David Tyler.[6]

## Final table

[edit]

Pos  | Team  | PL  | W  | D  | L  | Pts

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Long Eaton Invaders | 30  | 21  | 1  | 8  | 43
2  | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 30  | 19  | 4  | 7  | 42
3  | Stoke Potters | 30  | 17  | 3  | 10  | 37
4  | Hackney Kestrels | 30  | 16  | 0  | 14  | 32
5  | Berwick Bandits | 30  | 15  | 1  | 14  | 31
6  | Boston Barracudas | 30  | 15  | 1  | 14  | 31
7  | Milton Keynes Knights | 30  | 14  | 1  | 15  | 29
8  | Rye House Rockets | 30  | 14  | 0  | 16  | 28
9  | Middlesbrough Tigers | 30  | 13  | 2  | 15  | 28
10  | Scunthorpe Stags | 30  | 13  | 2  | 15  | 28
11  | Glasgow Tigers | 30  | 13  | 2  | 15  | 28
12  | Canterbury Crusaders | 30  | 13  | 1  | 16  | 27
13  | Weymouth Wildcats | 30  | 13  | 0  | 17  | 26
14  | Arena Essex Hammers | 30  | 11  | 3  | 16  | 25
15  | Peterborough Panthers | 30  | 12  | 0  | 18  | 24
16  | Edinburgh Monarchs | 30  | 10  | 1  | 19  | 21

## Fixtures and results

[edit]

Home \ Away  | AE  | BER  | BOS  | CAN  | ED  | GLA  | HAC  | LE  | MID  | MIL  | MK  | PET  | RH  | SCU  | STO  | WEY

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Arena Essex  |  | 51–27  | 37–41  | 42–32  | 41–37  | 40–38  | 41–36  | 41–36  | 40–38  | 39–39  | 31–47  | 46–31  | 41–36  | 37–37  | 32–46  | 48–30
Berwick  | 38–40  |  | 49–29  | 44–34  | 40–38  | 48–30  | 47–31  | 41–37  | 46–32  | 40–37  | 46–32  | 44–34  | 43–34  | 44–34  | 37–41  | 51–37
Boston  | 51–27  | 50–28  |  | 40–36  | 54–24  | 47–31  | 40–34  | 41–37  | 49–29  | 38–40  | 40–38  | 60–18  | 47–31  | 41–37  | 41–37  | 57–21
Canterbury  | 49–29  | 47–31  | 54–24  |  | 45–32  | 39–39  | 42–36  | 35–43  | 44–34  | 40–37  | 45–33  | 51–27  | 45–33  | 42–36  | 44–34  | 50–28
Edinburgh  | 47–31  | 40–38  | 45–32  | 42–34  |  | 36–41  | 44–34  | 37–41  | 34–43  | 38–40  | 39–38  | 54–24  | 41–37  | 51–26  | 39–39  | 36–42
Glasgow  | 39–39  | 40–38  | 47–31  | 48–30  | 34–44  |  | 45–33  | 38–39  | 47–31  | 41–37  | 49–29  | 57–21  | 43–35  | 41–36  | 45–33  | 48–30
Hackney  | 44–34  | 44–34  | 46–32  | 47–31  | 47–31  | 43–35  |  | 42–36  | 46–32  | 37–41  | 46–32  | 53–25  | 48–30  | 55–23  | 45–33  | 45–32
Long Eaton  | 48–30  | 45–32  | 57–21  | 44–34  | 47–31  | 49–29  | 41–37  |  | 50–28  | 36–42  | 50–28  | 50–25  | 47–31  | 58–20  | 47–31  | 41–36
Middlesbrough  | 46–31  | 36–42  | 43–35  | 50–28  | 40–37  | 45–32  | 42–36  | 39–39  |  | 37–41  | 40–38  | 51–27  | 52–26  | 41–36  | 39–39  | 48–30
Mildenhall  | 48–30  | 39–39  | 39–39  | 50–28  | 45–33  | 52–26  | 54–24  | 44–34  | 47–31  |  | 39–39  | 48–30  | 44–34  | 41–36  | 42–36  | 51–27
Milton Keynes  | 40–38  | 38–40  | 55–23  | 40–38  | 49–29  | 51–27  | 47–30  | 37–41  | 41–37  | 42–36  |  | 55–2  | 41–37  | 43–35  | 40–38  | 46–31
Peterborough  | 44–34  | 41–37  | 43–34  | 45–33  | 44–34  | 53–25  | 42–34  | 38–40  | 43–35  | 36–42  | 44–34  |  | 52–25  | 41–37  | 38–40  | 41–37
Rye House  | 43–34  | 44–32  | 52–26  | 42–36  | 58–20  | 43–35  | 42–36  | 44–34  | 37–40  | 44–34  | 44–33  | 44–22  |  | 45–33  | 43–35  | 47–31
Scunthorpe  | 46–32  | 41–36  | 50–27  | 43–35  | 43–35  | 43–35  | 36–41  | 42–36  | 41–37  | 41–36  | 52–26  | 49–29  | 42–35  |  | 39–39  | 41–36
Stoke  | 48–30  | 44–34  | 44–34  | 44–34  | 50–28  | 53–25  | 42–36  | 36–42  | 47–30  | 49–29  | 44–33  | 53–25  | 43–35  | 42–36  |  | 55–23
Weymouth  | 39.5–38.5  | 42–35  | 46–32  | 47–31  | 44–34  | 45–32  | 38–40  | 38–40  | 52–26  | 38–40  | 51–27  | 41–37  | 50–28  | 44–33  | 40–38  |

Source: [7]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

## Top five riders (league averages)

[edit]

| Rider  | Nat  | Team  | C.M.A.

|
|
|
|

1  | Steve Lawson |  | Glasgow  | 10.41
2  | Martin Yeates |  | Weymouth  | 10.35
3  | Steve Wilcock |  | Middlesbrough  | 9.89
4  | Tom Owen |  | Stoke  | 9.77
5  | Steve McDermott |  | Berwick  | 9.74

## National League Knockout Cup

[edit]

The 1984 National League Knockout Cup was the 17th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Hackney Kestrels were the winners of the competition.[8]

First round

Date  | Team one  | Score  | Team two

|
|
|

08/06 | Peterborough | 48-30 | Arena Essex
31/05 | Arena Essex | 41-37 | Peterborough
11/05 | Peterborough | 42-36 | Arena Essex
26/04 | Arena Essex | 42-36 | Peterborough
26/04 | Middlesbrough | 52-26 | Scunthorpe
22/04 | Boston | 40-38 | Edinburgh
21/04 | Berwick | 44-34 | Glasgow
21/04 | Stoke | 39-38 | Long Eaton
20/04 | Edinburgh | 46-32 | Boston
20/04 | Glasgow | 33-44 | Berwick
18/04 | Long Eaton | 45-33 | Stoke
17/04 | Weymouth | 34-44 | Canterbury
16/04 | Scunthorpe | 43-35 | Middlesbrough
15/04 | Mildenhall | 44-34 | Milton Keynes
15/04 | Rye House | 36-42 | Hackney
14/04 | Canterbury | 39-39 | Weymouth
13/04 | Hackney | 53-25 | Rye House
10/04 | Milton Keynes | 41-37 | Mildenhall

Quarter-finals

Date  | Team one  | Score  | Team two

|
|
|

28/07 | Canterbury | 44-34 | Peterborough
20/07 | Edinburgh | 35-43 | Berwick
20/07 | Peterborough | 47-30 | Canterbury
18/05 | Hackney | 51-27 | Mildenhall
17/05 | Middlesbrough | 55-23 | Long Eaton
13/05 | Mildenhall | 44-34 | Hackney
05/05 | Berwick | 43-35 | Edinburgh
02/05 | Long Eaton | 48-30 | Middlesbrough

Semi-finals

Date  | Team one  | Score  | Team two

|
|
|

07/09 | Peterborough | 53-25 | Hackney
27/08 | Hackney | 54-24 | Peterborough
26/07 | Middlesbrough | 41-37 | Berwick
21/07 | Berwick | 46-31 | Middlesbrough

### Final

[edit]

First leg

21 September 1984

Hackney Kestrels
Barry Thomas 11
Trevor Banks 11
Paul Bosley 7
Andy Galvin 6
Kevin Teager 5
Paul Whittaker 5
Linden Warner 1| 46 – 32| Berwick Bandits
Jim McMillan 13
Bruce Cribb 12
David Walsh 3
Dennis Gallagher 3
Eric Broadbelt 1
Mick Caroline 0
Steve McDermott R/R

|
|

| [9][10] |

Hackney Wick Stadium

Second leg

29 September 1984

Berwick Bandits
Jim McMillan 12
Bruce Cribb 12
David Walsh 10
Dennis Gallagher 3
Craig Pendlebury 3
Mick Caroline 0
Steve McDermott R/R| 40 – 37| Hackney Kestrels
Barry Thomas 11
Trevor Banks 7
Kevin Teager 6
Paul Bosley 5
Andy Galvin 5
Paul Whittaker 3
Linden Warner 0

|
|

| [9][10] |

Berrington Lough Stadium

Hackney were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 83–72.

## Riders' Championship

[edit]

Ian Barney won the Riders' Championship. The final was originally held at Wimbledon Stadium on 23 September but was abandoned after eight heats due to rain. The Championship was restaged on 13 October at East of England Arena.[11]

Pos. | Rider | Total

|
|

1 |  Ian Barney | 14+3
2 |  Dave Perks | 14+ef
3 |  Martin Yeates | 12+3
4 |  Andy Buck | 12+2
5 |  Steve Wilcock | 10
6 |  Colin Cook | 8
7 |  Tom Owen | 8
? |  Alan Sage |
? |  Bob Garrad |
? |  Mark Fiora |
? |  Barry Thomas |
? |  Bruce Cribb | 4
? |  Keith White |
? |  Jamie Luckhurst |
? |  Steve Lawson |
? |  Carl Baldwin |

## Pairs

[edit]

The National League Pairs was held at Hackney Wick Stadium on 30 June and was won by Stoke Potters.[12][13]

Top 4 Qualifying

Pos  | Team  | Pts  | Riders
1  | Stoke | 20 | Owen T 12, Crabtree 8
2  | Berwick | 18 | Cribb 11, McDermott 7
3  | Weymouth | 18 | Yeates, Biles 6
4  | Mildenhall | 18 | Blackbird, Bales 7

Semi finals

* Stoke bt Mildenhall
* Berwick bt Weymouth

Final

* Stoke bt Berwick

## Fours

[edit]

Mildenhall won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Showground on 22 July.[14]

Semi finals

* SF1 = Boston 16, Stoke 13, Canterbury 10, Berwick 9
* SF2 = Mildenhall 23 Milton Keynes 10, Middlesbrough 8, Hackney 7

Final

Pos | Team | Pts | Riders

|
|
|

1 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 19 | Bales 6, Henry 5, Blackbird 5, Baldwin 3
2 | Stoke Potters | 15 | Crabtree 5, Thorp 4, Owen 4, Evitts 2
3 | Milton Keynes Knights | 11 | White 4, Blackburn 4, Payne 2, De'Ath 1, Framingham 0
4 | Boston Barracudas | 3 | Burton 2, Wilson 1, Cook 0, Hollingworth 0

## Leading averages

[edit]

Rider  | Team  | Average

|
|

Steve Lawson | Glasgow | 10.38
Martin Yeates | Weymouth | 10.35
Steve McDermott | Berwick | 9.97
Tom Owen | Stoke | 9.86
Steve Wilcock | Middlesbrough | 9.71
Nigel Crabtree | Stoke | 9.56
Bobby Beaton | Edinburgh | 9.30
Bruce Cribb | Berwick | 9.24
Alun Rossiter | Weymouth | 9.23
Carl Baldwin | Mildenhall | 9.11
Mark Fiora | Edinburgh | 9.10

## Riders & final averages

[edit]

Arena Essex

* Bob Humphreys 7.19
* Alan Sage 7.19
* Martin Goodwin 7.10
* David Smart 6.25
* Bill Barrett 6.02
* David Cheshire 5.61
* Jeremy Luckhurst 4.81
* Peter Johns 4.77
* Steve Collins 1.33

Berwick

* Steve McDermott 9.97
* Bruce Cribb 9.24
* Jimmy McMillan 8.73
* Charlie McKinna 6.65
* Phil Kynman 6.21
* Craig Pendlebury 5.40
* David Walsh 5.34
* Rob Grant Sr. 5.10
* Mike Caroline 3.64
* Dennis Gallagher 3.64
* Paul Cooper 3.58
* Jacko Irving 2.50

Boston

* Colin Cook 7.26
* Rob Hollingworth 7.16
* Guy Wilson 7.11
* David Gagen 7.03
* Dennis Mallett 6.67
* Billy Burton 6.44
* Paul Clarke 5.63
* Steve Lomas 5.14
* Pete Chapman 4.40

Canterbury

* Jamie Luckhurst 8.11
* Alan Mogridge 7.69
* Dave Mullett 7.61
* Barney Kennett 6.73
* Rob Tilbury 5.72
* Kevin Brice 5.59
* Andy Fines 5.16
* Keith Pritchard 5.13
* Neville Tatum 4.79

Edinburgh

* Bobby Beaton 9.30
* Mark Fiora 9.10
* Dave Trownson 7.67
* Craig Pendlebury 6.39
* Sean Courtney 6.00
* Roger Lambert 5.85
* Brett Saunders 5.40
* Paul McHale 4.48
* Phil Jeffrey 4.31
* Martin Johnson 2.78

Glasgow

* Steve Lawson 10.38
* Andy Reid 7.64
* Brian Collins 6.58
* Colin Caffrey 6.11
* Martin McKinna 5.44
* Jim Beaton 4.55
* David Cassels 3.26
* Tam Baggley 2.75
* Barry Ayres 2.67
* Geoff Powell 2.59

Hackney

* Trevor Banks 8.46
* Barry Thomas 8.44
* Kevin Teager 7.34
* Andy Galvin 6.01
* Mark Terry 5.22
* Linden Warner 5.16
* Paul Whittaker 4.98

Long Eaton

* Dave Perks 8.99
* Paul Stead 8.75
* Graham Drury 8.50
* David Tyler 7.37
* Chris Pidcock 6.96
* Miles Evans 5.83
* Mark Stevenson 5.41
* John Frankland 5.35

Middlesbrough

* Steve Wilcock 9.71
* Mike Spink 8.50
* Geoff Pusey 7.26
* Paul Price 5.70
* Pete Smith 4.87
* Mark Crang 4.75
* Jim Burdfield 4.68
* Ashley Norton 4.24
* Rob Carter 3.22
* John Place 2.06

Mildenhall

* Carl Baldwin 9.11
* Carl Blackbird 8.97
* Robert Henry 8.42
* Ray Bales 7.89
* Dave Jackson 5.29
* Wally Hill 4.64
* Rob Parish 3.70
* Ian Farnham 2.67

Milton Keynes

* Keith White 8.84
* Kevin Smart 8.39
* David Blackburn 7.36
* Paul Clarke 6.75
* Nigel De'ath 6.38
* Steve Payne 5.89
* Peter Framingham 5.18
* Rob Wall 4.94
* Chris Hunt 2.93

Peterborough

* Mick Hines 7.51
* Dave Allen 6.98
* Ian Barney 6.96
* Andy Fisher 6.36
* Keith Millard 6.25
* Adrian Hume 5.86
* Mike Spinks 4.65
* Neil Cotton 4.32
* Lawrie Bloomfield 3.90
* Mike Smart 2.56

Rye House

* Bobby Garrad 8.69
* Andrew Silver 7.79
* Steve Naylor 7.69
* Kelvin Mullarkey 7.10
* Kerry Gray 5.71
* Steve Bryenton 5.46
* Chris Chaplin 4.93
* Michael Keepe 3.86
* Mark Chessell 3.70
* Gary Rolls 3.31

Scunthorpe

* Julian Parr 8.11
* Andy Buck 7.80
* Rob Woffinden 7.65
* Derek Richardson 7.5
* Paul Evitts 6.64
* Mike Wilding 6.06
* Kevin Armitage 5.54
* Ian Gibson 4.73
* Mark Burrows 3.94
* Richie Owen 2.43

Stoke

* Tom Owen 9.86
* Nigel Crabtree 9.56
* Paul Thorp 7.26
* Paul Evitts 6.47
* Steve Bishop 5.47
* Ashley Pullen 5.46
* Graham Jones 5.09
* Phil Alderman 5.00
* Ian Stead 4.25

Weymouth

* Martin Yeates 10.35
* Alun Rossiter 9.23
* David Biles 7.06
* John Barker 6.84
* Kevin Price 5.21
* Gordon Humphreys 4.28
* Mike Semmonds 4.10
* Michael Coles 3.78
* Ian Humphreys 3.62
* Dave Gibbs 3.55
* Terry Mussett 2.92
* Wayne Barrett 1.09

## See also

[edit]

* List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
* Knockout Cup (speedway)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "New Speed track for Essex". Harlow Star. 13 October 1983. Retrieved 16 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
2. ^ "Goodbye Marvyn". Hoddesdon and Broxbourne Mercury. 18 November 1983. Retrieved 28 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
3. ^ "West Row Opener". Newmarket Journal. 9 February 1984. Retrieved 28 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
4. ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
5. ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
6. ^ "Expect new faces on the track". Long Eaton Advertiser. 5 January 1984. Retrieved 22 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. ^ "1984 fixtures & results". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
8. ^ "1984 National League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
9. ^ a b "1984 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
10. ^ a b "Berwick 1984 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
11. ^ "Barney wins title". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 14 October 1984. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
12. ^ "1984 fixture list" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
13. ^ "Stoke stars take title". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 1 July 1984. Retrieved 24 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
14. ^ "Red hot Tigers takes fours crown at last". Cambridge Daily News. 23 July 1984. Retrieved 8 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.

* Oakes, Peter (1991) The Complete History of the British League, Front Page Books, ISBN 0-948882-07-7, p. 17 (Division Two section)

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