# 1977 National League season

The 1977 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom.

## Summary

Newport had moved down from the British League. Their riders were transferred to Bristol Bulldogs but they acquired new riders and were renamed Newport Dragons. Paisley Lions dropped out so the league had 19 teams, the same as the previous season. Part way through the season, Coatbridge Tigers relocated and changed name to Glasgow Tigers after being kicked out of Cliftonhill.
Eastbourne Eagles won the National League title, completing a league and cup double. Eastbournes's star rider was Colin Richardson, who won the Riders' Championship and averaged 10.70 for the season. He was backed up by Mike Sampson, who also surpassed a 10 average and Dave Kennett (8.37 average) and a member of Eastbourne's 1971 winning team.
Joe Owen, the leading rider of 1976 had moved from champions Newcastle Diamonds to join British League side Hull Vikings. Newcastle were unable to compensate for the loss and finished in 6th place, despite Joe's brother Tom Owen finishing top of the averages.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Eastbourne Eagles | 36 | 29 | 0 | 7 | 58 |
| 2 | Rye House Rockets | 36 | 24 | 3 | 9 | 51 |
| 3 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 36 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 46 |
| 4 | Canterbury Crusaders | 36 | 23 | 0 | 13 | 46 |
| 5 | Peterborough Panthers | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 44 |
| 6 | Newcastle Diamonds | 36 | 21 | 1 | 14 | 43 |
| 7 | Boston Barracudas | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 40 |
| 8 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 36 | 16 | 4 | 16 | 36 |
| 9 | Teesside Tigers | 36 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 35 |
| 10 | Crayford Kestrels | 36 | 17 | 0 | 19 | 34 |
| 11 | Glasgow Tigers | 36 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 32 |
| 12 | Newport Dragons | 36 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 32 |
| 13 | Oxford Cheetahs | 36 | 15 | 1 | 20 | 31 |
| 14 | Scunthorpe Saints | 36 | 15 | 1 | 20 | 31 |
| 15 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 36 | 15 | 0 | 21 | 30 |
| 16 | Workington Comets | 36 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 29 |
| 17 | Weymouth Wizards | 36 | 11 | 3 | 22 | 25 |
| 18 | Berwick Bandits | 36 | 11 | 1 | 24 | 23 |
| 19 | Stoke Potters | 36 | 9 | 0 | 27 | 18 |

## Fixtures and results

| Home \ Away | BER | BOS | CAN | CRY | EAS | ED | EP | GLA | MIL | ND | NW | OX | PET | RH | SCU | STO | TEE | WEY | WOR |
| Berwick | | 47–31 | 36–42 | 44–34 | 31–47 | 43–35 | 36–42 | 37–41 | 39–39 | 41–37 | 42–36 | 44–34 | 54–24 | 35–43 | 38–40 | 46–31 | 51–27 | 40–38 | 47–31 |
| Boston | 60–17 | | 53–25 | 47–31 | 42–36 | 52–26 | 45–32 | 48–28 | 54–24 | 41–37 | 44–34 | 58–20 | 41–36 | 38–40 | 57–21 | 46–32 | 49–29 | 45–33 | 46–32 |
| Canterbury | 59–19 | 41–37 | | 43–34 | 41–37 | 57–21 | 42–35 | 50–27 | 49–29 | 47–31 | 45–32 | 50–28 | 40–38 | 52–26 | 44–33 | 45–33 | 58–20 | 57–21 | 46–31 |
| Crayford | 47–31 | 43–34 | 44–34 | | 29–49 | 52–26 | 46–30 | 54–23 | 50–28 | 40–36 | 47–31 | 49–29 | 48–30 | 37–38 | 48–30 | 41–37 | 52–26 | 45–33 | 56–22 |
| Eastbourne | 62–16 | 57–20 | 49–29 | 51–26 | | 49–29 | 49–29 | 60–18 | 61–17 | 52–26 | 59–19 | 53–25 | 54–24 | 51–27 | 57–21 | 59–19 | 59–19 | 54–24 | 63–15 |
| Edinburgh | 53–25 | 45–33 | 37–41 | 44–34 | 30–48 | | 31–47 | 42–36 | 40–38 | 35–42 | 52–26 | 43–33 | 54–24 | 38–40 | 40–38 | 40–37 | 52–25 | 45–33 | 45–33 |
| Ellesmere Port | 47–31 | 40–37 | 44–34 | 51–24 | 43–35 | 45–33 | | 48–30 | 39–39 | 42–36 | 61–17 | 46–32 | 36–42 | 50–28 | 43–35 | 41–37 | 55–23 | 43–35 | 44–34 |
| Glasgow/Coatbridge | 45–33 | 43–11 | 49–29 | 39–37 | 32–46 | 44–34 | 38–40 | | 54–24 | 37–41 | 47–31 | 42–36 | 48–29 | 38–40 | 45–33 | 46–32 | 52–25 | 45–33 | 50–28 |
| Mildenhall | 64–14 | 43–35 | 42–35 | 45–33 | 38–40 | 48–30 | 39–39 | 50–28 | | 45–32 | 43–34 | 44–34 | 34–44 | 42–36 | 44–34 | 46–32 | 52–26 | 45–33 | 37–41 |
| Newcastle | 53–25 | 50–28 | 47–31 | 48–30 | 39–37 | 45–33 | 46–32 | 50–28 | 51–27 | | 52–26 | 47–31 | 56–22 | 36–42 | 53–25 | 43–35 | 38–40 | 43–34 | 59–18 |
| Newport | 49–29 | 40–37 | 34–44 | 41–37 | 36–42 | 46–32 | 43–35 | 59–19 | 44–34 | 50–28 | | 41–31 | 45–33 | 42–36 | 48–30 | 42–35 | 59–19 | 43–34 | 46–32 |
| Oxford | 53–24 | 38–40 | 41–37 | 47–31 | 44–34 | 43–35 | 43–35 | 60–18 | 39–39 | 41–37 | 58–19 | | 51–27 | 38–37 | 38–40 | 44–34 | 53–25 | 44–33 | 51–27 |
| Peterborough | 60–18 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 53–25 | 42–36 | 47–31 | 42–36 | 56–22 | 53–25 | 40–38 | 52–26 | 51–27 | | 44–34 | 57–21 | 44–34 | 43–35 | 55–23 | 49–29 |
| Rye House | 63–14 | 38–40 | 43–35 | 45–33 | 31–47 | 56–22 | 39–38 | 44–34 | 46–32 | 44–34 | 59–19 | 45–30 | 49–29 | | 51–27 | 49–29 | 50–28 | 49–29 | 56–22 |
| Scunthorpe | 53–25 | 42–35 | 47–31 | 49–29 | 33–45 | 32–46 | 29–49 | 40–37 | 44–34 | 30–47 | 51–27 | 40–37 | 22–56 | 39–39 | | 40–38 | 49–29 | 42–36 | 58–20 |
| Stoke | 52–26 | 40.5–37.5 | 38–40 | 38–40 | 24–54 | 37–41 | 38–40 | 42–36 | 34–44 | 33–45 | 47–31 | 41–37 | 33–45 | 38–40 | 48–29 | | 32–45 | 43.5–33.5 | 41–37 |
| Teesside | 41–36 | 46–31 | 35–43 | 42–36 | 40–38 | 40–38 | 35–43 | 41–37 | 42–26 | 42–35 | 45–33 | 40–38 | 49–29 | 39–39 | 51–27 | 44–34 | | 44–34 | 47–31 |
| Weymouth | 47–31 | 34.5–43.5 | 49–29 | 40–38 | 37–41 | 41–37 | 40–36 | 38–40 | 38–40 | 39–39 | 45–33 | 41–37 | 41–37 | 39–39 | 53–25 | 35–43 | 46–32 | | 39–39 |
| Workington | 46–32 | 48–30 | 44–34 | 41–36 | 37–41 | 48–29 | 40–37 | 41–37 | 45–33 | 31–45 | 49–29 | 43–35 | 46–32 | 35–43 | 34–44 | 54–23 | 50–28 | 34–44 | |

## Top five riders (league averages)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Tom Owen | Newcastle | 11.01 |
| 2 | Colin Richardson | Eastbourne | 10.70 |
| 3 | Martin Yeates | Oxford | 10.59 |
| 4 | John Jackson | Ellesmere Port | 10.22 |
| 5 | Mike Sampson | Eastbourne | 10.18 |

## National League Knockout Cup

The 1977 National League Knockout Cup was the tenth edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Eastbourne Eagles were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 03/04 | Eastbourne | 55–23 | Canterbury |
| 23/04 | Canterbury | 26–52 | Eastbourne |
| 14/04 | Oxford | 44–34 | Rye House |
| 17/04 | Rye House | 44–34 | Oxford |
| 22/04 | Edinburgh | 48–30 | Scunthorpe |
| 25/04 | Scunthorpe | 43–34 | Edinburgh |
| 02/06 replay | Oxford | 45–32 | Rye House |
| 29/05 replay | Rye House | 42–36 | Oxford |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 15/05 | Eastbourne | 54–23 | Crayford |
| 03/05 | Crayford | 35–43 | Eastbourne |
| 22/05 | Newcastle | 49–29 | Glasgow |
| 29/04 | Glasgow | 47–30 | Newcastle |
| 17/05 | Ellesmere Port | 46–32 | Workington |
| 03/06 | Workington | 42–36 | Ellesmere Port |
| 12/06 | Oxford | 50–28 | Newport |
| 23/06 | Newport | 41–37 | Oxford |
| 28/05 | Berwick | 46–32 | Teesside |
| 02/06 | Teesside | 44–34 | Berwick |
| 27/05 | Edinburgh | 44–34 | Stoke |
| 21/05 | Stoke | 40–38 | Edinburgh |
| 22/05 | Boston | 43–34 | Weymouth |
| 24/05 | Weymouth | 35–43 | Boston |
| 20/05 | Peterborough | 44–34 | Mildenhall |
| 22/05 | Mildenhall | 38–40 | Peterborough |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 10/07 | Eastbourne | 54–24 | Newcastle |
| 08/08 | Newcastle | 34–43 | Eastbourne |
| 26/07 | Ellesmere Port | 46½-31½ | Oxford |
| 14/07 | Oxford | 37–41 | Ellesmere Port |
| 25/06 | Berwick | 46–32 | Edinburgh |
| 15/07 | Edinburgh | 41–37 | Berwick |
| 17/07 | Boston | 45–33 | Peterborough |
| 01/07 | Peterborough | 40–38 | Boston |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 25/09 | Eastbourne | 57–21 | Ellesmere Port |
| 02/09 | Ellesmere Port | 50–28 | Eastbourne |
| 27/08 | Berwick | 45–33 | Boston |
| 19/08 | Boston | 38–40 | Berwick |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Eastbourne were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 98–57.

## Riders' Championship

Colin Richardson won the Riders' Championship, sponsored by Gauloises and held at Wimbledon Stadium on 24 September.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
| 1 | Colin Richardson | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Martin Yeates | 3 3 2 3 2 | 13+3 |
| 3 | Tom Owen | 3 3 3 3 1 | 13+2 |
| 4 | Kelvin Mullarkey | 3 2 3 2 2 | 12 |
| 5 | Rob Hollingworth | 2 3 1 2 3 | 11 |
| 6 | John Jackson | 2 3 1 2 3 | 10 |
| 7 | Steve Koppe | 1 2 1 2 3 | 9 |
| 8 | Laurie Etheridge | 2 1 0 2 2 | 7 |
| 9 | Stuart Mountford | 0 0 2 1 2 | 5 |
| 10 | Bert Harkins | 1 1 1 1 1 | 5 |
| 11 | Alan Emerson | 0 0 0 1 3 | 4 |
| 12 | Danny Kennedy | 0 2 2 0 ex | 4 |
| 13 | Brian Woodward | 2 0 1 1 0 | 4 |
| 14 | Brian Collins | 0 1 2 0 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Bob Coles | 1 1 0 ef 0 | 3 |
| 16 | Steve Lawson | 1 0 f 0 1 | 2 |
| 17 | Ian Clark (res) | 0 | 0 |
* f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure

## Pairs

The National League Pairs was held at Hyde Road on 4 June and was won by Boston Barracudas.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Oxford | 10 | Yeates 9 Handley 1 |
| 2 | Eastbourne | 9 | Richardson 5 Dugard 4 |
| 3 | Weymouth | 9 | Kennedy 6 Harding 3 |
| 4 | Mildenhall | 8 | Coles 7 Gibbons 1 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Canterbury | 12 | Koppe 6 Banks 6 |
| 2 | Stoke | 10 | Mountford 6 Nunan 4 |
| 3 | Workington | 10 | Lawson 8 Havelock 2 |
| 4 | Berwick | 4 | Jones 3 Gifford 1 |
Group C :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Newport | 13 | Brett 8 Woodward 5 |
| 2 | Ellesmere P | 12 | Jackson 9 Finch 3 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 8 | Owen T 4 Henderson 4 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 3 | Millen 2 Harkins 1 |
Group D :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Boston | 13 | Hollingworth 8 Cook 5 |
| 2 | Coatbridge | 13 | Collins B 8 Dawson 5 |
| 3 | Peterborough | 7 | Clark I 5 Couzens 2 |
| 4 | Teesside | 2 | Wilcock 2 Emerson 0 |
Semi finals
* Boston bt Canterbury
* Newport bt Oxford
Final
* Boston bt Newport

## Fours

Peterborough won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Arena on 7 August.
Semi finals
* SF1 = Eastbourne 21, Stoke 12, Ellesmere Port 8, Boston 7
* SF2 = Canterbury 18, Peterborough 14, Newcastle 9, Oxford 7
Final
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Peterborough Panthers | 17 | Clark I 6, Hawkins 5, Hines 5, Flatman 1, Clark B 0 |
| 2 | Canterbury Crusaders | 14 | Banks 6, Koppe 3, Spelta 3, Kennett 2 |
| 3 | Eastbourne Eagles | 13 | Richardson 5, Sampson 5, Dugard 2, Abel 1 |
| 4 | Stoke Potters | 4 | Mountford 2, Nunan 1, Gledhill 1, Robertson 0 |

## Leading final averages

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Tom Owen | Newcastle | 10.82 |
| 2 | Colin Richardson | Eastbourne | 10.63 |
| 3 | Martin Yeates | Oxford | 10.53 |
| 4 | Mike Sampson | Eastbourne | 10.09 |
| 5 | John Jackson | Ellesmere Port | 10.07 |

## Riders & final averages

Berwick
* Graham Jones 7.85
* Robin Adlington 7.01
* Mike Hiftle 6.65
* Willie Templeton 5.76
* Dave Gifford 5.69
* Terry Kelly 4.44
* Keith Williams 4.00
* Noel Suckling 3.86
* Wayne Brown 3.85
* Colin Caffrey 3.47
Boston
* Rob Hollingworth 9.90
* Carl Glover 7.84
* Colin Cook 7.68
* Paul Gilbert 7.04
* Steve Clarke 6.48
* Billy Burton 6.27
* Dave Piddock 5.75
* Dave Allen 5.45
* Stuart Cope 5.37
* Ron Cooper 5.25
Canterbury
* Steve Koppe 8.83
* Graham Banks 8.29
* Les Rumsey 8.18
* Bob Spelta 7.37
* Barney Kennett 6.44
* Brendan Shiletto 6.09
* Terry Casserley 5.55
* Graham Clifton 4.66
* Brian Canning 4.32
Coatbridge/Glasgow
* Brian Collins 8.94
* Mick McKeon 7.95
* Grahame Dawson 7.65
* Rob Maxfield 7.13
* Derek Richardson 5.41
* Merv Janke 4.75
* Benny Rourke 4.57
* Jimmy Gallacher 4.35
* Nicky Hollingworth 2.87
Crayford
* Laurie Etheridge 9.41
* Alan Sage 8.63
* Colin Gooddy 8.53
* Alan Johns 5.47
* John Hooper 4.63
* Mike Bessant 4.18
* Richard Davey 4.17
* Garry May 3.78
Eastbourne
* Colin Richardson 10.63
* Mike Sampson 10.09
* Dave Kennett 8.37
* Eric Dugard 8.25
* Peter Jarman 7.50
* Roger Abel 7.32
* Paul Woods 6.85
* Steve Naylor 6.63
Edinburgh
* Bert Harkins 8.09
* Jack Millen 7.80
* Charlie Monk 7.31
* Steve McDermott 6.37
* Dave Trownson 6.15
* Colin Farquharson 5.75
* Alan Bridgett 4.58
* Alan Morrison 4.48
* Des Allen 3.53
Ellesmere Port
* John Jackson 10.07
* Steve Finch 8.83
* Dave Mortiboys 7.43
* Phil Collins 7.23
* Duncan Meredith 5.64
* James Moore 4.93
* John Williams 4.90
* Louis Carr 4.03
* Paul Sheard 3.20
Mildenhall
* Bob Coles 8.81
* Trevor Jones 7.05
* Robert Henry 6.66
* Mike Spink 6.40
* Mick Bates 6.22
* Neil Leeks 5.83
* John Gibbons 5.66
* Fred Mills 5.64
* Melvyn Taylor 4.63
Newcastle
* Tom Owen 10.82
* Robbie Blackadder 8.61
* Ron Henderson 7.72
* Phil Kynman 7.22
* Robbie Gardner 6.35
* Neil Coddington .06
* Phil Micheledies 4.75
* Eddie Argall 4.43
* Rob Maxfield 2.78
* Robin Dixon 2.19
* Nigel Crabtree 1.47
Newport
* Jim Brett 8.84
* Brian Woodward 8.31
* John Goodall 7.61
* Mike Broadbank 6.52
* Cliff Anderson 5.26
* Chris Robins 5.18
* Malc Bedkober 5.00
* Dave Shepherd 2.88
Oxford
* Martin Yeates 10.53
* Phil Bass 7.13
* Kevin Young 6.82
* Colin Meredith 6.71
* Brian Leonard 6.53
* Mick Handley .6.00
* Malcolm Holloway 5.90
* Pip Lamb 4.99
* Gerald Smitherman 3.83
* Richie Caulwell 3.31
Peterborough
* Andy Hines 7.83
* Ian Clark 7.47
* Kevin Hawkins 7.37
* Nigel Flatman 7.00
* Brian Clark 6.99
* Nigel Couzens 6.46
* Ken Matthews 6.26
* Peter Spink 4.33
Rye House
* Kelvin Mullarkey 9.14
* Ted Hubbard 9.02
* Bobby Garrad 8.07
* Hugh Saunders 7.32
* Karl Fiala 6.22
* Ashley Pullen 6.11
* Peter Tarrant 6.00
* Bob Cooper 4.79
Scunthorpe
* Nicky Allott 8.29
* Arthur Browning 7.69
* John McNeill 7.22
* Sid Sheldrick 5.86
* Dave Baugh 5.76
* Trevor Whiting 5.09
* Paul Cooper 4.80
* Phil White 4.75
* Danny Young 4.21
Stoke
* Stuart Mountford 8.15
* Tim Nunan 7.3
* Ian Gledhill 6.67
* Carl Askew 6.49
* Ian Robertson 6.26
* Mick Fishwick 5.65
* Steve McDermott 5.29
* Rob Dole 4.50
* Colin Farquharson 4.11
* Ian Jeffcoate 3.86
* Trevor Vincent/Charley 3.37
Teesside
* Alan Emerson 8.56
* Steve Wilcock 6.84
* Pete Reading 6.16
* Pete Smith 6.09
* Nigel Close 5.14
* Martyn Cusworth 4.95
* John Robson 4.80
* Mike Beaumont 4.67
* Harry Maclean 2.56
Weymouth
* Danny Kennedy 8.65
* Vic Harding 7.95
* Malcolm Corradine 7.91
* Chris Robins 6.14
* Sean Willmott 5.65
* Rob Jones 5.59
* Geoff Swindells 5.27
* Richard Evans 5.24
* Chris Julian 4.77
* Roger Stratton 4.58
Workington
* Steve Lawson 8.19
* Brian Havelock 7.82
* Mick Newton 6.47
* Ian Hindle 6.37
* Roger Wright 5.61
* Colin Goad 5.49
* Terry Kelly 4.65
* Mark Dickinson 3.14
* Chris Bevan 3.04
* Andy Reid 3.04