1985 National League season

The 1985 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom.[1]

1985 National League season
LeagueNational League
ChampionsEllesmere Port Gunners
No. of competitors19
Knockout CupEastbourne Eagles
IndividualNeil Middleditch
PairsEllesmere Port Gunners
FoursMiddlesbrough Tigers
Highest averageGordon Kennett
Division/s above1985 British League

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 KennettEastbourne10.47
Joe OwenEllesmere Port10.47
Mike FerreiraWimbledon9.82
Stan BearPoole9.79
Carl BlackbirdMildenhall9.64
Roger JohnsWimbledon9.64
Neil MiddleditchArena Essex9.47
Steve LawsonGlasgow9.39
Louis CarrEllesmere Port9.37
Kevin SmithPoole9.32

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
24/04Wimbledon62-16Poole
23/04Poole38-40Wimbledon
06/05Canterbury45-33Eastbourne
03/05Peterborough45-33Arena Essex
28/04Eastbourne47-31Canterbury
26/04Edinburgh38.5-38.5Ellesmere Port
25/04Ellesmere Port43-35Edinburgh
23/04Barrow18-24aExeter
22/04Exeter58-20Barrow
21/04Birmingham50-28Glasgow
19/04Glasgow42-36Birmingham
18/04Arena Essex55-23Peterborough

Abandoned

Second Round
Date Team One Score Team Two
26/06Wimbledon43-35Arena Essex
24/06Exeter50.5-27.5Berwick
20/06Arena Essex40-38Wimbledon
08/06Berwick57-21Exeter
26/05Eastbourne50-28Milton Keynes
21/05Milton Keynes36-42Eastbourne
06/05Birmingham38-39Ellesmere Port
05/05Mildenhall42-35Hackney
04/05Stoke33-45Middlesbrough
03/05Hackney44-34Mildenhall
02/05Middlesbrough48-30Stoke

Quarter Finals
Date Team One Score Team Two
18/08Berwick33-45Ellesmere Port
16/08Ellesmere Port56-22Berwick
11/08Eastbourne44-33Wimbledon
07/08Wimbledon39-39Eastbourne
14/07Middlesbrough45-33Rye House
12/07Hackney47-31Long Eaton
05/06Long Eaton33-45Hackney
02/06Rye House37-41Middlesbrough

Semi Finals
Date Team One Score Team Two
27/09Hackney49-29Ellesmere Port
26/09Ellesmere Port50-28Hackney
12/09Middlesbrough48-30Eastbourne
25/08Eastbourne49-29Middlesbrough

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 – 32Ellesmere 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 – 37Eastbourne 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
  1. "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
  2. "1985 fixtures" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  3. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  4. "1985 National League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
  5. "1985 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  6. "Ellesmere Port KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
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