# 1969 British League season

The 1969 British League season was the 35th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the fifth season known as the British League.

## Summary

The 19 competitors were the same as the previous season.
Poole Pirates won their first title. The Pirates were extremely consistent and despite their riders not coming in the top 18 league averages they won the league by a clear 6 points. Pete Smith was their top rider with an average of 9.34 but aided by four other riders (Geoff Mudge (9.05), Odd Fossengen (7.73), Bruce Cribb (7.31) and Gordon Guasco (7.26)) they were able to claim the title. Wimbledon Dons had a much better season than the last, finishing third and managed to retain their British League Knockout Cup crown. Belle Vue Aces finished runner-up, mainly due to the performances of their outstanding World champion rider Ivan Mauger; the New Zealander finished with an average of 11.67 and would also seal his second world title before the end of the season.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Poole Pirates | 36 | 26 | 1 | 9 | 53 |
| 2 | Belle Vue Aces | 36 | 23 | 1 | 12 | 47 |
| 3 | Wimbledon Dons | 36 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 46 |
| 4 | Halifax Dukes | 36 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 46 |
| 5 | Leicester Lions | 36 | 21 | 2 | 13 | 44 |
| 6 | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 39 |
| 7 | Cradley Heath Heathens | 36 | 18 | 2 | 16 | 38 |
| 8 | Glasgow Tigers | 36 | 17 | 3 | 16 | 37 |
| 9 | King's Lynn Stars | 36 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 36 |
| 10 | Swindon Robins | 36 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 36 |
| 11 | Coatbridge Monarchs | 36 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 35 |
| 12 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 32 |
| 13 | Newcastle Diamonds | 36 | 15 | 2 | 19 | 32 |
| 14 | Coventry Bees | 36 | 14 | 3 | 19 | 31 |
| 15 | Oxford Cheetahs | 36 | 15 | 1 | 20 | 31 |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 13 | 1 | 22 | 27 |
| 17 | Newport Wasps | 36 | 13 | 1 | 22 | 27 |
| 18 | West Ham Hammers | 36 | 11 | 3 | 22 | 25 |
| 19 | Hackney Hawks | 36 | 10 | 2 | 24 | 22 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points

## Fixtures and results

| Home \ Away | BV | CRA | CM | COV | EX | GLA | HAC | HAL | KL | LEI | ND | NW | OX | PP | SHE | SWI | WH | WIM | WOL |
| Belle Vue | | 40–38 | 52–26 | 44–33 | 50–28 | 43–35 | 56–22 | 50–28 | 54–24 | 52–26 | 47–30 | 53–25 | 44–34 | 47–31 | 44–34 | 47–31 | 47–31 | 55–23 | 40–38 |
| Cradley | 37–41 | | 49–29 | 45–33 | 41–37 | 46–32 | 49–28 | 45–32 | 41–37 | 39–39 | 50–28 | 42–35 | 41–37 | 44–33 | 42–36 | 45–33 | 40–38 | 40–37 | 42–36 |
| Coatbridge | 33–45 | 42–36 | | 46–32 | 40–38 | 49–29 | 50–28 | 37–41 | 43–35 | 41–37 | 39–39 | 53–25 | 49–29 | 40–38 | 44–34 | 40–38 | 43–35 | 47–31 | 52–26 |
| Coventry | 39–39 | 41–37 | 48–30 | | 46–32 | 43–35 | 51–27 | 40–38 | 38–40 | 40–37 | 42–36 | 56–22 | 60–18 | 43–35 | 39–39 | 38–39 | 48–30 | 39–39 | 48–30 |
| Exeter | 40–38 | 51–27 | 50–28 | 44–34 | | 51–27 | 51–27 | 43–35 | 45–33 | 38–40 | 40–38 | 43–35 | 48–30 | 38–40 | 40–38 | 38–39 | 44–33 | 42–36 | 44–33 |
| Glasgow | 45–33 | 39–39 | 46–32 | 42–36 | 46–32 | | 52–25 | 37–41 | 49–29 | 44–34 | 54–24 | 52–26 | 42–35 | 39–39 | 44–33 | 42–36 | 52–26 | 45–33 | 48–30 |
| Hackney | 32–46 | 47–31 | 44–34 | 41–37 | 40–38 | 39–38 | | 44–34 | 37–41 | 38–40 | 36–42 | 47–30 | 40–38 | 37–41 | 42–36 | 36–42 | 39–39 | 42–36 | 39–39 |
| Halifax | 40–38 | 49–29 | 49–29 | 41–37 | 47–31 | 47–31 | 54–24 | | 48–30 | 44–34 | 58–20 | 58–20 | 58–20 | 48–30 | 46–32 | 50–28 | 60–18 | 47–31 | 45–33 |
| King's Lynn | 44–34 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 41–37 | 49–29 | 43–34 | 48–29 | 41–37 | | 44–34 | 39–38 | 49–29 | 52–26 | 50–28 | 35–42 | 44–34 | 40–38 | 38–40 | 57–21 |
| Leicester | 43–35 | 40–38 | 44–34 | 42–35 | 46–32 | 47–31 | 53–25 | 49–29 | 40–38 | | 49–29 | 52–26 | 54–24 | 47–31 | 46–32 | 48–30 | 38–40 | 37–41 | 58–20 |
| Newcastle | 38–39 | 53–25 | 41–37 | 51–26 | 47–31 | 41–37 | 44–34 | 39–39 | 46–32 | 36–42 | | 44–33 | 56–21 | 36–41 | 43–35 | 44–34 | 42–36 | 41–37 | 41–36 |
| Newport | 42–36 | 46–32 | 35–43 | 43–35 | 36–42 | 43–35 | 45–33 | 48–30 | 41–36 | 39–39 | 51–26 | | 51–27 | 32–46 | 47–31 | 41–37 | 40–37 | 36–42 | 44–34 |
| Oxford | 44–34 | a–a+ | 48–30 | 46–32 | 46–32 | 46–32 | 50–28 | a–a+ | 50–28 | 38–39 | 52–26 | 47–31 | | 38–40 | 47–31 | 45–33 | 43–35 | 39–39 | 42–36 |
| Poole | 48–29 | 58–20 | 42–36 | 41.5–36.5 | 43–34 | 46–32 | 57–21 | 44–34 | 40–38 | 46–32 | 44–34 | 49–29 | 51–27 | | 51–27 | 48–29 | 55–23 | 43–35 | 44–34 |
| Sheffield | 42–36 | 52–26 | 42–36 | 48–30 | 47–31 | 53–25 | 48–30 | 40–38 | 42–36 | 46–32 | 53–25 | 46–32 | 46–32 | 50–28 | | 46–32 | 44–32 | 45–33 | 58–20 |
| Swindon | 40–36 | 42–35 | 38–40 | 40–38 | 46–32 | 35–43 | 40–38 | 43–34 | 41–37 | 40–38 | 45–32 | 54–24 | 49–29 | 37–41 | 40–38 | | 57–20 | 40–37 | 43–35 |
| West Ham | 38–40 | 44–34 | 40–38 | 32–46 | 47–31 | 39–39 | 41–37 | 39–39 | 41–37 | 41–37 | 43–35 | 43–35 | 38–40 | 37–41 | 41–37 | 40–38 | | 38–40 | 29–49 |
| Wimbledon | 44–34 | 54–24 | 47–31 | 48–30 | 47–30 | 48–30 | 57–20 | 54–24 | 52–26 | 45–33 | 46–32 | 62–16 | 52–26 | 42–36 | 49.5–28.5 | 46–32 | 59–19 | | 56–22 |
| Wolverhampton | 43–35 | 32–46 | 44–34 | 45–33 | 50–28 | 38–40 | 45–33 | 36–41 | 41–37 | 31–47 | 47–31 | 55–23 | 34–44 | 29–49 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 43–35 | 41–37 | |
+ match awarded to away team

## Top ten riders (league only)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Ivan Mauger | Belle Vue | 11.45 |
| 2 | Barry Briggs | Swindon | 11.09 |
| 3 | Eric Boocock | Halifax | 10.88 |
| 4 | Nigel Boocock | Coventry | 10.77 |
| 5 | Ray Wilson | Leicester | 10.48 |
| 6 | Norman Hunter | Wolverhampton | 10.44 |
| 7 | Trevor Hedge | Wimbledon | 10.17 |
| 8 | Ole Olsen | Newcastle | 10.08 |
| 9 | Jim McMillan | Glasgow | 9.97 |
| 10 | Martin Ashby | Exeter | 9.96 |

## British League Knockout Cup

The 1969 British League Knockout Cup was the 31st edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Wimbledon were the winners.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 10/05 | Coatbridge | 53–25 | Hackney |
| 06/05 | Leicester | 54–24 | Newport |
| 06/05 | West Ham | 39–39 | Kings Lynn |
| 31/05 | Kings Lynn | 39–39 | West Ham |
| 17/06 | West Ham | 36–42 | Kings Lynn |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 10/07 | Sheffield | 52–26 | Kings Lynn |
| 17/06 | West Ham | 36–42 | Oxford |
| 14/06 | Canterbury | 51–26 | Crayford |
| 14/06 | Coventry | 46–32 | Oxford |
| 14/06 | Cradley Heath | 41–37 | Glasgow |
| 11/06 | Poole | 43–35 | Coatbridge |
| 09/06 | Exeter | 36–42 | Wimbledon |
| 09/06 | Newcastle | 36–42 | Belle Vue |
| 07/06 | Halifax | 43–35 | Wolverhampton |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 02/08 | Belle Vue | 38–40 | Sheffield |
| 31/07 | Wimbledon | 49–29 | Poole |
| 21/07 | Cradley Heath | 41–37 | Swindon |
| 05/07 | Halifax | 47–31 | Coventry |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 27/09 | Cradley Heath | 36–42 | Wimbledon |
| 21/08 | Sheffield | 43.5-34.5 | Halifax |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Wimbledon Dons were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 94-62.

## Riders' Championship

Barry Briggs won the British League Riders' Championship for the fifth consecutive year, held at Hyde Road on 18 October.
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Barry Briggs | 3 3 3 3 2 | 14 |
| 2 | Ivan Mauger | 3 3 3 ef 3 | 12 |
| 3 | Jim Airey | 1 2 3 3 3 | 12 |
| 4 | Martin Ashby | 1 3 2 3 2 | 11 |
| 5 | Eric Boocock | 3 2 1 2 2 | 10 |
| 6 | Roy Trigg | 2 2 2 2 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Ray Wilson | 0 3 3 2 f | 8 |
| 8 | Trevor Hedge | 2 1 2 2 1 | 8 |
| 9 | Sándor Lévai | 3 0 1 1 2 | 7 |
| 10 | Tony Clarke | 2 2 0 1 1 | 6 |
| 11 | Ole Olsen | ex ef ef 3 3 | 6 |
| 12 | Terry Betts | 0 0 1 1 3 | 5 |
| 13 | Reidar Eide | 1 1 2 1 0 | 5 |
| 14 | Jim McMillan | 2 1 0 0 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Colin Gooddy | 1 0 1 0 r | 2 |
| 16 | Pete Smith | 0 1 0 0 1 | 2 |
| 17 | James Bond | 0 | 0 |
* ef=engine failure, f=fell, exc=excluded

## Final leading averages

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Ivan Mauger | Belle Vue | 11.67 |
| 2 | Barry Briggs | Swindon | 11.12 |
| 3 | Eric Boocock | Halifax | 11.08 |
| 4 | Nigel Boocock | Coventry | 10.78 |
| 5 | Ray Wilson | Leicester | 10.56 |
| 6 | Ole Olsen | Newcastle | 10.39 |
| 7 | Norman Hunter | Wolverhampton | 10.35 |
| 8 | Trevor Hedge | Wimbledon | 10.33 |
| 9 | Sören Sjösten | Belle Vue | 10.09 |
| 10 | Reidar Eide | Coatbridge | 10.01 |
| 11 | Jim McMillan | Glasgow | 10.01 |
| 12 | Martin Ashby | Exeter | 9.97 |
| 13 | Jim Airey | Sheffield | 9.90 |
| 14 | Ronnie Moore | Wimbledon | 9.74 |
| 15 | Charlie Monk | Glasgow | 9.56 |
| 16 | Reg Luckhurst | Wimbledon | 9.39 |
| 17 | Dave Younghusband | Halifax | 9.38 |
| 18 | Terry Betts | King's Lynn | 9.35 |
| 19 | Pete Smith | Poole | 9.34 |
| 20 | Roy Trigg | Cradley Heath | 9.27 |

## London Cup

Wimbledon retained the London Cup.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Wimbledon Dons | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 190 | 121 | 8 |
| 2 | West Ham Hammers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 154 | 157 | 2 |
| 3 | Hackney Hawks | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 122 | 188 | 2 |
Results
| Team | Score | Team |
| Hackney | 40–37 | West Ham |
| Hackney | 30–47 | Wimbledon |
| West Ham | 48–30 | Hackney |
| West Ham | 35–43 | Wimbledon |
| Wimbledon | 44–34 | West Ham |
| Wimbledon | 56–22 | Hackney |

## Midland Cup

Coventry won the Midland Cup, which consisted of six teams.
First round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Leicester | Wolverhampton | 43–35, 38–40 |
| Oxford | Cradley | 39–39, 32–45 |
Semi final round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Cradley | Coventry | 37–41, 31–47 |
| Leicester | Swindon | 44.5–33.5, 40–38 |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Coventry won on aggregate 82–74

## Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
* Ivan Mauger 11.67
* Sören Sjösten 10.09
* Tommy Roper 8.58
* Chris Pusey 6.41
* Steve Waplington 5.92
* Dave Hemus 4.60
* Norman Nevitt 4.33
* Bill Powell 4.30
* Ken Eyre 4.14
* Eric Broadbelt 3.84
* Ken Moss 3.56
* Bill Moulin 3.24
Coatbridge
* Reidar Eide 10.01
* Bert Harkins 7.94
* George Hunter 7.14
* Wayne Briggs 6.39
* Brian Collins 5.93
* Doug Templeton 5.17
* Alec Hughson 4.24
* Alistair Brady 3.82
Coventry
* Nigel Boocock 10.78
* Antonín Kasper Sr. 7.55
* Col Cottrell 7.36
* Roger Hill 6.81
* Rick France 6.67
* Tom Ridley 5.54
* Les Owen 5.41
* John Harrhy 4.83
* Tony Lomas 4.74
* Dave Callington 3.28
Cradley Heath
* Roy Trigg 9.27
* Bernt Persson 9.11
* Bob Andrews 7.93
* Chris Bass 5.29
* Graham Coombes 4.90
* Mike Gardner 4.31
* Ken Wakefield 4.15
* Chris Hawkins 1.29
Exeter
* Martin Ashby 9.97
* Jan Holub I 8.12
* Jimmy Squibb 7.31
* Alan Cowland 5.22
* Mike Cake 5.15
* Chris Blewett 4.95
* Tim Bungay 4.75
* Ross Gilbertson 4.55
* Phil Woodcock 4.27
Glasgow
* Jimmy McMillan 10.01
* Charlie Monk 9.56
* Oyvind Berg 8.09
* Russ Dent 5.61
* Willie Templeton 5.01
* Alf Wells 4.25
* Mike Hiftle 3.41
* Bobby Beaton 2.91
Hackney
* Colin Pratt 7.35
* Garry Middleton 7.05
* Jack Biggs 6.33
* Jimmy Gooch 6.17
* Les McGillivray 5.45
* Laurie Etheridge 5.10
* Brian Leonard 5.03
* Des Lukehurst 4.88
* Tommy Sweetman 4.50
* Graeme Smith 3.10
Halifax
* Eric Boocock 11.08
* Dave Younghusband 9.38
* Greg Kentwell 7.67
* Alan Jay 7.16
* Dennis Gavros 6.23
* Les Sharpe 5.33
* Terry Lee 4.00
* Bob Jameson 3.76
King's Lynn
* Terry Betts 9.35
* Malcolm Simmons 8.14
* Howard Cole (Kid Bodie) 7.72
* Clive Featherby 6.44
* Allan Brown 4.95
* Alan Bellham 4.89
* Peter Bradshaw 4.19
Leicester
* Ray Wilson 10.56
* John Boulger 8.76
* John Hart 6.47
* Norman Storer 6.44
* Graham Plant 6.21
* Malcolm Brown 5.16
* DeWayne Keeter 4.88
Newcastle
* Ole Olsen 10.39
* Dave Gifford 7.34
* Gary Peterson 4.80
* Mike Watkin 4.63
* Helge Langli 4.27
* Alan Knapkin 4.00
* Dave Schofield 3.47
* Murray Burt 3.23
Newport
* Sandor Levai 8.34
* Norman Strachan 6.29
* Chris Julian 6.06
* Alby Golden 5.95
* Bob Hughes 5.92
* Jon Erskine 5.83
* Cyril Francis 4.67
* Terry Shearer 3.74
* Einar Egedius 2.73
Oxford
* Eddie Reeves 8.08
* Colin Gooddy 8.03
* Leo McAuliffe 7.24
* Pete Jarman 7.00
* Rick Timmo 6.65
* George Major 5.27
* Conny Samuelsson 4.17
* Mick Bell 4.00
* David Crane 4.00
* John Bishop 3.61
Poole
* Pete Smith 9.34
* Geoff Mudge 9.05
* Odd Fossengen 7.73
* Bruce Cribb 7.31
* Gordon Guasco 7.26
* Frank Shuter 5.55
* Ted Laessing 4.50
Sheffield
* Jim Airey 9.90
* Arnold Haley 8.62
* Bengt Larsson 8.43
* Bob Paulson 6.00
* Brian Maxted 5.85
* John Dews 5.59
* Billy Bales 5.42
* Dave Baugh 3.80
* Reg Wilson 0.50
Swindon
* Barry Briggs 11.12
* Bob Kilby 7.78
* Mike Keen 6.71
* Mike Broadbank 6.13
* Clive Hitch 5.43
* Pete Munday 4.87
* Barry Duke 4.76
* Mac Woolford 2.04
West Ham
* Sverre Harrfeldt 9.78
* Tony Clarke 8.49
* Olle Nygren 7.91
* Ken McKinlay 7.69
* Stan Stevens 5.30
* John Langfield 5.03
* Barry Crowson 4.07
* Martyn Piddock 3.63
* Bent Nörregaard 3.62
* George Barclay 2.20
* Brian Leonard 1.87
Wimbledon
* Trevor Hedge 10.33
* Ronnie Moore 9.74
* Reg Luckhurst 9.39
* Cyril Maidment 6.56
* Bob Dugard 6.34
* Jim Tebby 6.10
* Gary Everett 5.57
* Peter Murray 3.30
Wolverhampton
* Norman Hunter 10.35
* James Bond 7.38
* Peter Vandenberg 7.27
* Geoff Ambrose 6.11
* Mick Handley 5.98
* Tommy Sweetman 5.70
* Bengt Andersson 5.22
* Peter Jackson 3.76
* Cyril Francis 3.26