1985 National League season
Appearance
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 |
Highest average | Gordon Kennett |
Division/s above | 1985 British League |
The 1985 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom.[1]
Team changes
A new team called the Barrow Blackhawks entered the league.
Summary
The title was won by the Ellesmere Port Gunners. Barrow Blackhawks withdrew in May and had their results expunged.[2][3]
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 |
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 |
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.[4]
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 |
Abandoned[clarification needed]
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 |
---|---|---|
[5][6] |
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 |
---|---|---|
[5][6] |
Eastbourne were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 83–73.
See also
References
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "1985 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Ellesmere Port KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 September 2021.