# 1976 National League season

The 1976 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom having been renamed from the previous season's moniker of New National League.

## Summary

The league was reduced from 20 teams down to 18, following the loss of three teams and gain of one. Birmingham Brummies moved up to the British League and Bradford Barons and Crewe Kings both closed down. Sadly for Crewe the team would never return. The additional team was the Oxford Cheetahs, who had returned to their traditional name following a three year period known as the Oxford Rebels. The Rebels team and promoters had moved to White City during the winter but Oxford were saved by new promoters Harry Bastable and Tony Allsop after a committee of fans had created a "Save Our Stadium" campaign over the previous winter.
Newcastle Diamonds comfortably won their first National League title, completing a cup double, and dropping only seven points. The Owen brothers Joe Owen and Tom Owen topped the averages for the second consecutive year. Joe finished with an 11+ average and won the British League Division Two Riders Championship and Newcastle completed the league and cup double.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Newcastle Diamonds | 34 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 61 |
| 2 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 34 | 24 | 1 | 9 | 49 |
| 3 | Workington Comets | 34 | 20 | 1 | 13 | 41 |
| 4 | Canterbury Crusaders | 34 | 20 | 0 | 14 | 40 |
| 5 | Rye House Rockets | 34 | 17 | 2 | 15 | 36 |
| 6 | Crayford Kestrels | 34 | 17 | 1 | 16 | 35 |
| 7 | Coatbridge Tigers | 34 | 17 | 1 | 16 | 35 |
| 8 | Eastbourne Eagles | 34 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| 9 | Peterborough Panthers | 34 | 16 | 2 | 16 | 34 |
| 10 | Berwick Bandits | 34 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| 11 | Stoke Potters | 34 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 31 |
| 12 | Boston Barracudas | 34 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 31 |
| 13 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 34 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 31 |
| 14 | Oxford Cheetahs | 34 | 14 | 1 | 19 | 29 |
| 15 | Weymouth Wizards | 34 | 11 | 2 | 21 | 24 |
| 16 | Paisley Lions | 34 | 12 | 0 | 22 | 24 |
| 17 | Scunthorpe Saints | 34 | 11 | 1 | 22 | 23 |
| 18 | Teesside Tigers | 34 | 10 | 0 | 24 | 20 |

## Fixtures and results

| Home \ Away | BER | BOS | CAN | COA | CRY | EAS | EP | MIL | NEW | OX | PAI | PET | RH | SCU | STO | TEE | WEY | WOR |
| Berwick | | 47–31 | 39–38 | 44–33 | 52–25 | 45–33 | 41–37 | 48–30 | 36–40 | 46–32 | 48–29 | 46–32 | 44–34 | 48–30 | 46–32 | 51–27 | 42–36 | 49–29 |
| Boston | 52–26 | | 57–21 | 47–31 | 41–37 | 54–24 | 38–40 | 41–37 | 34–44 | 40–37 | 46–32 | 40–38 | 40–38 | 43–32 | 39–39 | 52–26 | 43–35 | 42–36 |
| Canterbury | 51–27 | 46–31 | | 54–24 | 38–40 | 45–32 | 58–20 | 46–32 | 38–40 | 53–25 | 57–21 | 46–32 | 44–34 | 47–31 | 40–37 | 63–14 | 49–29 | 40–38 |
| Coatbridge | 48–29 | 51–26 | 56–22 | | 60–18 | 45–32 | 40–37 | 56–22 | 32–46 | 40–38 | 43–35 | 47–31 | 42–35 | 47–31 | 41–37 | 53–24 | 56–19 | 38–40 |
| Crayford | 62–16 | 44–34 | 48–30 | 51–25 | | 36–42 | 51–27 | 45–33 | 40–38 | 49–27 | 51–27 | 39–39 | 40–38 | 58–29 | 46–32 | 50–27 | 54–24 | 46–29 |
| Eastbourne | 50–26 | 42–36 | 53–24 | 59–19 | 57–21 | | 50–28 | 45–33 | 38–40 | 49–29 | 54–24 | 41–36 | 45–33 | 59–19 | 52–26 | 46–32 | 55–23 | 41–35 |
| Ellesmere Port | 40–38 | 43–35 | 57–21 | 57–21 | 47–31 | 42–35 | | 55–23 | 42–36 | 51–27 | 52–26 | 46–32 | 56–22 | 45–32 | 55–23 | 49–29 | 55–23 | 38.5–38.5 |
| Mildenhall | 42–36 | 38–40 | 55–23 | 41–37 | 40–37 | 50–28 | 34–44 | | 41–37 | 48–30 | 50–28 | 38–40 | 48–30 | 43–35 | 40–38 | 49–28 | 48–30 | 41–37 |
| Newcastle | 43–35 | 53–25 | 62–16 | 52–26 | 53–25 | 55–23 | 48–30 | 54–24 | | 54–24 | 55–22 | 47–31 | 57–21 | 57–21 | 53–25 | 60–18 | 57–21 | 46–32 |
| Oxford | 56–22 | 42–36 | 41–37 | 49–29 | 42–36 | 53–25 | 47–30 | 41–37 | 30–48 | | 56–22 | 44–34 | 39–39 | 41–37 | 50–27 | 43–35 | 51–27 | 35–43 |
| Paisley | 35–43 | 52–25 | 38–40 | 29–49 | 43–35 | 41–37 | 32–46 | 53–24 | 25–53 | 48–30 | | 49–29 | 43–35 | 48–29 | 40–37 | 50–27 | 48–30 | 49–29 |
| Peterborough | 47–31 | 44–33 | 47–31 | 39–39 | 60–18 | 49–29 | 36–42 | 49–29 | 36–42 | 40–0+ | 60–18 | | 47–30 | 45–33 | 42–36 | 46–32 | 52–26 | 46–32 |
| Rye House | 59–19 | 48–30 | 38–40 | 53–23 | 40–38 | 44–33 | 36–39 | 49–29 | 39–39 | 46–32 | 59–19 | 53–25 | | 53–25 | 42–35 | 50–28 | 54.5–23.5 | 55–23 |
| Scunthorpe | 41–36 | 50–28 | 38–40 | 48–29 | 41–37 | 48–30 | 38–40 | 47–31 | 25–53 | 43–35 | 46–31 | 37–41 | 14–16+ | | 49–27 | 54–24 | 39–39 | 34–43 |
| Stoke | 53–25 | 43–35 | 43–35 | 42–36 | 43–33 | 43–35 | 40–38 | 45–33 | 29–49 | 45–33 | 57–21 | 41–37 | 42–36 | 38–40 | | 40–38 | 37–41 | 55–23 |
| Teesside | 45–32 | 40–38 | 37–41 | 45–33 | 36–42 | 41–37 | 33–45 | 37–40 | 36–42 | 43–34 | 60–18 | 43–35 | 32–45 | 40–38 | 40–38 | | 48–29 | 34–43 |
| Weymouth | 42–33 | 43–34 | 38–40 | 38–40 | 41–37 | 49–29 | 38–40 | 39–39 | 33–45 | 41–36 | 55–23 | 46–32 | 34–43 | 50–28 | 37–41 | 44–34 | | 41–37 |
| Workington | 46–32 | 46–32 | 48–30 | 50–27 | 44–34 | 57–21 | 44–33 | 50–28 | 34–44 | 50–28 | 45–33 | 56–22 | 52–26 | 53–25 | 40–38 | 48–30 | 55–22 | |
+Oxford/Scunthorpe refused to ride

## Top five riders (league averages)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Joe Owen | Newcastle | 11.55 |
| 2 | Tom Owen | Newcastle | 10.28 |
| 3 | Steve Weatherley | Eastbourne | 10.27 |
| 4 | John Jackson | Ellesmere Port | 10.20 |
| 5 | Laurie Etheridge | Crayford | 9.96 |

## National League Knockout Cup

The 1976 Speedway Star Knockout Cup was the ninth edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Newcastle Diamonds were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 22/04 | Oxford | 48-30 | Weymouth |
| 20/04 | Weymouth | 40-38 | Oxford |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 01/06 | Ellesmere Port | 46-32 | Paisley |
| 27/05 | Stoke | 37-41 | Newcastle |
| 24/05 | Newcastle | 59-19 | Stoke |
| 23/05 | Mildenhall | 38-40 | Peterborough |
| 22/05 | Paisley | 36-42 | Ellesmere Port |
| 21/05 | Peterborough | 42-36 | Mildenhall |
| 17/05 | Scunthorpe | 43-35 | Berwick |
| 16/05 | Eastbourne | 41-37 | Oxford |
| 16/05 | Workington | 46-32 | Coatbridge |
| 14/05 | Coatbridge | 33-45 | Workington |
| 13/05 | Oxford | 47-31 | Eastbourne |
| 11/05 | Crayford | 46-32 | Boston |
| 09/05 | Boston | 48-30 | Crayford |
| 02/05 | Rye House | 45-32 | Canterbury |
| 01/05 | Berwick | 45-32 | Scunthorpe |
| 01/05 | Canterbury | 44-34 | Rye House |
| 23/04 | Coatbridge | 52-25 | Teesside |
| 22/04 | Teesside | 46-32 | Coatbridge |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 23/07 | Workington | 46-31 | Boston |
| 20/07 | Ellesmere Port | 50-28 | Rye House |
| 18/07 | Rye House | 38-39 | Ellesmere Port |
| 17/07 | Berwick | 48-30 | Oxford |
| 11/07 | Boston | 48-29 | Workington |
| 08/07 | Oxford | 40-38 | Berwick |
| 05/07 | Newcastle | 47-31 | Peterborough |
| 25/06 | Peterborough | 39-39 | Newcastle |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 05/09 | Boston | 42-35 | Berwick |
| 28/08 | Berwick | 49-29 | Boston |
| 17/08 | Ellesmere Port | 41-37 | Newcastle |
| 16/08 | Newcastle | 46-31 | Ellesmere Port |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Newcastle were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 83–72.

## Riders' Championship

Joe Owen won the Riders' Championship, sponsored by Gauloises and held at Wimbledon Stadium on 2 October.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
| 1 | Joe Owen | 3 3 3 3 2 | 14 |
| 2 | John Jackson | 3 3 0 3 3 | 12+3 |
| 3 | Ted Hubbard | 1 2 3 3 3 | 12+2 |
| 4 | Alan Emerson | 2 2 3 2 2 | 11 |
| 5 | Steve Weatherley | 2 3 1 3 1 | 10 |
| 6 | Brian Clark | 2 2 2 1 3 | 10 |
| 7 | Lou Sansom | 3 0 2 2 2 | 9 |
| 8 | Rob Hollingworth | 1 1 1 2 3 | 8 |
| 9 | Les Rumsey | 3 0 2 1 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Bob Coles | 1 1 2 1 2 | 7 |
| 11 | Brian Collins | 2 3 0 0 1 | 6 |
| 12 | Laurie Etheridge | 1 2 3 0 0 | 6 |
| 13 | Martin Yeates | 0 1 0 1 1 | 3 |
| 14 | Graham Jones | 0 1 1 0 0 | 2 |
| 15 | Carl Askew (res) | 0 2 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Keith Evans | 0 0 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Les Collins | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Ian Williams (res) | 0 0 0 | 0 |
* f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure

## Pairs

The National League Pairs was held at Hyde Road on 5 June and was won by Ellesmere Port Gunners.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Ellesmere P | 11 | Jackson 7 Turner 4 |
| 2 | Eastbourne | 10 | Weatherley 9 Jarman 1 |
| 3 | Peterborough | 10 | Clark 7 Featherstone 3 |
| 4 | Teesside | 5 | Emerson 5 Reading 0 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Newcastle | 15 | Owen J 9 Owen T 6 |
| 2 | Boston | 9 | Burton 5 Hollingworth 4 |
| 3 | Scunthorpe | 8 | Featherstone 6 Baugh 3 |
| 4 | Coatbridge | 4 | Dawson 3 Collins 1 |
Group C :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Workington | 11 | Sansom 6 Goad 5 |
| 2 | Paisley | 9 | Farquharson 9 Sheldrick 0 |
| 3 | Berwick | 8 | Hiftle 5 Adlington 3 |
| 4 | Rye House | 8 | Hubbard 7 Foote 1 |
Group D :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Mildenhall | 12 | Coles 8 Jolly 4 |
| 2 | Stoke | 10 | Collins L 8 Millen 2 |
| 3 | Weymouth | 9 | Yeates 8 Harding 1 |
| 4 | Crayford | 5 | Etheridge 4 Johns 1 |
Semi finals
* Ellesmere Port bt Workington
* Newcastle bt Mildenhall
Final
* Ellesmere Port bt Newcastle

## Fours

Newcastle won the fours championship final, held at King's Lynn Stadium on 17 July.
Semi finals
* SF1 = Ellesmere Port 17, Workington 15, Rye House 10, Peterborough 5
* SF2 = Newcastle 17, Eastbourne 13, Coatbridge 9, Boston 9
Final
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Newcastle | 18 | Owen T 6, Owen J 6, Cusworth 3, Michelides 3 |
| 2 | Eastbourne | 13 | Weatherley 5, Sampson 4, Richardson 4, Dugard 0, Jarman 0 |
| 3 | Ellesmere Port | 12 | Jackson 6, Gardner 3, Turner 2, Finch 1 |
| 4 | Workington | 5 | Lawson 4, Goad 1, Havelock 0, Kelly 0 |

## Leading final averages

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Joe Owen | Newcastle | 11.54 |
| 2 | Tom Owen | Newcastle | 10.43 |
| 3 | Steve Weatherley | Eastbourne | 10.35 |
| 4 | John Jackson | Ellesmere Port | 10.08 |
| 5 | Laurie Etheridge | Crayford | 9.87 |

## Riders & final averages

Berwick
* Graham Jones 8.12
* Dave Gifford 7.91
* Mike Hiftle 7.17
* Robin Adlington 6.84
* Willie Templeton 6.63
* Eddie Argall 6.54
* Keith Williams 2.00
* Peter Waite 1.80
* Wayne Brown 1.71
Boston
* Rob Hollingworth 9.63
* Billy Burton 8.26
* Paul Gilbert 6.58
* Stuart Cope 5.82
* Trevor Whiting 5.57
* Chris Emery 5.56
* Steve Clarke 5.28
* Ron Cooper 5.00
* Dave Allen 3.46
Canterbury
* Graham Banks 8.06
* Steve Koppe 7.85
* Les Rumsey 7.50
* Barney Kennett 6.84
* Graham Clifton 6.55
* Reg Luckhurst 6.51
* Bob Spelta 5.47
* Terry Casserley 5.13
Coatbridge
* Brian Collins 9.09
* Grahame Dawson 7.91
* Mick McKeon 6.79
* Jimmy Gallacher 5.68
* Derek Richardson 5.65
* Max Brown 5.18
* Doug Templeton 5.18
* Rob Maxfield 5.02
* Benny Rourke 4.83
* John Wilson 2.93
Crayford
* Laurie Etheridge 9.87
* Alan Sage 8.78
* Mike Broadbank 7.33
* Pete Wigley 7.22
* Alan Johns 6.54
* Trevor Barnwell 5.71
* Bill Archer 5.45
* Richard Davey 4.71
* Gary Spencer 4.10
* John Hooper 3.09
* Dave Shepherd 2.77
Eastbourne
* Steve Weatherley 10.35
* Eric Dugard 7.03
* Pete Jarman 6.75
* Colin Richardson 6.50
* Mike Sampson 6.49
* Ian Gledhill 6.43
* Steve Naylor 5.45
* Roger Abel 5.27
* Ian Fletcher 4.32
Ellesmere Port
* John Jackson 10.08
* Chris Turner 9.35
* Steve Finch 8.07
* Robbie Gardner 7.45
* Duncan Meredith 6.09
* Gerald Smitherman 5.80
* Phil Collins 4.33
* Geoff Jones 3.71
* Louis Carr 2.78
Mildenhall
* Bob Coles 9.21
* Kevin Jolly 8.41
* Trevor Jones 7.88
* Alan Cowland 6.24
* Fred Mills 5.67
* John Gibbons 5.54
* Stan Stevens 5.13
* Robert Henry 4.93
* Mick Bates 4.81
* Neil Leeks 3.54
Newcastle
* Joe Owen 11.54
* Tom Owen 10.43
* Ron Henderson 8.33
* Phil Micheledies 7.54
* Brian Havelock 7.51
* Andy Cusworth 7.40
* Robbie Blackadder 6.20
* Tim Swales 5.91
Oxford
* Carl Askew 8.03
* Brian Leonard 7.33
* Phil Bass 7.14
* Mick Handley 7.02
* Malcolm Corradine 6.10
* Roy Sizmore 5.91
* Jim Wells 5.88
* Kevin Young 5.47
* Steve Holden 3.69
Paisley
* Colin Farquharson 8.22
* Mick Fishwick 6.99
* Stuart Mountford 6.79
* Mike Fullerton 5.37
* Alan Bridgett 5.17
* Sid Sheldrick 5.10
* Malcolm Chambers 3.96
* Chris Roynon 3.91
* Mick Sheldrick 3.83
* Colin Caffrey 3.16
* Tom Davie 2.34
Peterborough
* Brian Clark 9.37
* Tony Featherstone 8.11
* Ian Clark 6.93
* Roy Carter 6.85
* Ken Matthews 6.53
* Steve Taylor 6.42
* Kevin Hawkins 5.33
* Nigel Couzens 5.11
* Alan Cowland 4.24
* Paul Cooper 4.19
* Russ Osborne 4.15
Rye House
* Ted Hubbard 9.17
* Kelvin Mullarkey 7.55
* Hugh Saunders 7.47
* Brian Foote 7.03
* Karl Fiala 6.73
* Bobby Garrad 6.13
* Bob Cooper 5.11
* Ashley Pullen 4.91
Scunthorpe
* Keith Evans 9.27
* Andy Hines 6.77
* Tony Boyle 5.97
* Phil Kynman 5.72
* Colin Cook 5.34
* Sid Sheldrick 5.10
* Ray Watkins 4.98
* Tony Gillias 4.75
Stoke
* Les Collins 9.31
* Jack Millen 7.90
* Malcolm Corradine 7.35
* Ricky Day 6.07
* Jim Brett 5.74
* Mick Newton 5.69
* Steve McDermott 5.33
* Tim Nunan 5.01
* Colin Meredith 4.82
Teesside
* Alan Emerson 8.41
* Tom Leadbitter 7.67
* Steve Wilcock 5.85
* Pete Reading 5.54
* Andy Cowan 5.27
* Pete Smith 4.92
* Nigel Close 4.78
* John Robson 2.95
* Martyn Cusworth 2.50
Weymouth
* Martin Yeates 8.69
* Vic Harding 7.18
* Chris Robins 7.07
* Gerald Purkiss 6.25
* Danny Kennedy 5.82
* Billy Spiers 5.32
* Garry May 3.51
* Trevor Vincent/Charley 3.94
* Jack Walker 3.54
* Roger Stratton 3.47
Workington
* Lou Sansom 8.77
* Steve Lawson 8.72
* Taffy Owen 8.07
* Colin Goad 7.67
* Brian Havelock 7.67
* Roger Wright 6.54
* Terry Kelly 5.57
* Chris Bevan 3.80
* Stewart Collin 3.16