# 1973 British League season

The 1973 British League season was the 39th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the ninth season of the British League.

## Summary

Glasgow Tigers relocated to become Coatbridge Tigers.
The Reading Racers won their first title, ending the dominance of Belle Vue Aces who could only finish in sixth place. Swede Anders Michanek was in imperious form, going undefeated at Reading Stadium (which was in its final year as a venue). He finished with an 11.36 average ahead of the four time world champion Ivan Mauger on 11.29. In addition to Michanek the Reading team was boosted by high scoring from Norwegian Dag Lövaas and Australian Geoff Curtis. In a sensational finish to the 1973 Knockout Cup final Reading were beaten by Belle Vue in a run-off for the Cup after an aggregate draw over two legs.
Reading's success had a sour note after the season had finished when Geoff Curtis returned to Australia for the Australian season and was killed in a race at the Sydney Showground in December.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Reading Racers | 34 | 25 | 1 | 8 | 51 |
| 2 | Sheffield Tigers | 34 | 22 | 3 | 9 | 47 |
| 3 | King's Lynn Stars | 34 | 20 | 3 | 11 | 43 |
| 4 | Leicester Lions | 34 | 21 | 0 | 13 | 42 |
| 5 | Ipswich Witches | 34 | 19 | 2 | 12 | 41 |
| 6 | Belle Vue Aces | 34 | 19 | 1 | 14 | 39 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 34 | 18 | 1 | 15 | 37 |
| 8 | Exeter Falcons | 34 | 16 | 3 | 15 | 35 |
| 9 | Halifax Dukes | 34 | 16 | 2 | 16 | 34 |
| 10 | Newport Wasps | 34 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 32 |
| 11 | Oxford Rebels | 34 | 14 | 2 | 18 | 30 |
| 12 | Wimbledon Dons | 34 | 14 | 1 | 19 | 29 |
| 13 | Swindon Robins | 34 | 13 | 3 | 18 | 29 |
| 14 | Poole Pirates | 34 | 13 | 2 | 19 | 28 |
| 15 | Coventry Bees | 34 | 13 | 0 | 21 | 26 |
| 16 | Hackney Hawks | 34 | 11 | 4 | 19 | 26 |
| 17 | Coatbridge Tigers | 34 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 25 |
| 18 | Cradley United | 34 | 7 | 4 | 23 | 18 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points

## Fixtures and results

| Home \ Away | BV | COV | CH | EX | GLA | HAC | HAL | IPS | KL | LEI | NW | OX | PP | RR | SHE | SWI | WIM | WOL |
| Belle Vue | | 59–19 | 50–27 | 42–36 | 38–37 | 55–23 | 51–27 | 51–27 | 51–27 | 54–22 | 52–26 | 53–25 | 48–30 | 55–23 | 38–40 | 46–32 | 55–22 | 44–34 |
| Coventry | 42–35 | | 32–46 | 46–32 | 52–26 | 41–37 | 58–20 | 36–42 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 40–38 | 50–28 | 41–36 | 30–48 | 40–38 | 41–37 | 42–36 | 37–41 |
| Cradley | 39–39 | 45–33 | | 36–42 | 37–41 | 41–37 | 42–35 | 39–39 | 40–38 | 33–45 | 44–34 | 38–40 | 35–43 | 30–48 | 36–41 | 48–30 | 32–45 | 36–42 |
| Exeter | 28–50 | 55–23 | 45–32 | | 59–19 | 56–22 | 42–36 | 39–39 | 39–38 | 35–43 | 56–22 | 49–29 | 45–33 | 46–32 | 49–29 | 50–28 | 46–32 | 41–37 |
| Glasgow/Coatbridge | 34–40 | 42–35 | 47–31 | 40–37 | | 52–26 | 38–40 | 46–32 | 41–37 | 42–36 | 46–31 | 49–29 | 36–42 | 40–37 | 39–39 | 37–41 | 43–35 | 38–40 |
| Hackney | 41–37 | 46–31 | 39–39 | 44–34 | 43–35 | | 43–35 | 39–39 | 30–48 | 41–37 | 45–33 | 48–30 | 36–42 | 28–50 | 39–39 | 48–30 | 38–40 | 52–26 |
| Halifax | 44–34 | 42–36 | 44–34 | 40–38 | 47–31 | 49–29 | | 46–32 | 39–39 | 43–35 | 40–38 | 46–32 | 36–42 | 41–37 | 37–40 | 45–33 | 43–35 | 40–38 |
| Ipswich | 45–33 | 48–30 | 48–30 | 46–32 | 49–29 | 40–37 | 53–25 | | 51–27 | 42–36 | 48–30 | 51–27 | 47–31 | 44–34 | 42–34 | 47–31 | 55–23 | 44–34 |
| King's Lynn | 45–33 | 47–31 | 47–31 | 58–20 | 47–31 | 40–36 | 37–41 | 40–38 | | 48–30 | 39–38 | 55–23 | 43–35 | 36–42 | 41–37 | 41–37 | 54–24 | 45–33 |
| Leicester | 46–32 | 47–31 | 52–25 | 52–26 | 50–28 | 49–29 | 49–29 | 42–36 | 36–42 | | 44–33 | 49–29 | 51–27 | 46–32 | 45–33 | 42–36 | 45–33 | 43–35 |
| Newport | 41–37 | 56–22 | 54–24 | 42.5–34.5 | 43–35 | 51–27 | 56–22 | 49–29 | 45–33 | 53–25 | | 43–34 | 57–21 | 33–45 | 44–34 | 48–30 | 52–26 | 40–38 |
| Oxford | 40–38 | 40–38 | 59–19 | 45–33 | 50–28 | 43–35 | 48–29 | 37–41 | 39–39 | 44–34 | 51–26 | | 42–36 | 30–48 | 38–40 | 44–34 | 47–30 | 52–26 |
| Poole | 29–49 | 54–24 | 42–36 | 37–41 | 47–31 | 54–24 | 48–30 | 43–35 | 36–42 | 38–40 | 45–33 | 39–39 | | 36–42 | 38–40 | 38–40 | 44–34 | 43–35 |
| Reading | 46–32 | 52–26 | 53–25 | 58–20 | 55–22 | 47–31 | 59–19 | 50–28 | 39–39 | 44–34 | 47–31 | 45–33 | 41–37 | | 37–41 | 47–31 | 54–24 | 41–37 |
| Sheffield | 48–30 | 46–32 | 47–31 | 53–25 | 59–19 | 57–21 | 39–39 | 56–22 | 52–26 | 45–33 | 57–21 | 56–22 | 50–28 | 43–35 | | 51–27 | 51–26 | 51–26 |
| Swindon | 42–35 | 44–34 | 39–39 | 39–39 | 43–35 | 37–41 | 42–36 | 40–38 | 33–45 | 35–43 | 40–38 | 40–38 | 39–39 | 35–43 | 44–34 | | 42–36 | 41–37 |
| Wimbledon | 46–32 | 41–37 | 46–32 | 42–36 | 52–26 | 39–39 | 41–37 | 39–38 | 35–43 | 35–43 | 45–33 | 55–23 | 45–33 | 35–43 | 45–33 | 46–32 | | 38–40 |
| Wolverhampton | 55–23 | 40–38 | 43–35 | 39–39 | 42–36 | 45–33 | 45–33 | 40–38 | 45–33 | 43–35 | 40–38 | 41–37 | 44–34 | 38–40 | 42–36 | 38–40 | 40–37 | |

## Top ten riders (league averages)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Anders Michanek | Reading | 11.55 |
| 2 | Ivan Mauger | Exeter | 11.30 |
| 3 | Ole Olsen | Wolverhampton | 11.10 |
| 4 | Eric Boocock | Halifax | 10.52 |
| 5 | Dag Lövaas | Reading | 10.37 |
| 6 | Malcolm Simmons | King's Lynn | 10.33 |
| 7 | John Boulger | Leicester | 10.25 |
| 8 | Chris Pusey | Belle Vue | 10.24 |
| 9 | Martin Ashby | Swindon | 10.11 |
| 10 | John Louis | Ipswich | 10.07 |

## British League Knockout Cup

The 1973 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 35th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Belle Vue were the winners after Peter Collins of Belle Vue defeated Anders Michanek of Reading in a race-off because the tie had finished 78–78 on aggregate.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 28/04 | Belle Vue | 48–30 | Oxford |
| 28/04 | Coventry | 44–34 | Reading |
| 27/04 | Hackney | 43–35 | Swindon |
| 26/04 | Oxford | 41–37 | Belle Vue |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 25/06 | Reading | 56–22 | Coatbridge |
| 22/06 | Coatbridge | 41–37 | Reading |
| 15/06 | Wolverhampton | 43–35 | Exeter |
| 14/06 | Sheffield | 29–49 | Belle Vue |
| 12/06 | Leicester | 36–42 | Kings Lynn |
| 02/06 | Belle Vue | 43–35 | Sheffield |
| 02/06 | Halifax | 49–29 | Wimbledon |
| 30/05 | Poole | 40–38 | Cradley Heath |
| 26/05 | Kings Lynn | 42–36 | Leicester |
| 18/05 | Newport | 45–33 | Ipswich |
| 17/05 | Ipswich | 41–37 | Newport |
| 17/05 | Wimbledon | 37–41 | Halifax |
| 12/05 | Cradley Heath | 37–41 | Poole |
| 12/05 | Swindon | 43–35 | Hackney |
| 07/05 | Exeter | 37–41 | Wolverhampton |
| 28/07 | Swindon | 52–25 | Hackney |
| 15/06 | Hackney | 43–35 | Swindon |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 01/09 | Swindon | 39–39 | Wolverhampton |
| 17/08 | Newport | 45–33 | Reading |
| 17/08 | Wolverhampton | 43–35 | Swindon |
| 13/08 | Halifax | 41–37 | Belle Vue |
| 10/08 | Poole | 39–39 | Kings Lynn |
| 30/07 | Reading | 55–23 | Newport |
| 18/07 | Belle Vue | 57–21 | Halifax |
| 23/06 | Kings Lynn | 47–31 | Poole |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 26/09 | Belle Vue | 48–30 | Wolverhampton |
| 14/09 | Wolverhampton | 42–36 | Belle Vue |
| 05/09 | Kings Lynn | 40–38 | Reading |
| 03/09 | Reading | 52–26 | Kings Lynn |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Match finished 78–78 on aggregate. Belle Vue won race-off.

## Riders' Championship

Ivan Mauger won the British League Riders' Championship for the second time, it was held at Hyde Road on 3 October and was sponsored by Player's No.10.
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Ivan Mauger | 3 3 3 3 2 | 14 |
| 2 | Ray Wilson | 1 3 1 3 3 | 11 |
| 3 | Anders Michanek | 3 2 EX 3 3 | 11 |
| 4 | Ole Olsen | 3 3 3 2 EX | 11 |
| 5 | Arnie Haley | 2 1 2 3 3 | 11 |
| 6 | Martin Ashby | 3 3 3 EX 1 | 10 |
| 7 | Jim McMillan | 2 2 1 2 3 | 10 |
| 8 | John Louis | 1 1 2 2 2 | 8 |
| 9 | Sören Sjösten | 1 2 3 1 F | 7 |
| 10 | Trevor Hedge | 0 2 2 2 EF | 6 |
| 11 | Garry Middleton | 2 0 0 1 2 | 5 |
| 12 | Barry Thomas | 2 1 0 0 2 | 5 |
| 13 | Malcolm Simmons | 1 0 2 1 1 | 4 |
| 14 | Reidar Eide | 0 1 1 0 1 | 3 |
| 15 | Kid Brodie | 0 0 1 1 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Bill Andrew (res) | 0 0 - - - | 0 |
| 17 | Pete Smith | 0 EF - 0 0 | 0 |
* ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded

## Leading final averages

Both Anders Michanek and Ivan Mauger recorded perfect 12 point average scores at home for the season, meaning they were unbeaten by any opposing rider on their own track in League competition.
| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Anders Michanek | Reading | 11.36 |
| 2 | Ivan Mauger | Exeter | 11.29 |
| 3 | Ole Olsen | Wolverhampton | 10.82 |
| 4 | Chris Pusey | Belle Vue | 10.55 |
| 5 | Eric Boocock | Halifax | 10.32 |
| 6 | Malcolm Simmons | King's Lynn | 10.26 |
| 7 | John Boulger | Leicester | 10.24 |
| 8 | Martin Ashby | Swindon | 10.18 |
| 9 | John Louis | Ipswich | 10.06 |
| 10 | Dag Lövaas | Reading | 10.06 |
| 11 | Terry Betts | King's Lynn | 9.95 |
| 12 | Reidar Eide | Newport | 977 |
| 13 | Christer Löfqvist | Poole | 9.58 |
| 14 | Ray Wilson | Leicester | 9.44 |
| 15 | Bernt Persson | Cradley United | 9.38 |
| 16 | Bob Valentine | Sheffield | 9.30 |
| 17 | Dave Jessup | Leicester | 9.24 |
| 18 | Tommy Jansson | Wimbledon | 9.19 |
| 19 | Howard Cole (a.k.a. Kid Brodie) | Cradley United | 9.12 |
| 20 | Peter Collins | Belle Vue | 9.08 |

## London Cup

Hackney won the London Cup for just the third time but there were now only two teams remaining in London.
Results
| Team | Score | Team |
| Wimbledon | 40–37 | Hackney |
| Hackney | 45–33 | Wimbledon |

## Midland Cup

Wolverhampton won the Midland Cup. The competition consisted of six teams.
First round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Swindon | Oxford | 51–27, 38–40 |
| Coventry | Cradley | 36–42, 32–46 |
Semi final round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Leicester | Cradley | 45–33, 56–22 |
| Wolverhampton | Swindon | 43–35 |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Wolverhampton won on aggregate 81.5–74.5

## Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
* Chris Pusey 10.55
* Peter Collins 9.08
* Sören Sjösten 8.73
* Eric Broadbelt 7.00
* Alan Wilkinson 6.94
* Paul Tyrer 6.21
* Chris Morton 5.67
* Ian Hindle 5.16
* Terry Kelly 3.52
* Geoff Pusey 3.05
Coatbridge
* Jimmy McMillan 9.01
* Bobby Beaton 8.00
* Christer Sjösten 6.38
* Dave Gifford 5.03
* Jimmy Gallacher 4.82
* Robin Adlington 4.55
* Kjell Gimre 4.13
* Alistair Brady 1.79
Coventry
* Nigel Boocock 8.59
* Garry Middleton 8.33
* John Harrhy 8.32
* Alan Jay 6.31
* Les Owen 5.55
* Pete Bailey 4.83
* Soren Karlsson 4.65
* Roger Hill 3.44
* Cliff Emms 3.26
* Frank Smith 3.20
* Gerhard Uhlenbrock 2.53
Cradley Heath
* Bernt Persson 9.38
* Howard Cole (Kid Brodie) 9.12
* Ulf Lövaas 6.62
* Bruce Cribb 5.77
* Colin Gooddy 4.85
* Pete Jarman 4.49
* Dave Perks 4.46
* Malcolm Corradine 4.40
* Lars-Inge Hultberg 3.44
* Dave Harvey 2.50
Exeter
* Ivan Mauger 11.29
* Tony Lomas 7.57
* Scott Autrey 6.38
* Kevin Holden 6.00
* Frank Shuter 5.80
* Chris Julian 5.34
* Mike Sampson 4.74
* Bob Coles 4.48
Hackney
* Bengt Jansson 8.86
* Barry Thomas 7.83
* Tommy Nilsson 6.41
* Dave Kennett 5.55
* Geoff Maloney 5.44
* Hugh Saunders 5.40
* Laurie Etheridge 5.29
* Barney Kennett 4.31
Halifax
* Eric Boocock 10.32
* John Titman 6.92
* Charlie Monk 6.31
* Bill Andrew 6.25
* Mike Hiftle 5.63
* Les Sharpe 5.14
* Dave Gatenby 4.19
* John Jackson 3.28
* Per Hansen 2.33
* Jan Terje Gravningen 1.22
Ipswich
* John Louis 10.06
* Tony Davey 7.46
* Billy Sanders 7.43
* Mick Hines 6.09
* Olle Nygren 5.87
* Alan Sage 5.68
* Ted Howgego 3.20
King's Lynn
* Malcolm Simmons 10.26
* Terry Betts 9.95
* Ian Turner 6.28
* Bob Humphreys 6.07
* Barry Crowson 5.44
* Eddie Reeves 5.35
* Arthur Price 4.82
* Ray Bales 4.71
* David Gagen 4.22
Leicester
* John Boulger 10.24
* Ray Wilson 9.44
* Dave Jessup 9.24
* Malcolm Shakespeare 5.80
* Malcolm Brown 4.67
* Norman Storer 4.37
* Bruce Forrester 4.21
* Brian Foote 3.09
Newport
* Reidar Eide 9.77
* Graham Plant 7.39
* Roy Trigg 7.37
* Neil Street 7.28
* Peter Ingram 6.01
* Geoff Mudge 4.79
* Jimm Tebby 3.93
* Alan Cowland 3.62
Oxford
* Hasse Holmqvist 7.77
* Bob Kilby 7.32
* Gordon Kennett 6.42
* John Davis 6.19
* Malcolm Ballard 6.09
* Tony Lomas 5.81
* John Dews 5.72
* Rick Timmo 5.38
* Roger Johns 4.80
* Eddie Reeves 3.24
Poole
* Christer Löfqvist 9.58
* Pete Smith 8.30
* Odd Fossengen 7.18
* Antoni Woryna 6.49
* Brian Collins 5.93
* Bosse Wirebrand 5.36
* Jim Ryman 4.34
* Norman Strachan 3.70
* Martin Yeates 2.40
* Dave Buttigieg 2.10
Reading
* Anders Michanek 11.36
* Dag Lövaas 10.06
* Geoff Curtis 8.23
* Richard May 6.05
* Mick Bell 5.83
* Bobby McNeil 5.28
* Bernie Leigh 4.46
* Jack Millen 3.20
Sheffield
* Bob Valentine 9.30
* Arnold Haley 7.78
* Reg Wilson 7.72
* Doug Wyer 7.36
* Bengt Larsson 7.06
* Bob Paulson 6.92
* Rick France 6.85
Swindon
* Martin Ashby 10.18
* Norman Hunter 7.34
* Edgar Stangeland 6.81
* Mike Keen 6.67
* Geoff Bouchard 4.90
* Brian Leonard 4.25
* Clive Hitch 4.18
* Mick Handley 3.58
* David Ashby 2.48
* Sumner McKnight 0.94
* Billy Wall 0.50
Wimbledon
* Tommy Jansson 9.19
* Trevor Hedge 7.74
* Bert Harkins 6.95
* Graeme Stapleton 6.75
* Neil Cameron 5.09
* Tony Clarke 5.09
* Reg Luckhurst 4.72
* Rob Jones 3.06
* Roland Duke 2.09
Wolverhampton
* Ole Olsen 10.82
* George Hunter 7.93
* Jon Erskine 6.73
* Gary Peterson 5.99
* Tom Leadbitter 5.47
* Colin 'Spike' Burton 4.67
* Dave Baugh 4.63
* Tony Clarke 4.55
* Dave Gifford 4.33
* Ken Eyre 3.82
* Tony Freegard 2.95