# 1986 National League season

The 1986 National League was contested as the second division of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom.

## Summary

The title was won by the Eastbourne Eagles.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Eastbourne Eagles | 38 | 28 | 1 | 9 | 57 |
| 2 | Poole Wildcats | 38 | 25 | 1 | 12 | 51 |
| 3 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 38 | 25 | 1 | 12 | 51 |
| 4 | Arena Essex Hammers | 38 | 23 | 1 | 14 | 47 |
| 5 | Stoke Potters | 38 | 23 | 0 | 15 | 46 |
| 6 | Wimbledon Dons | 38 | 21 | 1 | 16 | 43 |
| 7 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 37 | 21 | 1 | 15 | 43 |
| 8 | Milton Keynes Knights | 37 | 20 | 1 | 16 | 41 |
| 9 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 38 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 38 |
| 10 | Peterborough Panthers | 38 | 18 | 2 | 18 | 38 |
| 11 | Rye House Rockets | 38 | 18 | 0 | 20 | 36 |
| 12 | Boston Barracudas | 38 | 17 | 1 | 20 | 35 |
| 13 | Hackney Kestrels | 38 | 16 | 0 | 22 | 32 |
| 14 | Berwick Bandits | 38 | 15 | 1 | 22 | 31 |
| 15 | Canterbury Crusaders | 38 | 15 | 1 | 22 | 31 |
| 16 | Exeter Falcons | 38 | 15 | 0 | 23 | 30 |
| 17 | Birmingham Brummies | 38 | 14 | 1 | 23 | 29 |
| 18 | Glasgow Tigers | 38 | 14 | 0 | 24 | 28 |
| 19 | Newcastle Federation Specials | 38 | 13 | 1 | 24 | 27 |
| 20 | Long Eaton Invaders | 38 | 11 | 2 | 25 | 24 |

## National League Knockout Cup

The 1986 National League Knockout Cup was the 19th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Eastbourne Eagles were the winners of the competition for the second successive year.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 12/05 | Newcastle | 43-35 | Boston |
| 10/05 | Canterbury | 53-25 | Birmingham |
| 02/05 | Glasgow | 37-41 | Edinburgh |
| 30/04 | Edinburgh | 53-25 | Glasgow |
| 27/04 | Boston | 37-41 | Newcastle |
| 27/04 | Rye House | 55-23 | Exeter |
| 25/04 | Birmingham | 48-30 | Canterbury |
| 21/04 | Exeter | 37-41 | Rye House |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 08/07 | Milton Keynes | 43-35 | Mildenhall |
| 07/07 | Newcastle | 36-42 | Berwick |
| 06/07 | Eastbourne | 48-30 | Wimbledon |
| 06/07 | Mildenhall | 49-29 | Milton Keynes |
| 05/07 | Canterbury | 39-39 | Peterborough |
| 04/07 | Peterborough | 49-29 | Canterbury |
| 03/07 | Middlesbrough | 49-29 | Stoke |
| 02/07 | Long Eaton | 43-35 | Edinburgh |
| 02/07 | Wimbledon | 36-42 | Eastbourne |
| 29/06 | Rye House | 42-35 | Hackney |
| 28/06 | Berwick | 50-28 | Newcastle |
| 28/06 | Stoke | 40-37 | Middlesbrough |
| 27/06 | Edinburgh | 50-28 | Long Eaton |
| 27/06 | Hackney | 48-30 | Rye House |
| 15/05 | Arena | 45-33 | Poole |
| 29/04 | Poole | 36-42 | Arena Essex |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 28/08 | Middlesbrough | 36-42 | Mildenhall |
| 22/08 | Peterborough | 45-33 | Berwick |
| 17/08 | Mildenhall | 43-35 | Middlesbrough |
| 09/08 | Berwick | 42-36 | Peterborough |
| 01/08 | Edinburgh | 38-40 | Eastbourne |
| 01/08 | Hackney | 39-39 | Arena Essex |
| 27/07 | Eastbourne | 48-28 | Edinburgh |
| 17/07 | Arena Essex | 43-35 | Hackney |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 17/10 | Peterborough | 37-41 | Eastbourne |
| 28/09 | Mildenhall | 44-34 | Arena Essex |
| 21/09 | Eastbourne | 49.5-28.5 | Peterborough |
| 18/09 | Arena Essex | 43-35 | Mildenhall |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Eastbourne were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 90–64.

## Riders' Championship

Paul Thorp won the Riders' Championship. The final was held on 30 August at Brandon Stadium.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
| 1 | Paul Thorp | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Steve Schofield | 3 3 3 3 1 | 13 |
| 3 | Les Collins | 2 2 3 2 3 | 12 |
| 4 | Andrew Silver | 3 3 2 2 ret | 10 |
| 5 | Malcolm Simmons | 0 3 2 3 2 | 10 |
| 6 | Jamie Luckhurst | 2 0 1 3 3 | 9 |
| 7 | Kevin Jolly | 1 1 3 2 2 | 9 |
| 8 | Gordon Kennett | 1 2 1 1 3 | 8 |
| 9 | Mark Courtney | ef 1 2 2 1 | 6 |
| 10 | Mark Fiora | 3 0 2 1 ex | 6 |
| 11 | Steve McDermott | 1 2 0 0 2 | 5 |
| 12 | Dave Mullett | 2 1 0 0 2 | 5 |
| 13 | Dave Jessup | 2 1 1 ef x | 4 |
| 14 | Paul Woods | ef 2 0 1 1 | 4 |
| 15 | Steve Lawson | 1 0 1 0 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Kevin Hawkins | 0 0 0 1 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Bruce Cribb (res) | 1 | 1 |
* f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure

## Pairs

The National League Pairs was held at Hackney Wick Stadium on 13 July and was won by Edinburgh Monarchs.
Final
* Edinburgh (Collins & Wyer) bt Hackney (Thomas & Galvin) 6-3

## Fours

Middlesbrough Tigers won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Arena on 10 August.
Semi finals
* SF1 = Arena Essex 18, Mildenhall 12, Edinburgh 11, Eastbourne 7
* SF2 = Middlesbrough 15, Hackney 13, Stoke 11, Poole 9
Final
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 15 | Burdfield 5, Courtney 4, Dixon 4, Wilcock 2 |
| 2 | Arena Essex Hammers | 14 | Silver 6, Middleditch 4, Goodwin 3, Smart 1 |
| 3 | Hackney Kestrels | 11 | Simmons 5, Galvin 4, Whittaker 1, Rolls 1 |
| 4 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 8 | Monaghan 3, Henry 2, Taylor 2, Jessup 1 |

## Leading averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Dave Jessup | Mildenhall | 10.69 |
| Paul Thorp | Stoke | 10.44 |
| Andrew Silver | Arena Essex | 10.40 |
| Steve Schofield | Poole | 10.36 |
| Les Collins | Edinburgh | 10.14 |
| Nigel Crabtree | Stoke | 9.98 |
| Kevin Jolly | Boston | 9.90 |
| Gordon Kennett | Eastbourne | 9.87 |
| Jamie Luckhurst | Wimbledon | 9.83 |
| Martin Dugard | Eastbourne | 9.75 |
| Malcolm Simmons | Hackney | 9.70 |

## London Cup

Hackney won the London Cup but the competition consisted of just Wimbledon and Hackney.
Results
| Team | Score | Team |
| Hackney | 43–35 | Wimbledon |
| Wimbledon | 42–35 | Hackney |

## Riders & final averages

Arena Essex
* Andrew Silver 10.40
* Neil Middleditch 9.56
* Martin Goodwin 8.87
* David Smart 6.46
* Pete Chapman 5.27
* Gary Chessell 5.17
* Lawrie Bloomfield 4.69
* Sean Barker 2.60
* Paul Muchene 2.16
Berwick
* Charlie McKinna 8.32
* Steve McDermott 8.15
* Jimmy McMillan 7.68
* Steve Finch 7.47
* Rob Grant Sr. 6.67
* Sean Courtney 5.91
* Roger Lambert 5.30
* Paul McHale 3.69
* Wayne Ross 3.48
Birmingham
* Paul Evitts 9.12
* David Cheshire 7.59
* Reg Wilson 7.53
* Phil White 6.45
* Rob Woffinden 5.85
* Ian Stead 5.66
* Ian M Stead 5.48
* Mark Stevenson 4.75
* Steve Finch 4.14
* Wayne Elliott 2.42
* David Rose 1.95
Boston
* Kevin Jolly 9.90
* Andy Hines 8.54
* Paul Clarke 7.27
* Rob Woffinden 6.19
* Dave Jackson 5.66
* Andy Fisher 4.88
* Peter Framingham 4.67
* Wayne Ross 3.89
* Derrol Keats 3.64
* Gary Clegg 3.36
Canterbury
* Dave Mullett 8.69
* Mike Spink 7.60
* Alan Mogridge 7.34
* Rob Tilbury 6.06
* Alan Sage 4.88
* Steve Bryenton 4.52
* Tony Hansford 3.10
* Paul Hilton 2.86
* Gary Hopkins 1.60
Eastbourne
* Gordon Kennett 9.87
* Martin Dugard 9.75
* Colin Richardson 8.06
* Keith Pritchard 7.22
* Andy Buck 7.08
* Dean Standing 7.06
* Chris Mulvihill 4.19
* Dean Barker 3.11
Edinburgh
* Les Collins 10.14
* Doug Wyer 9.13
* Dave Trownson 7.16
* Brett Saunders 6.13
* Mark Burrows 5.08
* Phil Jeffrey 4.67
* Scott Lamb 4.61
Exeter
* Bruce Cribb 8.23
* Alan Rivett 7.80
* Colin Cook 7.60
* Steve Bishop 7.05
* Kevin Price 6.13
* Alan Mason 5.28
* Michael Coles 5.04
* Tony Mattingley 4.34
* Andy Sell 4.10
* Dave Roberts 3.35
* Mike Semmonds 3.02
* Stuart Williams 1.60
Glasgow
* Steve Lawson 9.11
* Bobby Beaton 8.16
* Martin McKinna 6.12
* Jacko Irving 4.81
* Geoff Powell 4.50
* Kym Mauger 4.38
* Derek Cooper 4.15
* Colin Caffrey 3.68
* Jim Beaton 3.05
* Kenny Brailsford 2.71
Hackney
* Malcolm Simmons 9.70
* Andy Galvin 7.95
* Barry Thomas 7.39
* Alan Mogridge 6.67
* Paul Whittaker 6.28
* Gary Rolls 4.07
* Carl Chalcraft 3.91
* Richard Pettman 3.78
* Mike Fitzpatrick 3.62
* Steve Smith 1.56
Long Eaton
* Mark Fiora 9.18
* Miles Evans 6.94
* Gerald Short 6.86
* Geoff Pusey 5.19
* John Proctor 4.81
* Phil Alderman 4.63
* Glenn Doyle 4.29
* Pete Smith 3.53
* Eric Broadbelt 3.15
* Kenny Young 2.10
Middlesbrough
* Martin Dixon 9.30
* Mark Courtney 9.21
* Gary Havelock 8.64
* Steve Wilcock 7.98
* Jim Burdfield 5.27
* Tony Forward 4.30
* Roland Tebbs 4.30
* Glenn Hornby 3.74
Mildenhall
* Dave Jessup 10.69
* Melvyn Taylor 9.11
* Eric Monaghan 7.62
* Robert Henry 7.04
* Richard Green 5.19
* Rob Parish 4.06
* Kelvin Mullarkey 3.73
* Lee Potter 3.06
* Wayne Dunworth 1.55
* Andy Steward 1.41
Milton Keynes
* Keith White 8.40
* Trevor Banks 8.02
* Kevin Smart 7.65
* Ian Clark 6.48
* Mark Carlson 5.32
* Derek Richardson 5.31
* Mark Chessell 4.64
* Peter Lloyd 4.50
Newcastle
* Dave Morton 8.24
* Paul Stead 7.45
* David Blackburn 7.07
* Dave Perks 6.27
* Gary O'Hare 5.95
* Bernie Collier 4.70
* Paul Cooper 4.34
* Keith Bloxsome 2.37
* Steve Wicks 2.00
Peterborough
* Kevin Hawkins 8.75
* Nigel Flatman 8.16
* Dave Allen 7.00
* Carl Baldwin 7.00
* Ian Barney 6.43
* Pete Chapman 5.79
* Jamie Habbin 5.01
* Adrian Hume 4.71
* John Stokes 4.31
Poole
* Steve Schofield 10.36
* Kevin Smith 9.45
* Martin Yeates 8.70
* David Biles 7.75
* Marcus Bisson 5.06
* Dave Gibbs 4.55
* Wayne Barrett 4.14
* Will James 2.42
Rye House
* Paul Woods 8.97
* Alan Mogridge 7.53
* Alastair Stevens 7.47
* Paul Bosley 6.02
* Kevin Brice 5.47
* Bobby Garrad 5.42
* Julian Parr 5.02
* Linden Warner 4.61
* Colin Lambkin 0.63
Stoke
* Paul Thorp 10.44
* Nigel Crabtree 9.98
* Tom Owen 7.34
* Mike Wilding 7.0
* Darren Sumner 7.06
* Graham Jones 5.70
* Nigel Harrhy .4.27
* Mark Crang 3.93
* Jamie Young 2.24
Wimbledon
* Jamie Luckhurst 9.83
* Roger Johns 9.25
* Nigel Sparshott 6.92
* Neville Tatum 6.74
* Jeremy Luckhurst 6.04
* Terry Mussett .4.50
* Mark Fordham 3.54
* Mark Baldwin 3.32
* Jay Pleece 1.26