# 1982 British League season

The 1982 British League season was the 48th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 18th known as the British League.

## Summary

Hull Vikings had disbanded following the loss of their home at the Boulevard.
After a ten-year drought Belle Vue Aces won the league pushing defending champions Cradley Heath into second place. A special performance was going to be needed to finish ahead of the star-studded Cradley Heath team and it was the consistency of the support riders which helped Belle Vue achieve this. England international Chris Morton was the heat leader but he was supported by a group of consistent scorers throughout the season that included Larry Ross (a former 5 times New Zealand champion), the former world champion Peter Collins, the Carr brothers Louis and Peter, Dane Peter Ravn and Scot Jim McMillan. Cradley Heath went on to win their third Knockout Cup in four years and the League Cup. The Midlands' club had been in position to take the league title, but their heat leader Bruce Penhall quit speedway immediately after winning his second world title in September to pursue an acting career (specifically for a role in CHiPs).
Hackney Wick Stadium was subject to a second fatal accident within three years when American Denny Pyeatt lost his life in a league match on 16 July. Pyeatt riding for Reading Racers crashed into a lamp standard. Swindon rider Martin Hewlett suffered a stroke after the Swindon versus Birmingham fixture in September and died four days later on 15 September.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Belle Vue Aces | 28 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 46 |
| 2 | Cradley Heath Heathens | 28 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 40 |
| 3 | Ipswich Witches | 28 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 34 |
| 4 | Coventry Bees | 28 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 34 |
| 5 | Sheffield Tigers | 28 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 31 |
| 6 | Birmingham Brummies | 28 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 27 |
| 7 | Hackney Hawks | 28 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 27 |
| 8 | Swindon Robins | 28 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 27 |
| 9 | Reading Racers | 28 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 26 |
| 10 | Leicester Lions | 28 | 13 | 0 | 15 | 26 |
| 11 | Wimbledon Dons | 28 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 26 |
| 12 | Eastbourne Eagles | 28 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 25 |
| 13 | Halifax Dukes | 28 | 10 | 1 | 17 | 21 |
| 14 | King's Lynn Stars | 28 | 9 | 3 | 16 | 21 |
| 15 | Poole Pirates | 28 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 9 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points

## Top Ten Riders (League Averages)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Kenny Carter | Halifax Dukes | 11.05 |
| 2 | Erik Gundersen | Cradley Heathens | 10.75 |
| 3 | Hans Nielsen | Birmingham Brummies | 10.49 |
| 4 | Bruce Penhall | Cradley Heathens | 10.39 |
| 5 | Dennis Sigalos | Ipswich Witches | 10.26 |
| 6 | Bobby Schwartz | Reading Racers | 10.11 |
| 7 | Chris Morton | Belle Vue | 9.98 |
| 8 | Shawn Moran | Sheffield Tigers | 9.98 |
| 9 | Kelly Moran | Eastbourne Eagles | 9.97 |
| 10 | Billy Sanders | King's Lynn Stars | 9.93 |

## British League Knockout Cup

The 1982 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 44th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Cradley Heath Heathens were the winners.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 08/06 | Leicester | 45-33 | Kings Lynn |
| 06/06 | Eastbourne | 46-32 | Swindon |
| 05/06 | Kings Lynn | 48-30 | Leicester |
| 29/05 | Halifax | 45-33 | Hackney |
| 28/05 | Hackney | 38-40 | Halifax |
| 28/05 | Ipswich | 46-31 | Coventry |
| 27/05 | Sheffield | 42-36 | Cradley Heath |
| 22/05 | Coventry | 40-38 | Ipswich |
| 22/05 | Cradley Heath | 43-35 | Sheffield |
| 22/05 | Swindon | 38-40 | Eastbourne |
| 17/05 | Reading | 38-40 | Belle Vue |
| 15/05 | Belle Vue | 57-18 | Reading |
| 12/05 | Poole | 44-34 | Birmingham |
| 30/04 | Birmingham | 48-30 | Poole |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 19/08 | Wimbledon | 40-38 | Eastbourne |
| 09/08 | Cradley Heath | 41-37 | Ipswich |
| 01/08 | Eastbourne | 43-35 | Wimbledon |
| 29/07 | Ipswich | 38.5-39.5 | Cradley Heath |
| 19/07 | Birmingham | 43-35 | Kings Lynn |
| 17/07 | Kings Lynn | 43-35 | Birmingham |
| 11/07 | Halifax | 41-37 | Belle Vue |
| 10/07 | Belle Vue | 44-34 | Halifax |
| 25/09 | Kings Lynn | 42-36 | Birmingham |
| 13/09 | Birmingham | 40-38 | Kings Lynn |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 03/10 | Kings Lynn | 36-42 | Belle Vue |
| 02/10 | Belle Vue | 49-29 | Kings Lynn |
| 19/09 | Eastbourne | 41-36 | Cradley Heath |
| 18/09 | Cradley Heath | 48-30 | Eastbourne |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Cradley were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 81-75.

## League Cup

The League Cup was split into North and South sections. The two-legged final was won by Cradley Heath Heathens beating Ipswich Witches in the final 83–73 on aggregate.
South Group
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Ipswich Witches | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
| 2 | Eastbourne Eagles | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 18 |
| 3 | Wimbledon Dons | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 17 |
| 4 | Poole Pirates | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| 5 | Hackney Hawks | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| 6 | Reading Racers | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| 7 | King's Lynn Stars | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 10 |
| 8 | Swindon Robins | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 |
North Group
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Cradley Heathens | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
| 2 | Coventry Bees | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| 3 | Belle Vue Aces | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 14 |
| 4 | Halifax Dukes | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| 5 | Birmingham Brummies | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 7 |
| 6 | Leicester Lions | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| 7 | Sheffield Tigers | 12 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 |

### Final

| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 19/06 | Cradley Heath | 42–36 | Ipswich |
| 24/06 | Ipswich | 37–41 | Cradley Heath |

## Riders' Championship

Kenny Carter won the British League Riders' Championship for the second consecutive year, held at Hyde Road on 16 October.
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Kenny Carter | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Shawn Moran | 2 3 3 3 3 | 14 |
| 3 | Hans Nielsen | 3 2 3 2 3 | 13 |
| 4 | Erik Gundersen | 2 3 2 0 3 | 10 |
| 5 | Bobby Schwartz | 3 1 2 2 1 | 9 |
| 6 | Les Collins | 0 1 3 3 2 | 9 |
| 7 | Jan Andersson | 3 0 2 1 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Steve Bastable | 2 3 1 1 0 | 7 |
| 9 | Billy Sanders | 0 2 2 1 2 | 7 |
| 10 | Ole Olsen | 0 1 1 3 1 | 6 |
| 11 | Chris Morton | 1 2 1 2 0 | 6 |
| 12 | Finn Thomsen | 1 1 0 2 1 | 5 |
| 13 | Dennis Sigalos | 2 0 r - | 4 |
| 14 | Dave Jessup | 1 0 1 0 1 | 3 |
| 15 | Gordon Kennett | 1 0 0 0 2 | 3 |
| 16 | John Davis | 0 - - - - | 0 |
| 17 | Andy Smith (res) | 0 0 1 0 - | 1 |
| 18 | Lee Edwards (res) | 0 0 - - - | 0 |
* ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded r-retired

## Final leading averages

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Kenny Carter | Halifax | 11.03 |
| 2 | Bruce Penhall | Cradley | 10.74 |
| =3 | Erik Gundersen | Cradley | 10.18 |
| =3 | Chris Morton | Belle Vue | 10.18 |
| 5 | Dennis Sigalos | Ipswich | 10.10 |
| 6 | Jan Andersson | Reading | 9.96 |
| 7 | Hans Nielsen | Birmingham | 9.89 |
| 8 | Bobby Schwartz | Reading | 9.83 |
| 9 | Gordon Kennett | Eastbourne | 9.72 |
| 10 | Michael Lee | King's Lynn | 9.65 |

## Midland Cup

Coventry won the Midland Cup for the second consecutive year. The competition consisted of five teams.
First round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Swindon | Birmingham | 44–34, 41–37 |
Semi final round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Coventry | Leicester | 37–41, 44–34 |
| Cradley | Swindon | 49–29, 54–24 |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Coventry won on aggregate 79–77

## Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
* Chris Morton 10.18
* Larry Ross 9.37
* Peter Collins 8.78
* Louis Carr 6.01
* Peter Ravn 5.65
* Jimmy McMillan 5.44
* Peter Carr 4.98
* Andy Smith 4.40
Birmingham
* Hans Nielsen 9.89
* Andy Grahame 9.03
* Ari Koponen 6.20
* Aleš Dryml Sr. 6.03
* John Eskildsen 6.03
* John Jorgensen 5.65
* Zdeněk Kudrna 5.23
* Neil Evitts 5.03
* Karl Maier 4.72
* Bruce Cribb 3.56
* Armando Dal Chiele 0.80
Coventry
* Tommy Knudsen 9.22
* Ole Olsen 9.09
* Mitch Shirra 7.38
* Gary Guglielmi 6.69
* Kevin Hawkins 5.79
* Alf Busk 5.19
* Sam Nikolajsen 3.48
* Charlie McKinna 3.25
Cradley Heath
* Bruce Penhall 10.74
* Erik Gundersen 10.18
* Alan Grahame 9.22
* Phil Collins 7.29
* Simon Wigg 6.67
* Lance King 6.30
* Ian Gledhill 3.45
* Andy Reid 3.02
* Wayne Jackson 3.00
* Jan Verner 2.69
* Bill Barrett 1.78
Eastbourne
* Gordon Kennett 9.72
* Kelly Moran 9.62
* Ron Preston 9.18
* Paul Woods 6.62
* Lillebror Johansson 3.55
* Dave Kennett 3.55
* Lars Hammarberg 3.37
* Borge Ring 3.36
* Keith Pritchard 3.27
Hackney
* Bo Petersen 9.38
* Finn Thomsen 7.29
* John Titman 6.59
* Antonín Kasper Jr. 6.53
* Sean Willmott 5.96
* Jens Rasmussen 5.53
* Bob Garrad 4.00
* Martin Hagon 3.52
Halifax
* Kenny Carter 11.03
* John Louis 7.52
* Ian Cartwright 7.28
* Merv Janke 6.39
* Martin Dixon 5.51
* Doug Wyer 5.36
* Steve Baker 4.98
* Rob Ashton 4.71
* Rob Tate 0.80
Ipswich
* Dennis Sigalos 10.10
* Preben Eriksen 8.53
* John Cook 7.77
* Kevin Jolly 6.98
* Jeremy Doncaster 6.07
* Nigel Flatman 5.79
* Andy Hines 5.67
* Mike Lanham 5.16
* Carl Baldwin 4.40
King's Lynn
* Michael Lee 9.65
* Billy Sanders 9.09
* Richard Hellsen 7.00
* Melvyn Taylor 5.78
* Colin Richardson 4.90
* Rob Hollingworth 4.04
* Peo Gudmundsson 3.00
* Keven Dye 1.76
* Jiří Hnidak 1.58
* Peter Framingham 0.44
Leicester
* Les Collins 8.77
* Neil Collins 7.07
* Phil Herne 6.42
* Joe Owen 5.93
* Colin Cook 5.87
* Mark Courtney 5.57
* Finn Jensen 5.41
* Steve Regeling 5.09
Poole
* John Davis 8.68
* Scott Autrey 8.13
* Neil Middleditch 6.01
* Václav Verner 5.86
* Kevin Smith 5.83
* Danny Kennedy 5.30
* Peter Prinsloo 4.49
* Les Sawyer 4.20
* Pete Ellams 3.29
Reading
* Jan Andersson 9.96
* Bobby Schwartz 9.83
* Steve Gresham 5.57
* Denny Pyeatt 5.28
* Jiří Štancl 5.23
* Tim Hunt 5.08
* Dave Trownson 4.66
* Colin Ackroyd 4.00
* John Grahame 3.87
* Uno Johansson 2.78
Sheffield
* Shawn Moran 9.55
* David Bargh 6.84
* Dave Morton 6.50
* Reg Wilson 6.48
* Wayne Brown 6.46
* Phil White 5.57
* Zenon Plech 4.95
* Mark Fiora 3.82
* Robbie Foy 1.71
Swindon
* Phil Crump 9.47
* Steve Bastable 7.58
* Bjorn Andersson 6.46
* Malcolm Holloway 5.97
* Mike Ferreira 5.26
* Steen Mastrup 5.19
* Martin Yeates 4.18
* Martin Hewlett 4.13
* Jan Verner 3.26
Wimbledon
* Dave Jessup 8.77
* Malcolm Simmons 8.75
* Kai Niemi 8.04
* Edward Jancarz 5.82
* Anders Eriksson 5.37
* Roger Johns 5.37
* Brad Oxley 5.09
* Richard Knight 4.08
* Alan Mogridge 2.06