# 1983 British League season

The 1983 British League season was the 49th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 19th known as the British League.

## Summary

Cradley Heathens won the league and cup double. Despite losing their double world champion Bruce Penhall to retirement the Cradley side performed just as well. Erik Gundersen, Simon Wigg and Lance King were now some of the world's leading riders and backed up by Phil Collins, Alan Grahame and Peter Ravn they were a formidable team. Even Penhall's replacement, a new signing from Denmark Jan O. Pedersen was already showing signs of a bright future.
This would also be the final season of speedway for three-time world champion Ole Olsen, who announced his retirement.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Cradley Heath Heathens | 28 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 52 |
| 2 | Ipswich Witches | 28 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 45 |
| 3 | Coventry Bees | 28 | 19 | 0 | 9 | 38 |
| 4 | Reading Racers | 28 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 34 |
| 5 | Belle Vue Aces | 28 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 33 |
| 6 | Wimbledon Dons | 28 | 15 | 1 | 12 | 31 |
| 7 | Hackney Hawks | 28 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| 8 | King's Lynn Stars | 28 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 25 |
| 9 | Birmingham Brummies | 28 | 12 | 0 | 16 | 24 |
| 10 | Sheffield Tigers | 28 | 10 | 2 | 16 | 22 |
| 11 | Halifax Dukes | 28 | 10 | 1 | 17 | 21 |
| 12 | Leicester Lions | 28 | 9 | 2 | 17 | 20 |
| 13 | Poole Pirates | 28 | 9 | 0 | 19 | 18 |
| 14 | Eastbourne Eagles | 28 | 7 | 1 | 20 | 15 |
| 15 | Swindon Robins | 28 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 14 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points

## Top Ten Riders (League Averages)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Dennis Sigalos | Ipswich Witches | 10.99 |
| 2 | Hans Nielsen | Birmingham Brummies | 10.77 |
| 3 | Erik Gundersen | Cradley Heathens | 10.59 |
| 4 | Mitch Shirra | Reading Racers | 10.38 |
| 5 | Michael Lee | Poole Pirates | 10.36 |
| 6 | Kenny Carter | Halifax Dukes | 10.34 |
| 7 | Billy Sanders | Ipswich Witches | 10.27 |
| 8 | Chris Morton | Belle Vue Aces | 10.17 |
| 9 | Phil Crump | Swindon Robins | 9.88 |
| 10 | Jan Andersson | Reading Racers | 9.61 |

## British League Knockout Cup

The 1983 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 45th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Cradley Heath Heathens were the winners.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 09/07 | Belle Vue | 56-22 | Halifax |
| 30/06 | Wimbledon | 46-32 | Swindon |
| 25/06 | Halifax | 41-37 | Belle Vue |
| 25/06 | Swindon | 34-44 | Wimbledon |
| 19/06 | Eastbourne | 34-43 | Kings Lynn |
| 11/06 | Coventry | 45-33 | Sheffield |
| 11/06 | Cradley Heath | 46-32 | Hackney |
| 11/06 | Kings Lynn | 47-31 | Eastbourne |
| 09/06 | Sheffield | 37-41 | Coventry |
| 30/05 | Birmingham | 43-35 | Reading |
| 30/05 | Reading | 44-34 | Birmingham |
| 27/05 | Hackney | 35-43 | Cradley Heath |
| 24/05 | Leicester | 40-38 | Ipswich |
| 19/05 | Ipswich | 43-34 | Leicester |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 21/08 | Kings Lynn | 45-33 | Belle Vue |
| 20/08 | Belle Vue | 58-20 | Kings Lynn |
| 23/07 | Coventry | 44-34 | Wimbledon |
| 21/07 | Wimbledon | 38-40 | Coventry |
| 18/07 | Reading | 40-38 | Ipswich |
| 13/07 | Poole | 35-43 | Cradley Heath |
| 09/07 | Cradley Heath | 53-25 | Poole |
| 07/07 | Ipswich | 39-39 | Reading |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 09/10 | Belle Vue | 38-40 | Coventry |
| 08/10 | Coventry | 44-34 | Belle Vue |
| 24/09 | Cradley Heath | 47-31 | Reading |
| 19/09 | Reading | 32-46 | Cradley Heath |
Final
First leg=
Second leg
Cradley Heath were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 86-70.

## League Cup

The League Cup was split into North and South sections. The two-legged final was won by Belle Vue Aces beating Coventry Bees in the final 86–70 on aggregate.
South Group
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Wimbledon Dons | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 22 |
| 2 | Ipswich Witches | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 18 |
| 3 | Reading Racers | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
| 4 | Poole Pirates | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
| 5 | Hackney Hawks | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
| 6 | King's Lynn Stars | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 13 |
| 7 | Eastbourne Eagles | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 |
| 8 | Swindon Robins | 13 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 4 |
North Group
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Coventry Bees | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 19 |
| 2 | Belle Vue Aces | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 16 |
| 3 | Cradley Heathens | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 15 |
| 4 | Halifax Dukes | 11 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| 5 | Leicester Lions | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| 6 | Sheffield Tigers | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| 7 | Birmingham Brummies | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 8 |

### Final

| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 22/10 | Coventry | 39–39 | Belle Vue |
| 23/10 | Belle Vue | 47–31 | Coventry |

## Leading final averages

| Rider | Team | Average |
| Hans Nielsen | Birmingham | 10.82 |
| Dennis Sigalos | Ipswich | 10.75 |
| Chris Morton | Belle Vue | 10.30 |
| Kenny Carter | Halifax | 10.28 |
| Erik Gundersen | Cradley Heath | 10.23 |
| Michael Lee | Poole | 10.16 |
| Phil Crump | Swindon | 10.03 |
| Mitch Shirra | Reading | 10.02 |
| Tommy Knudsen | Coventry | 9.87 |
| Billy Sanders | Ipswich | 9.70 |
| Ole Olsen | Coventry | 9.56 |

## Riders' Championship

Erik Gundersen won the British League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 15 October.
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Erik Gundersen | 3 3 3 2 3 | 14 |
| 2 | Michael Lee | 0 3 3 3 3 | 12 |
| 3 | Hans Nielsen | 2 3 3 2 2 | 12 |
| 4 | Kenny Carter | 1 1 2 3 3 | 10 |
| 5 | John Louis | 0 3 1 2 3 | 9 |
| 6 | Billy Sanders | 3 1 1 3 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Mitch Shirra | 2 2 0 3 1 | 8 |
| 8 | Bo Petersen | 3 2 1 0 2 | 8 |
| 9 | Phil Crump | 3 0 2 2 1 | 8 |
| 10 | Ole Olsen | 1 2 2 0 2 | 7 |
| 11 | Jan Andersson | 2 1 2 1 1 | 7 |
| 12 | Paul Woods | 2 2 0 1 0 | 5 |
| 13 | David Bargh | 1 0 1 1 2 | 5 |
| 14 | Chris Morton | 1 1 3 0 0 | 5 |
| 15 | Mark Courtney | 0 0 0 1 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Kai Niemi | 0 0 0 - - | 0 |
| 17 | Martin Scarisbrick (res) | 0 - - - - | 0 |
| 18 | David Wild (res) | 0 - - - - | 0 |
* ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded r-retired

## Midland Cup

Cradley Heath won the Midland Cup. The competition consisted of five teams.
First round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Leicester | Swindon | 38–40, 32–46 |
Semi final round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Coventry | Birmingham | 48–30, 38–40 |
| Cradley | Swindon | 60–18, 40–38 |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Cradley won on aggregate 96–60

## London Cup

Wimbledon won the London Cup but the competition consisted of just Wimbledon and Hackney.
Results
| Team | Score | Team |
| Wimbledon | 50–28 | Hackney |
| Hackney | 43–35 | Wimbledon |

## Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
* Chris Morton 10.30
* Peter Collins 9.13
* Larry Ross 7.37
* Peter Carr 5.62
* Louis Carr 5.38
* Peter Ravn 4.95
* Andy Smith 4.48
* Kenny McKinna 4.30
* Martin Scarisbrick 1.09
Birmingham
* Hans Nielsen 10.82
* Andy Grahame 8.29
* Neil Evitts 6.88
* Shawn McConnell 5.71
* Karl Maier 5.63
* Petr Ondrašík 5.36
* John Jørgensen 5.01
* Kent Noer 4.85
* Paul Thorp 3.13
* Mike Wilding 2.07
Coventry
* Tommy Knudsen 9.87
* Ole Olsen 9.56
* Gary Guglielmi 8.07
* Steve Bastable 6.79
* Kevin Hawkins 5.44
* Sam Nikolajsen 5.23
* Rick Miller 4.87
Cradley Heath
* Erik Gundersen 10.23
* Simon Wigg 8.86
* Lance King 8.74
* Alan Grahame 8.69
* Phil Collins 7.98
* Peter Ravn 7.97
* Jan O. Pedersen 6.78
* Simon Cross 6.00
* Andy Reid 2.54
* David Cheshire 2.33
Eastbourne
* Paul Woods 8.73
* John Eskildsen 6.53
* Mike Lanham 4.18
* Dave Kennett 3.87
* Anders Eriksson 3.79
* Lillebror Johansson 3.79
* Piotr Pyszny 3.75
* Denzil Kent 3.65
* Trevor Geer 3.56
* Ottaviano Righetto 2.55
* Rene Christiansen 1.93
* Peter Schroeck 0.27
Hackney
* Bo Petersen 8.47
* Finn Thomsen 7.94
* Jens Rasmussen 6.74
* Sean Willmott 6.30
* John Titman 6.25
* Martin Hagon 4.83
* Antonín Kasper Jr. 4.39
* Bob Garrad 4.30
Halifax
* Kenny Carter 10.28
* Steve Baker 6.60
* Doug Wyer 6.17
* Steve Finch 5.77
* Martin Dixon 5.59
* Craig Pendlebury 5.41
* Gianni Famari 3.52
* Eric Boocock 2.40
Ipswich
* Dennis Sigalos 10.75
* Billy Sanders 9.70
* Jeremy Doncaster 6.79
* Preben Eriksen 6.72
* Nigel Flatman 4.82
* Andy Hines 4.51
* Carl Baldwin 4.08
* Andy Hibbs 4.06
* Andy Nightingale 0.35
King's Lynn
* John Louis 8.45
* Gordon Kennett 8.39
* Richard Hellsen 7.02
* Colin Richardson 6.29
* Kevin Jolly 6.21
* Melvyn Taylor 5.95
* Keith Bloxsome 5.25
Leicester
* Mark Courtney 8.66
* Les Collins 8.24
* Neil Collins 7.17
* Steve Regeling 5.95
* Finn Jensen 5.11
* Colin Cook 5.10
* Mike Lanham 4.98
* Eric Monaghan 4.76
* Steen Mastrup 3.85
* Phil Herne 3.81
Poole
* Michael Lee 10.16
* John Davis 7.72
* Kevin Smith 6.95
* Václav Verner 6.06
* Neil Middleditch 5.38
* Andy Campbell 4.74
* Stan Bear 4.41
* Sam Ermolenko 4.25 (4 matches only)
* Brian Jakobsen 4.23
* Erik Stenlund 3.56
* Keith Millard 2.96
Reading
* Mitch Shirra 10.02
* Jan Andersson 9.47
* Bobby Schwartz 9.02
* Pierre Brannefors 7.28
* Tim Hunt 4.31
* Peter Glanz 3.85
* Stanislav Urban 3.24
* John Grahame 2.74
Sheffield
* Shawn Moran 9.43
* David Bargh 7.03
* Phil White 6.26
* Dave Morton 5.84
* Reg Wilson 5.09
* Eric Monaghan 3.97
* Alan Mason 3.26
* Gerald Short 2.13
Swindon
* Phil Crump 10.03
* Bjorn Andersson 7.01
* Phil Herne 5.65
* Martin Yeates 5.23
* Steve Gresham 5.14
* Malcolm Holloway 4.99
* Alf Busk 4.31
* Steen Mastrup 3.57
* Per Sorensen 2.88
* Milan Špinka 1.93
Wimbledon
* Dave Jessup 9.25
* Malcolm Simmons 7.86
* Kai Niemi 7.67
* Ari Koponen 6.55
* Kelvin Tatum 6.19
* Mike Ferreira 5.95
* Roger Johns 5.18