# 1973 British League Division Two season

The 1973 British League Division Two season was the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.

## Summary

The 1973 season saw the league expanded to 18 teams with the addition of Chesterton Potters. The team had last raced during the 1963 Provincial Speedway League season under the name of the Stoke Potters.
Boston Barracudas won their first title and went on to win the league and cup double. Boston had finished runner-up to Crewe Kings the previous season, with decent season averages recorded by five riders Arthur Price, Jim Ryman, Carl Glover, Russ Osborne and Ray Bales. With a largely unchanged team, they went one place better by sealing the league title. Boston won easily, 14 points clear of their nearest rival, and four of the five riders improved their averages from 1972. Arthur Price also won the Riders' Championship.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Boston Barracudas | 33 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 58 |
| 2 | Workington Comets | 34 | 21 | 2 | 11 | 44 |
| 3 | Eastbourne Eagles | 34 | 19 | 2 | 13 | 40 |
| 4 | Peterborough Panthers | 34 | 19 | 1 | 14 | 39 |
| 5 | Birmingham Brummies | 34 | 19 | 0 | 15 | 38 |
| 6 | Teesside Tigers | 34 | 19 | 0 | 15 | 38 |
| 7 | Bradford Northern | 34 | 18 | 0 | 16 | 36 |
| 8 | Crewe Kings | 34 | 17 | 1 | 16 | 35 |
| 9 | Long Eaton Rangers | 33 | 16 | 1 | 16 | 33 |
| 10 | Barrow Bombers | 34 | 15 | 2 | 17 | 32 |
| 11 | Sunderland Stars | 34 | 15 | 2 | 17 | 32 |
| 12 | Hull Vikings | 34 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 31 |
| 13 | Chesterton Potters | 34 | 14 | 1 | 19 | 29 |
| 14 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 34 | 14 | 0 | 20 | 28 |
| 15 | Canterbury Crusaders | 34 | 13 | 2 | 19 | 28 |
| 16 | Scunthorpe Saints | 34 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 25 |
| 17 | Berwick Bandits | 34 | 11 | 1 | 22 | 23 |
| 18 | Rayleigh Rockets | 34 | 9 | 3 | 22 | 21 |

## Fixtures and results

| Home \ Away | BAR | BER | BIR | BOS | BRA | CAN | CHE | CK | EAS | EP | HV | LE | MID | PET | RAY | SCU | SUN | WOR |
| Barrow | | 46–32 | 47–31 | 27–49 | 45–33 | 55–23 | 44–34 | 58–20 | 54–24 | 52–25 | 57–20 | 58–20 | 49–29 | 39–38 | 56–22 | 60–18 | 41–37 | 34–44 |
| Berwick | 41–37 | | 42–35 | 37–41 | 43–35 | 39–38 | 51–27 | 48–29 | 37–41 | 38–40 | 37–41 | 43–35 | 36–42 | 49–29 | 50–28 | 41–37 | 42–35 | 39–39 |
| Birmingham | 56–22 | 53–25 | | 36–42 | 48–30 | 55–23 | 49–28 | 52–26 | 41–37 | 48–30 | 55–23 | 57–21 | 40–38 | 47–30 | 55–22 | 56–22 | 63–15 | 56–22 |
| Boston | 55–22 | 47–31 | 57–21 | | 49–28 | 49–29 | 55–23 | 44–34 | 48–30 | 57–21 | 45–33 | 56–22 | 46–32 | 42–36 | 50–28 | 56–22 | 50–28 | 47–31 |
| Bradford | 45–33 | 60–18 | 46–32 | 38–40 | | 49–29 | 40–37 | 54–24 | 43–35 | 44–34 | 53–25 | 45–33 | 51–27 | 46–32 | 56–22 | 44–34 | 49–29 | 42–35 |
| Canterbury | 39–38 | 47–30 | 37–41 | 32–46 | 36–42 | | 37–41 | 51–27 | 42–35 | 42–36 | 50–28 | 50–28 | 38–39 | 39–39 | 49–29 | 40–37 | 49–29 | 40–38 |
| Chesterton | 45–33 | 52–26 | 41–37 | 38–40 | 43–35 | 45–33 | | 41–36 | 47–31 | 37–40 | 39–39 | 37–40 | 44–34 | 37–41 | 40–38 | 43–34 | 49–29 | 33–45 |
| Crewe | 42–36 | 48–30 | 39–38 | 42–36 | 46.5–31.5 | 52–26 | 53–25 | | 48–30 | 42–36 | 48–30 | 53–25 | 46–32 | 43–35 | 48–30 | 42–36 | 50–27 | 43–35 |
| Eastbourne | 40–37 | 55–23 | 42–35 | 40–38 | 49–29 | 43–35 | 43–35 | 48–29 | | 51–27 | 52–26 | 51–27 | 45–33 | 50–28 | 42–36 | 47–31 | 53–25 | 40–38 |
| Ellesmere Port | 49–28 | 46–32 | 38–40 | 38–39 | 52–26 | 31–47 | 35–43 | 41–37 | 49–29 | | 36–42 | 54–24 | 41–37 | 46–32 | 41–37 | 48–30 | 57–20 | 35–43 |
| Hull | 39–39 | 60–18 | 38–40 | 43–34 | 42–35 | 39–39 | 37–41 | 48–30 | 39–39 | 41–37 | | 46–32 | 38–40 | 32–45 | 40–37 | 40–37 | 43–35 | 42–35 |
| Long Eaton | 47–31 | 55–23 | 44–34 | v–v | 54–24 | 41–37 | 56–22 | 41–37 | 51–22 | 34–44 | 36–42 | | 41–37 | 45–33 | 50–27 | 49–29 | 58–20 | 41–37 |
| Middlesbrough/Teesside | 53–25 | 58–20 | 44–34 | 38–40 | 47–31 | 45–33 | 48–30 | 56–22 | 51–27 | 49–29 | 44–34 | 45–33 | | 56–22 | 56–22 | 53–25 | 41–37 | 43–35 |
| Peterborough | 44–34 | 49–29 | 39–36 | 37–41 | 49–29 | 51–27 | 51–27 | 41–37 | 49–29 | 44–34 | 51–27 | 52–26 | 55–23 | | 58–29 | 53–25 | 47–30 | 43–35 |
| Rayleigh | 43–35 | 52–26 | 45–33 | 38–40 | 36.5–41.5 | 36–42 | 41–37 | 39–39 | 34–44 | 56–22 | 39–39 | 39–39 | 48–30 | 50–28 | | 52–26 | 47–31 | 38–40 |
| Scunthorpe | 48–30 | 54–24 | 42–36 | 34–43 | 45–33 | 51–27 | 51–27 | 55–23 | 44–34 | 44–34 | 43–35 | 36–42 | 49–29 | 19–59 | 40–38 | | 39–39 | 33–45 |
| Sunderland | 44–34 | 54–24 | 40–37 | 31–47 | 40–38 | 59–19 | 43–35 | 53–25 | 39–39 | 51–27 | 45–33 | 56–22 | 42–36 | 45–33 | 45–33 | 49–29 | | 41–37 |
| Workington | 39–39 | 54–24 | 53–25 | 41–37 | 45–32 | 57–19 | 50–28 | 50–28 | 46–32 | 51–27 | 45–33 | 53–24 | 54–24 | 46–32 | 47–31 | 55–23 | 55–23 | |
v=Void at 39-36, not restaged

## Top five riders (leading averages)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Lou Sansom | Workington Comets | 10.56 |
| 2 | Alan Knapkin | Bradford Northern | 10.04 |
| 3 | Jack Millen | Sunderland | 9.80 |
| 4 | Carl Glover | Boston | 9.56 |
| 5 | Ken McKinlay | Scunthorpe | 9.50 |

## British League Division Two Knockout Cup

The 1973 British League Division Two Knockout Cup was the sixth edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Boston Barracudas were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 19/05 | Canterbury | 44-34 | Eastbourne |
| 13/05 | Eastbourne | 37-41 | Canterbury |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 03/06 | Boston | 58-20 | Crewe |
| 04/06 | Crewe | 44-34 | Boston |
| 08/06 | Peterborough | 56-22 | Barrow |
| 05/06 | Barrow | 45-32 | Peterborough |
| 13/06 | Bradford | 48-29 | Ellesmere Port |
| 05/06 | Ellesmere Port | 42-35 | Bradford |
| 04/06 | Birmingham | 46-32 | Scunthorpe |
| 03/06 | Scunthorpe | 38-40 | Birmingham |
| 08/06 | Workington | 45-33 | Berwick |
| 09/06 | Berwick | 42-36 | Workington |
| 31/05 | Teesside | 48-30 | Sunderland |
| 08/06 | Sunderland | 38-40 | Teesside |
| 09/06 | Rayleigh | 46-32 | Hull |
| 30/05 | Hull | 43-34 | Rayleigh |
| 07/06 | Long Eaton | 48-30 | Canterbury |
| 09/06 | Canterbury | 42-36 | Long Eaton |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 24/06 | Boston | 50-28 | Peterborough |
| 29/06 | Peterborough | 37-41 | Boston |
| 04/07 | Bradford | 48-30 | Birmingham |
| 02/07 | Birmingham | 47-31 | Bradford |
| 27/07 | Workington | 53-25 | Teesside |
| 26/07 | Teesside | 44-33 | Workington |
| 21/07 | Rayleigh | 49-29 | Long Eaton |
| 26/07 | Long Eaton | 36-42 | Rayleigh |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 19/08 | Boston | 46-32 | Bradford |
| 22/08 | Bradford | 43-35 | Boston |
| 30/08 | Workington | 60-18 | Rayleigh |
| 18/08 | Rayleigh | 43-35 | Workington |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Boston were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 89–66.

## Leading final averages

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Lou Sansom | Workington | 10.50 |
| 2 | Alan Knapkin | Bradford Northern | 10.03 |
| 3 | Jack Millen | Sunderland | 9.74 |
| 4 | Ken McKinlay | Scunthorpe | 9.69 |
| 5 | Carl Glover | Boston | 9.62 |

## Riders' Championship

Arthur Price won the Rider's Championship, held at Wimbledon Stadium on 6 October.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
| 1 | Arthur Price | 3 2 1 3 3 | 12+3 |
| 2 | Bobby McNeil | 2 3 3 1 3 | 12+2 |
| 3 | Lou Sansom | 3 1 2 3 3 | 12+1 |
| 4 | Bruce Forrester | 3 3 3 2 f | 11 |
| 5 | Dave Baugh | 3 2 3 3 f | 11 |
| 6 | Mike Broadbanks | 1 0 3 3 3 | 10 |
| 7 | Richard Greer | 2 3 1 2 2 | 10 |
| 8 | Graham Drury | 0 3 2 2 2 | 9 |
| 9 | Arthur Browning | 1 1 2 1 2 | 7 |
| 10 | Barney Kennett | 1 0 1 2 1 | 5 |
| 11 | Geoff Bouchard | 0 2 0 1 2 | 5 |
| 12 | Ken McKinlay | ef 2 2 0 | 4 |
| 13 | Dave Morton | 2 1 ex | 3 |
| 14 | Jim Wells (res) | 2 0 0 1 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Willie Templeton (res) | 1 0 1 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Tom Owen | fx 0 f 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Dave Mills | 1 f | 1 |
| 18 | Bob Young (res) | 1 f | 1 |
* f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure

## Riders & final averages

Barrow
* Tom Owen 8.32
* Mike Sampson 8.31
* Terry Kelly 7.40
* Sid Sheldrick 6.98
* Chris Bailey 6.97
* Craig Pendlebury 6.50
* Joe Owen 6.21
* Chris Roynon 5.69
* Keith Evans 5.60
Berwick
* Doug Templeton 8.12
* Willie Templeton 7.38
* Andy Meldrum 7.09
* Graham Jones 4.81
* Chris Quigley 4.55
* Denny Morter 4.17
* Ettienne Olivier 4.15
* Rob Hollingworth 4.00
* Geoff Davies 2.98
* Dennis Jackson 2.14
Birmingham
* Arthur Browning 8.85
* Ted Howgego 8.62
* George Major 8.29
* John Hart 8.29
* Phil Herne 7.59
* Mike Lanham 7.23
* Malcolm Corradine 7.21
* Steve Wilson 5.78
* Terry Shearer 5.26
* Alan Grahame 3.29
Boston
* Carl Glover 9.62
* Arthur Price 9.14
* Jim Ryman 8.42
* Russ Osborne 7.85
* Dave Piddock 7.81
* Ray Bales 7.28
* David Gagen 6.94
* Tony Featherstone 6.88
* Les Glover 3.40
Bradford
* Alan Knapkin 10.03
* Dave Baugh 9.23
* Robin Adlington 7.93
* Tony Featherstone 7.74
* Brenton Langlois 5.71
* Mick Fairbairn 5.65
* Colin Meredith 5.37
* Mike Fullerton 4.75
* Tony Freegard 4.67
* Rob Maxfield 4.40
* Rod Chessell 3.45
Canterbury
* Barney Kennett 7.38
* Peter Murray 6.90
* Ted Hubbard 6.75
* Derek Cook 6.41
* Trevor Jones 6.33
* Graham Banks 5.96
* Dave Piddock 5.71
* Les Rumsey 5.71
* Gary Cottham Sr. 4.61
* Dave Gooderham 4.30
Chesterton
* Mike Broadbank 9.24
* Mick Handley 6.70
* Geoff Pusey 6.20
* Alan Bridgett 5.90
* Roger Parker 5.70
* Brian Woodward 5.52
* Cyril Francis 5.11
* Martin Yeates 4.76
* Nigel Wasley 4.15
Crewe
* John Jackson 8.55
* Geoff Ambrose 8.50
* Dave Morton 8.44
* Wayne Forrest 5.44
* Glyn Taylor 5.29
* Ian Cartwright 4.88
* Keith White 4.68
* Peter Thompson 3.78
* Cliff Anderson 3.26
Eastbourne
* Bobby McNeil 9.34
* Roger Johns 8.59
* Paul Gachet 7.32
* Trevor Geer 6.26
* Mike Vernam .5.62
* Neil Middleditch 4.82
* Eric Dugard 4.54
* Jimmy Squibb 4.17
Ellesmere Port
* Graham Drury 9.03
* Paul O'Neal 7.94
* Robbie Gardner 6.99
* Colin Goad 6.51
* Chris Morton 6.29
* Barry Booth 4.35
* Gerald Smitherman 4.24
* Roger Austin 4.14
* Wayne Hughes 3.40
* Paul Callaghan 2.29
Hull
* Dave Mills 9.29
* Tony Childs 8.49
* Alan Cowland 7.66
* Robin Amundson 7.60
* Dennis Gavros 5.55
* Pete Boston 4.58
* Dennis Wasden 4.42
* Kelvin Mullarkey 4.31
* Clark Facey 4.00
* Grahame Dawson 3.17
* Roger Austin 2.80
* Eddie Argall 1.94
Long Eaton
* Roger Mills 8.28
* Geoff Bouchard 8.20
* Norman Strachan 7.41
* Phil Bass 6.93
* Dave Harvey 6.18
* Alan Molyneux 5.55
* Alan Witt 5.55
* Joe Hughes 4.51
* Steve Bass 4.00
* Mick Moore 3.65
* Ian Teale 2.48
Peterborough
* Richard Greer 8.96
* John Davis 8.86
* Frank Smith 7.31
* Brian Clark 7.27
* Ted Howgego 6.40
* Roy Carter 6.07
* Jack Walker 5.72
* Roy Sizmore 4.00
* Ken Matthews 2.63
Rayleigh
* Peter Moore 8.30
* Bob Young 7.04
* Trevor Barnwell 6.59
* Dave "Tiger" Beech 6.12
* Les Ott 5.87
* Brian Foote 5.75
* Terry Stone 5.27
* Peter Cairns 4.96
* Pete Wigley 4.56
* Dingle Brown 4.29
* Steve Clarke 3.58
Scunthorpe
* Ken McKinlay 9.69
* Ian Hindle 8.18
* Dingle Brown 6.18
* Rod Haynes 5.87
* Jack Bywater 5.40
* Doug Underwood 4.64
* Rex Garrod 4.58
* Chris Emery 3.30
Sunderland
* Jack Millen 9.74
* Dave Gatenby 7.56
* Jim Wells 7.44
* Russ Dent 6.21
* George Barclay 6.10
* Terry Barclay 4.66
* Brian Havelock 4.64
* Peter Wrathall 4.07
* John Robson 1.14
Teesside
* Bruce Forrester 9.15
* Frank Auffret 8.61
* Roger Wright 7.47
* Pete Reading 6.85
* Dave Durham 6.35
* Tim Swales 6.12
* Russ Hodgson 5.38
* Tom Black 4.95
* Mick Moore 4.00
Workington
* Lou Sansom 10.50
* Malcolm MacKay 8.88
* Mitch Graham 8.07
* Taffy Owen 7.44
* Kym Amundson 5.51
* Steve Watson 5.41
* Bernie Hornby 3.57
* Darryl Stobbart 3.53