# 1989 National League season

The National League was the second tier of British speedway racing in 1989.

## Team changes

Promoter Terry Cheney moved the Milton Keynes Knights out of the Groveway and into the Elfield Park.

## Summary

The champions that year were Poole Pirates.
Paul Muchene lost his life in the fixture between Arena Essex and Hackney at the Hackney Wick Stadium on 30 June 1989.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Poole Pirates | 34 | 26 | 1 | 7 | 53 |
| 2 | Wimbledon Dons | 34 | 23 | 2 | 9 | 48 |
| 3 | Berwick Bandits | 34 | 23 | 0 | 11 | 46 |
| 4 | Ipswich Witches | 34 | 23 | 0 | 11 | 46 |
| 5 | Exeter Falcons | 34 | 19 | 1 | 14 | 39 |
| 6 | Hackney Kestrels | 34 | 19 | 1 | 14 | 39 |
| 7 | Eastbourne Eagles | 34 | 19 | 0 | 15 | 38 |
| 8 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 34 | 19 | 0 | 15 | 38 |
| 9 | Glasgow Tigers | 34 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| 10 | Stoke Potters | 34 | 16 | 1 | 17 | 33 |
| 11 | Peterborough Panthers | 34 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 32 |
| 12 | Arena Essex Hammers | 34 | 14 | 2 | 18 | 30 |
| 13 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 34 | 14 | 0 | 20 | 28 |
| 14 | Rye House Rockets | 34 | 13 | 0 | 21 | 26 |
| 15 | Newcastle Diamonds | 34 | 11 | 2 | 21 | 24 |
| 16 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 34 | 10 | 1 | 23 | 21 |
| 17 | Long Eaton Invaders | 34 | 10 | 1 | 23 | 21 |
| 18 | Milton Keynes Knights | 34 | 7 | 2 | 25 | 16 |

## National League Knockout Cup

The 1989 National League Knockout Cup was the 22nd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Berwick Bandits were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 10/04 | Exeter | 62-34 | Rye House |
| 09/04 | Rye House | 57-39 | Exeter |
| 09/04 | Newcastle | 43-52 | Berwick |
| 08/04 | Berwick | 65-30 | Newcastle |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 26/05 | Hackney | 42-54 | Poole |
| 17/05 | Wimbledon | 59-37 | Milton Keynes |
| 16/05 | Milton Keynes | 43-53 | Wimbledon |
| 16/05 | Poole | 66-33 | Hackney |
| 15/05 | Exeter | 52-44 | Stoke |
| 14/05 | Eastbourne | 64-32 | Glasgow |
| 14/05 | Mildenhall | 45-51 | Peterborough |
| 13/05 | Berwick | 69-27 | Long Eaton |
| 13/05 | Stoke | 51-45 | Exeter |
| 12/05 | Glasgow | 48-48 | Eastbourne |
| 12/05 | Peterborough | 63-33 | Mildenhall |
| 10/05 | Long Eaton | 43-53 | Berwick |
| 06/05 | Arena Essex | 57-39 | Edinburgh |
| 05/05 | Edinburgh | 60-36 | Arena Essex |
| 04/05 | Middlesbrough | 47-49 | Ipswich |
| 24/03 | Ipswich | 60-36 | Middlesbrough |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 05/07 | Wimbledon | 52-44 | Ipswich |
| 04/07 | Poole | 60-36 | Eastbourne |
| 03/07 | Exeter | 58-38 | Berwick |
| 02/07 | Eastbourne | 43-53 | Poole |
| 02/07 | Edinburgh | 63-33 | Peterborough |
| 01/07 | Berwick | 58-38 | Exeter |
| 30/06 | Peterborough | 64-32 | Edinburgh |
| 22/06 | Ipswich | 48-48 | Wimbledon |
| 24/07 replay | Exeter | 52-43 | Berwick |
| 22/07 replay | Berwick | 58-38 | Exeter |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 15/08 | Poole | 62-33 | Wimbledon |
| 13/08 | Peterborough | 59-37 | Berwick |
| 09/08 | Wimbledon | 48-48 | Poole |
| 05/08 | Berwick | 61-35 | Peterborough |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Berwick were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 109–83.

## Riders' Championship

Mark Loram won the Riders' Championship. The final sponsored by Jawa Moto & Barum was held on 9 September 1989 at Brandon Stadium.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
| 1 | Mark Loram | 2 3 3 3 3 | 14 |
| 2 | Kenny McKinna | 3 1 2 3 3 | 12 |
| 3 | David Blackburn | 1 3 3 3 1 | 11 |
| 4 | Martin Goodwin | 0 2 3 3 3 | 10 |
| 5 | Steve Schofield | 2 3 0 3 2 | 10 |
| 6 | Richard Hellsen | 3 2 1 2 2 | 10 |
| 7 | Mick Poole | 3 0 3 1 2 | 9 |
| 8 | Todd Wiltshire | 0 1 2 2 3 | 8 |
| 9 | Les Collins | 2 2 2 2 0 | 8 |
| 10 | Nigel Crabtree | 3 2 1 1 0 | 7 |
| 11 | Jens Rasmussen | 0 3 0 0 2 | 5 |
| 12 | Gordon Kennett | 2 0 1 1 1 | 5 |
| 13 | Steve Regeling | 1 1 2 1 0 | 5 |
| 14 | Preben Eriksen | 1 1 1 0 1 | 4 |
| 15 | Rod Hunter | 1 0 0 0 1 | 2 |
| 16 | Leigh Adams | 0 - - - - | 0 |

## Pairs

The National League Pairs was held at Hackney Wick Stadium on 19 August. The event was won by Stoke Potters for the second consecutive season.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Hackney | 20 | Whittaker 12 Galvin 8 |
| 2 | Wimbledon | 13 | Morton 7 Wiltshire 6 |
| 3 | Poole | 12 | Boyce 6 Adams 6 |
| 4 | Newcastle | 9 | Carr P 6 Hunter 3 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Edinburgh | 20 | Collins L 12 Saunders 8 |
| 2 | Berwick | 12 | Blackburn 10 Courtney 2 |
| 3 | Exeter | 12 | Green 7 Regeling 5 |
| 4 | Ipswich | 10 | Standing 6 Loram 4 |
Group C :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Stoke | 18 | Monaghan 12 Crabtree 6 |
| 2 | Rye House | 13 | Rasmussen 9 Baxter 4 |
| 3 | Arena Essex | 12 | Goodwin 8 Tilbury 4 |
| 4 | Peterborough | 9 | Poole 9 Jolly 0 |
Group D :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Mildenhall | 18 | Eriksen 10 Glanz 8 |
| 2 | Middlesbrough | 13 | Sumner 10 Dixon 3 |
| 3 | Eastbourne | 13 | Buck 8 Kennett 5 |
| 4 | Glasgow | 8 | McKinna 8 Lawson 0 |
Semi finals
* Stoke bt Edinburgh 6-3
* Mildenhall bt Hackney 6-3
Final
* Stoke bt Mildenhall 6-3

## Fours

Peterborough Panthers won the fours championship final for the second successive year, held at the East of England Arena on 23 July.
Semi finals
* SF1 = Stoke 22, Eastbourne 11, Edinburgh 10, Hackney 5
* SF2 = Peterborough 21, Exeter 12, Berwick 12, Arena Essex 3
Final
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Peterborough | 15 | Barney 5, Jolly 5, Poole 3, Hodgson 2 |
| 2 | Stoke | 14 | Monaghan 5, Crabtree 4, Carr L 3, Cobby 2 |
| 3 | Exeter | 12 | Andersen 6, Cook 4, Regeling 1, Green 1 |
| 4 | Eastbourne | 7 | Buck 3, Norris 2, Kennett 1, Barker 1 |

## Leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Steve Schofield | Hackney | 10.50 |
| Andy Galvin | Hackney | 9.95 |
| Todd Wiltshire | Wimbledon | 9.94 |
| David Blackburn | Berwick | 9.78 |
| Nigel Crabtree | Stoke | 9.77 |
| Steve Regeling | Exeter | 9.74 |
| Kenny McKinna | Glasgow | 9.71 |
| Mark Loram | Ipswich | 9.65 |
| Chris Louis | Ipswich | 9.65 |
| Gordon Kennett | Eastbourne | 9.60 |
| Mark Courtney | Berwick | 9.52 |

## London Cup

Hackney won the London Cup but the competition consisted of just Wimbledon and Hackney.
Results
| Team | Score | Team |
| Wimbledon | 49–47 | Hackney |
| Hackney | 54–42 | Wimbledon |

## Riders & final averages

Arena Essex
* Martin Goodwin 8.47
* Rob Tilbury 8.11
* Malcolm Simmons 7.68
* Wayne Garratt 5.83
* Simon Wolstenholme 5.09
* Troy Pratt 4.53
* Ian Humphreys 3.56
* Nick Floyd 2.89
Berwick
* David Blackburn 9.78
* Mark Courtney 9.52
* Sean Courtney 7.54
* David Walsh 7.33
* Andy Campbell 7.11
* Rob Grant Sr. 6.97
* Scott Robson 5.61
* Kevin Little 1.93
Eastbourne
* Gordon Kennett 9.60
* Dean Barker 9.02
* Andy Buck 8.21
* David Norris 7.04
* Keith Pritchard 5.83
* Darren Standing 4.67
* Jon Surman 4.34
* Steve Masters 3.13
* Darren Grayling 2.57
Edinburgh
* Les Collins 9.04
* Brett Saunders 8.24
* Michael Coles 6.73
* Mick Powell 6.40
* Scott Lamb 6.16
* Lars Munkedal 5.83
* Peter McNamara 4.20
* Mark Pearce 2.29
Exeter
* Steve Regeling 9.74
* Frank Andersen 7.79
* Richard Green 7.63
* Steve Bishop 7.04
* Peter Jeffery 6.72
* Colin Cook 6.66
* Andy Sell 5.72
* Alan Rivett 5.30
* Wayne Ross 3.27
* Mark Simmonds 2.67
Glasgow
* Kenny McKinna 9.71
* Steve Lawson 8.81
* Shane Bowes 6.32
* Charlie McKinna 5.90
* Phil Jeffrey 5.42
* Martin McKinna 5.09
* Geoff Powell 4.00
Hackney
* Steve Schofield 10.50
* Andy Galvin 9.95
* Paul Whittaker 7.16
* Gary Tagg 5.37
* Barry Thomas 4.34
* Gary Rolls 4.14
* Michael Warren 3.48
* Lee Pavitt 3.13
* Warren Mowat 2.37
Ipswich
* Mark Loram 9.65
* Chris Louis 9.65
* Dean Standing 8.20
* Alan Mogridge 7.53
* Robbie Fuller 4.92
* Pete Chapman 4.90
* Kevin Teager 4.42
* Craig Hyde 2.32
Long Eaton
* Richard Hellsen 8.80
* Keith White 6.76
* Paul Fry 5.95
* Dave Perks 5.95
* Gary O'Hare 5.91
* Nigel Leaver 5.52
* Peter Lloyd 4.70
* Mark Blackbird 3.08
* Jon Roberts 2.86
* Thierry Hilaire 1.37
Middlesbrough
* Daz Sumner 8.00
* Jamie Luckhurst 7.61
* Martin Dixon 7.55
* Paul Bentley 5.67
* Steve Wilcock 5.23
* Nigel Sparshott 4.47
* Peter McNamara 4.29
* Andy Sumner 3.48
* Max Schofield 3.45
* Dave Edwards 3.22
Mildenhall
* Preben Eriksen 8.88
* Peter Glanz 7.98
* Malcolm Holloway 6.56
* Jamie Habbin 6.31
* Dave Jackson 6.30
* Spencer Timmo 4.71
* Derrol Keats 4.14
* Jonathan Cooper 3.07
* Wayne Bridgeford 3.06
Milton Keynes
* Andy Hines 6.75
* Trevor Banks 6.35
* David Clarke 5.96
* Tony Primmer 5.93
* Nigel De'ath 5.88
* Mark Lyndon 5.46
* Paul Evitts 4.82
* Paul Atkins 4.56
* Rob Fortune 4.47
* Carl Baldwin 4.09
Newcastle
* Rod Hunter 9.15
* Peter Carr 8.66
* David Clarke 5.44
* Mark Thorpe 5.17
* Simon Green 4.55
* Derek Richardson 4.37
* Gordon Whitaker 3.39
* Anthony Hulme 3.01
* Steve Wicks 2.42
Peterborough
* Mick Poole 8.81
* Kevin Jolly 8.52
* Craig Hodgson 7.55
* Ian Barney 7.27
* Scott Norman 7.14
* Nigel Flatman 6.03
* Justin Walker 5.38
* Jonathan Cooper 3.76
Poole
* Craig Boyce 9.33
* Leigh Adams 9.21
* Alun Rossiter 7.92
* Alastair Stevens 7.22
* Gary Allan 7.12
* Tony Langdon 6.77
* Kevin Smart 6.00
* Jon Surman 4.27
* Steve Leigh 3.17
Rye House
* Jens Rasmussen 9.29
* Glen Baxter 7.98
* Melvyn Taylor 7.77
* Kelvin Mullarkey 5.63
* Kevin Brice 4.61
* Jamie Fagg 4.15
* Peter Schroeck 4.04
* Carl Chalcraft 3.96
* Trevor O'Brien 3.58
Stoke
* Nigel Crabtree 9.77
* Eric Monaghan 8.75
* Louis Carr 7.29
* Chris Cobby 5.86
* Rob Woffinden 4.83
* Ian M Stead 4.71
* Ian Stead 4.50
Wimbledon
* Todd Wiltshire 9.94
* Ray Morton 8.30
* Neville Tatum 8.07
* Roger Johns 7.52
* Nathan Simpson 7.03
* Nigel Leaver 5.89
* Rodney Payne 5.24
* Scott Humphries 4.68
* Jim Dormer 3.62