1970 British League season
The 1970 British League season was the 36th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the sixth season known as the British League.[1][2]
League | British League |
---|---|
Champions | Belle Vue Aces |
No. of competitors | 19 |
Knockout Cup | Wimbledon Dons |
Individual | Barry Briggs |
Highest average | Ivan Mauger |
Division/s below | British League (Div 2) |
Summary
Wembley Lions under the promotion of Trevor Redmond and Bernard Cottrel entered the British league having bought the licence - and inherited the riders - from the Coatbridge Monarchs.[3] It was the first time since 1956 that Wembley would compete in the league.[4]
Belle Vue Aces secured their first British League title. The Manchester team were once again led by the brilliant Ivan Mauger who would secure a third consecutive world champion title before the end of the season. He topped the averages with 11.18 as the team finished ten points ahead of their nearest rivals Wimbledon Dons. The Dons found some consolation when winning their third consecutive British League Knockout Cup.[5]
Final table
Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
1 | Belle Vue Aces | 36 | 27 | 2 | 7 | 56 |
2 | Wimbledon Dons | 36 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 46 |
3 | Coventry Bees | 36 | 22 | 1 | 13 | 45 |
4 | Leicester Lions | 36 | 21 | 0 | 15 | 42 |
5 | Poole Pirates | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 40 |
6 | Halifax Dukes | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 39 |
7 | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 39 |
8 | Glasgow Tigers | 36 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 37 |
9 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 34 |
10 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 16 | 1 | 19 | 34 |
11 | Hackney Hawks | 36 | 15 | 2 | 19 | 33 |
12 | King's Lynn Stars | 36 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 32 |
13 | Oxford Cheetahs | 36 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 32 |
14 | Wembley Lions | 36 | 15 | 2 | 19 | 32 |
15 | Cradley Heath Heathens | 36 | 15 | 1 | 20 | 31 |
16 | Swindon Robins | 36 | 14 | 2 | 20 | 30 |
17 | Newcastle Diamonds | 36 | 15 | 0 | 21 | 30 |
18 | West Ham Hammers | 36 | 14 | 2 | 20 | 30 |
19 | Newport Wasps | 36 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 24 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Leading riders
Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
1 | Ivan Mauger | ![]() |
Belle Vue Aces | 11.18 |
2 | Anders Michanek | ![]() |
Newcastle Diamonds | 10.88 |
3 | Jim Airey | ![]() |
Sheffield Tigers | 10.86 |
4 | Ray Wilson | ![]() |
Leicester Lions | 10.80 |
5 | Nigel Boocock | ![]() |
Coventry Bees | 10.66 |
6 | Eric Boocock | ![]() |
Halifax Dukes | 10.54 |
7 | Barry Briggs | ![]() |
Swindon Robins | 10.53 |
8 | Jim McMillan | ![]() |
Glasgow Tigers | 10.27 |
9 | Ole Olsen | ![]() |
Wolverhampton Wolves | 10.25 |
10 | Martin Ashby | ![]() |
Exeter Falcons | 10.09 |
11 | Trevor Hedge | ![]() |
Wimbledon Dons | 9.97 |
12 | Ronnie Moore | ![]() |
Wimbledon Dons | 9.95 |
13 | Bob Kilby | ![]() |
Swindon Robins | 9.68 |
14 | Sören Sjösten | ![]() |
Belle Vue Aces | 9.66 |
15 | Bengt Jansson | ![]() |
Hackney Hawks | 9.49 |
16 | Bruce Cribb | ![]() |
Exeter Falcons | 9.47 |
17 | Olle Nygren | ![]() |
West Ham Hammers | 9.36 |
18 | John Boulger | ![]() |
Leicester Lions | 9.34 |
19 | Bernt Persson | ![]() |
Cradley Heathens | 9.29 |
20 | Terry Betts | ![]() |
King's Lynn Stars | 922 |
British League Knockout Cup
The 1970 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 32nd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Wimbledon Dons were the winners for the third consecutive year.[6] It was the first time that the competition was sponsored by the Speedway Star.
First Round
Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
---|---|---|---|
23/04 | Wimbledon | 44-34 | Hackney |
21/04 | Exeter | 51-27 | King's Lynn |
21/04 | West Ham | 29-49 | Belle Vue |
Second Round
Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
---|---|---|---|
06/06 | Halifax | 43-35 | Coventry |
06/06 | Swindon | 44-34 | Wolverhampton |
05/06 | Newport | 35-43 | Leicester |
01/06 | Newcastle | 41-37 | Wembley |
28/05 | Oxford | 38-40 | Poole |
28/05 | Sheffield | 44-34 | Glasgow |
28/05 | Wimbledon | 49-29 | Cradley Heath |
23/05 | Belle Vue | 49-29 | Exeter |
07/05 | Romford | 48-30 | Reading |
Quarter Finals
Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
---|---|---|---|
25/07 | Belle Vue | 56-22 | Poole |
22/07 | Swindon | 46-32 | Leicester |
02/07 | Sheffield | 41-37 | Halifax |
25/06 | Wimbledon | 46-32 | Newcastle |
Semi Finals
Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
---|---|---|---|
24/09 | Wimbledon | 44-34 | Swindon |
23/09 | Belle Vue | 40-38 | Sheffield |
First leg
Wimbledon Dons Trevor Hedge 12 Ronnie Moore 11 Cyril Maidment 6 Jim Tebby 6 Reg Luckhurst 5 Bob Dugard 4 Peter Murray 4 | 46 - 31 | Belle Vue Aces Tommy Roper 10 Ivan Mauger 8 Chris Pusey 6 Sören Sjösten 4 Ken Eyre 2 Steve Waplington 1 Mike Hiftle 0 |
---|---|---|
[7] |
Second leg
Belle Vue Aces Ivan Mauger 12 Sören Sjösten 10 Tommy Roper 6 Mike Hiftle 6 Dave Hemus 4 Chris Pusey 3 Ken Eyre 3 | 44 - 34 | Wimbledon Dons Ronnie Moore 13 Trevor Hedge 10 Reg Luckhurst 5 Cyril Maidment 2 Jim Tebby 2 Bob Dugard 1 Peter Murray 1 |
---|---|---|
[7] |
Wimbledon Dons were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 80-75.
Teams
Belle Vue Aces
-
Chris Bailey
-
Eric Broadbelt
-
Ken Eyre
-
Colin Goad
-
Dave Hemus
-
Mike Hiftle
-
Ivan Mauger
-
Chris Pusey
-
Tommy Roper
-
Sören Sjösten
-
Steve Waplington
Coventry Bees
-
Pete Bailey
-
Nigel Boocock
-
Col Cottrell
-
Rick France
-
John Harrhy
-
Roger Hill
-
Tony Lomas
-
Ken McKinlay
-
Ron Mountford
-
Les Owen
Cradley Heath
-
Chris Bass
-
Ian Bottomley
-
Glyn Chandler
-
Mike Gardner
-
Mike Holmes
-
Paul O'Neal
-
Bernt Persson
-
Colin Pratt
-
Malcolm Shakespeare
-
Jan Simensen
-
Jimmy Squibb
-
Roy Trigg
-
Ken Wakefield
Exeter Falcons
-
Bengt Andersson
-
Martin Ashby
-
George Barclay
-
Bob Coles
-
Bruce Cribb
-
Barry Crowson
-
Judd Drew
-
Ian Gills
-
Jan Holub I
-
Mike Holt
-
Chris Julian
-
Des Lukehurst
-
Dave O'Connor
-
Neil Street
-
Phil Woodcock
Glasgow Tigers
-
Peter Baldock
-
Bobby Beaton
-
Alistair Brady
-
Oyvind Berg
-
Alan Knapkin
-
Jimmy McMillan
-
Bill McMillan
-
Charlie Monk
-
Brian Murray
-
Doug Templeton
-
Willie Templeton
Hackney Hawks
-
Bob Andrews
-
Frank Auffret
-
Jack Biggs
-
Laurie Etheridge
-
Jimmy Gooch
-
Bengt Jansson
-
Geoff Maloney
-
Garry Middleton
-
Les McGillivray
-
Dave O'Connor
-
Hugh Saunders
-
Tim Swales
-
Barry Thomas
Halifax Dukes
-
Eric Boocock
-
Dave Durham
-
Bob Jameson
-
Alan Jay
-
Greg Kentwell
-
Terry Lee
-
Malcolm MacKay
-
Colin McKee
-
Paul O'Neal
-
Les Sharpe
-
Ian Terrar
-
Dave Younghusband
King's Lynn Stars
-
Alan Bellham
-
Terry Betts
-
Allan Brown
-
Howard Cole+ (+ rode under the name of Kid Brodie)
-
Derek Cook
-
David Crane
-
Clive Featherby
-
John Hammond
-
John Jackson
-
Paul O'Neal
-
Russell Osborne
-
Arthur Price
-
Malcolm Simmons
-
Ian Turner
Leicester Lions
Newcastle Diamonds
-
Geoff Curtis
-
Russ Dent
-
Dave Gifford
-
George Hunter
-
Peter Kelly
-
Dag Lövaas
-
Anders Michanek
-
Tim Swales
-
Mike Watkin
-
Alan Wilkinson
Newport Wasps
-
Bill Andrew
-
Bengt Brannefors
-
Jon Erskine
-
Cyril Francis
-
Ross Gilbertson
-
Ian Gills
-
Kevin Holden
-
Bob Hughes
-
Alan Knapkin
-
Brian Leonard
-
Sándor Lévai
-
John Louis
-
Des Lukehurst
-
George Major
-
Dave O'Connor
-
Colin Sanders
-
Malcolm Shakespeare
-
Edgar Stangeland
-
Norman Strachan
-
Ian Terrar
Oxford Cheetahs
-
Mick Bell
-
Cyril Francis
-
Ronnie Genz
-
Colin Gooddy
-
Hasse Holmqvist
-
Pete Jarman
-
Pat Johnson
-
George Major
-
Eddie Reeves
-
Andy Ross
-
Pete Saunders
-
Peter Seaton
-
Rick Timmo
Poole Pirates
-
Mike Cake
-
Derek Cook
-
Odd Fossengen
-
Gordon Guasco
-
Ted Laessing
-
Geoff Mudge
-
Frank Shuter
-
Pete Smith
-
Michael Thornton
-
Mike Vernam
Sheffield Tigers
-
Jim Airey
-
Dave Baugh
-
Alan Bridgett
-
John Dews
-
Arnold Haley
-
Bengt Larsson
-
Brian Maxted
-
Bob Paulson
-
Stuart Ulph
-
Bob Valentine
-
Reg Wilson
-
Doug Wyer
Swindon Robins
-
John Bishop
-
Barry Briggs
-
Mike Broadbank
-
Barry Duke
-
Pat Johnson
-
Mike Keen
-
Bob Kilby
-
Clive Hitch
-
Pete Munday
-
Mac Woolford
Wembley Lions
-
Bengt Andersson
-
Graham Banks
-
George Barclay
-
Steve Bast
-
Wayne Briggs
-
Tim Bungay
-
Brian Davies
-
Reidar Eide
-
Brian Foote
-
Ove Fundin
-
Tony Hall
-
Dave Jessup
-
Bert Harkins
-
Brian Leonard
-
Des Lukehurst
-
Cec Platt
-
Stan Stevens
-
Reg Wilson
West Ham Hammers
-
Peter Bradshaw
-
Alan Bridgett
-
Tony Clarke
-
Barry Crowson
-
Sverre Harrfeldt
-
Garry Hay
-
Antonín Kasper Sr.
-
Brian Leonard
-
Christer Löfqvist
-
John Louis
-
Des Lukehurst
-
Olle Nygren
-
Martyn Piddock
-
Alan Sage
-
Stan Stevens
Wimbledon Dons
-
Bob Dugard
-
Gary Everett
-
Trevor Hedge
-
Gordon Kennett
-
Reg Luckhurst
-
Cyril Maidment
-
Ronnie Moore
-
Brian Murray
-
Peter Murray
-
Nigel Rackett
-
Jim Tebby
Wolverhampton Wolves
-
Robin Adlington
-
Geoff Ambrose
-
James Bond
-
Alan Bridgett
-
George Devonport
-
Jon Erskine
-
Mick Handley
-
Norman Hunter
-
Peter Jackson
-
Alan Knapkin
-
George Major
-
Dave O'Connor
-
Ole Olsen
-
Gary Peterson
-
Malcolm Shakespeare
-
Peter Vandenberg
-
Archie Wilkinson
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.
- Jacobs, Norman (2001). Speedway in London. ISBN 0-7524-2221-9
- "HISTORY ARCHIVE". British Speedway. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- "1970 British League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- "Season 1970" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 25 June 2021.