# 1977 British League season

The 1977 Gulf British League season was the 43rd season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 13th season known as the British League.

## Summary

Newport had dropped down to the National League but their riders transferred to the Bristol Bulldogs so the league retained 19 teams. Cradley Heath reverted to their nickname of Heathens after four years of being called United. The league was sponsored by Gulf Oil for a third season.
White City Rebels won the title in only their second season of existence. The London team caused a surprise with their consistent form throughout the season with heavy scoring of Gordon Kennett leading the team. The success came from a group of five other riders hitting around a seven average to support Kennett. The five were Englishmen Mike Sampson, Steve Weatherley and Trevor Geer, Pole Marek Cieślak and Finn Kai Niemi. Wolverhampton Wolves signed 18 year-old Danish rider Hans Nielsen.
Kevin Holden of Poole Pirates had started the season in great form for his new club, following his move from Exeter Falcons. He was hitting over a 9-point average but sadly was killed during the home match against Reading on 27 April. After sliding into the fence he ruptured a blood vessel of the heart.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | White City Rebels | 36 | 27 | 1 | 8 | 55 |
| 2 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 53 |
| 3 | Reading Racers | 36 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 53 |
| 4 | Ipswich Witches | 36 | 25 | 1 | 10 | 51 |
| 5 | Belle Vue Aces | 36 | 19 | 3 | 14 | 41 |
| 6 | King's Lynn Stars | 36 | 19 | 2 | 15 | 40 |
| 7 | Cradley Heathens | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 40 |
| 8 | Coventry Bees | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 39 |
| 9 | Wimbledon Dons | 36 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 36 |
| 10 | Poole Pirates | 36 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 36 |
| 11 | Swindon Robins | 36 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 35 |
| 12 | Bristol Bulldogs | 36 | 17 | 0 | 19 | 34 |
| 13 | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 34 |
| 14 | Hull Vikings | 36 | 15 | 0 | 21 | 30 |
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 28 |
| 16 | Hackney Hawks | 36 | 13 | 1 | 22 | 27 |
| 17 | Halifax Dukes | 36 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 24 |
| 18 | Birmingham Brummies | 36 | 8 | 0 | 28 | 16 |
| 19 | Leicester Lions | 36 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 12 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points

## Fixtures and results

| Home \ Away | BV | BIR | BRI | COV | CH | EX | HAC | HAL | HV | IPS | KL | LEI | PP | RR | SHE | SWI | WC | WIM | WOL |
| Belle Vue | | 44–34 | 41–37 | 47–31 | 54–23 | 25–53 | 51–27 | 51–27 | 38–39 | 26–52 | 45–33 | 56.5–21.5 | 47–31 | 39–39 | 46–32 | 46–32 | 37–41 | 39–39 | 50–28 |
| Birmingham | 33–45 | | 43–35 | 41–37 | 38–40 | 35–42 | 40–38 | 43–32 | 38–40 | 31–47 | 36–42 | 44–34 | 35–43 | 37–41 | 40–38 | 41–37 | 34–44 | 41–37 | 25–53 |
| Bristol | 40–38 | 47–31 | | 59–19 | 48–30 | 35–42 | 48–30 | 43–35 | 47–31 | 44–34 | 43–34 | 58–20 | 45–33 | 57–21 | 43–35 | 42–36 | 40–38 | 36–41 | 42–36 |
| Coventry | 39–39 | 46–31 | 48–30 | | 42–36 | 42–36 | 57–21 | 44–34 | 58–20 | 45–32 | 45–33 | 57–20 | 47–30 | 45–32 | 54–24 | 43–35 | 31–47 | 48–29 | 46–32 |
| Cradley Heath | 36–42 | 49–29 | 51–26 | 40–38 | | 43–35 | 55–23 | 52–25 | 44–33 | 37–41 | 41–33 | 48–29 | 50–27 | 41–37 | 50–28 | 36–42 | 33.5–44.5 | 48–30 | 38–40 |
| Exeter | 32–46 | 58–20 | 54–23 | 52–26 | 57–21 | | 52–26 | 48–30 | 53–25 | 53–25 | 47–31 | 52–26 | 56–21 | 59–19 | 42–36 | 56–22 | 46–32 | 42–36 | 54–24 |
| Hackney | 42–36 | 44–34 | 43–35 | 35–39 | 25–53 | 41–37 | | 39–32 | 42–36 | 48–30 | 33–45 | 47–31 | 42–36 | 33–45 | 46–32 | 50–28 | 37.5–40.5 | 45–33 | 41–37 |
| Halifax | 32–46 | 52–26 | 45–33 | 48–30 | 36–42 | 34–44 | 54–24 | | 48–30 | 44–34 | 40–38 | 49–29 | 48–30 | 36–42 | 46–32 | 49–28 | 38–40 | 41–36 | 37–41 |
| Hull | 36–42 | 51–27 | 42–36 | 44–33 | 44–34 | 36–42 | 48–30 | 48–30 | | 44–34 | 38–40 | 41–37 | 47–31 | 31–47 | 52–26 | 41–37 | 38–40 | 43–35 | 52–26 |
| Ipswich | 41–37 | 49–28 | 44–34 | 46–32 | 43–35 | 41–37 | 47–30 | 44–34 | 44–34 | | 45–33 | 54–24 | 58–20 | 49–29 | 46–32 | 47–31 | 41–37 | 44–34 | 55–23 |
| King's Lynn | 42–35 | 43–35 | 45–33 | 43–34 | 37–41 | 38–40 | 49–28 | 52–26 | 52–26 | 38–40 | | 44–33 | 47–31 | 42–36 | 48–30 | 47–31 | 39–39 | 41–37 | 42–36 |
| Leicester | 36–42 | 44–34 | 35–42 | 27–51 | 38–40 | 33–45 | 42–36 | 45–33 | 43–35 | 36–42 | 36–42 | | 38–40 | 37–41 | 36–42 | 41–37 | 37–40 | 40–37 | 34–44 |
| Poole | 41–36 | 44–33 | 55–23 | 48–30 | 36–42 | 50–28 | 50–27 | 53–25 | 48–30 | 33–41 | 39–39 | 54–24 | | 42–36 | 48–30 | 42–36 | 35–43 | 44–34 | 40–38 |
| Reading | 42–36 | 52–26 | 49–29 | 40–38 | 40–38 | 39–39 | 47–31 | 57–21 | 42–36 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 49–29 | 39–39 | | 49–29 | 44–34 | 43–35 | 47–31 | 43–35 |
| Sheffield | 49–29 | 46–32 | 49–29 | 43–35 | 42–36 | 39–39 | 39–39 | 43–35 | 44.5–33.5 | 49–29 | 43–35 | 42–35 | 46–32 | 37–40 | | 54–23 | 51–27 | 44–34 | 45–33 |
| Swindon | 50–28 | 47–31 | 51–27 | 44.5–33.5 | 41–37 | 39–39 | 51–27 | 62–15 | 46–32 | 41–37 | 40–38 | 43–35 | 47–31 | 32–46 | 52–26 | | 46–32 | 50–27 | 50–28 |
| White City | 43–35 | 49–29 | 49–26 | 40–37 | 51–27 | 47–31 | 61–17 | 53–24 | 54–24 | 42–36 | 37–41 | 50–28 | 46–32 | 36–41 | 46–32 | 52–26 | | 42–36 | 42–36 |
| Wimbledon | 40–38 | 48–30 | 43–35 | 47–31 | 48–30 | 41–36 | 47–31 | 50–27 | 47–31 | 39–39 | 44–34 | 43–35 | 47–31 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 39–38 | 38–40 | | 43–35 |
| Wolverhampton | 37–41 | 43–35 | 47–31 | 35–43 | 35–40 | 31–47 | 40–38 | 52–26 | 39–38 | 37–41 | 44–33 | 39–38 | 36–42 | 31–47 | 48–30 | 40–38 | 35–43 | 40–38 | |

## Top ten riders (league averages)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Michael Lee | King's Lynn | 10.64 |
| 2 | Ivan Mauger | Exeter | 10.62 |
| 3 | Peter Collins | Belle Vue | 10.49 |
| 4 | Gordon Kennett | White City | 10.41 |
| 5 | Ole Olsen | Coventry | 10.40 |
| 6 | Billy Sanders | Ipswich | 10.39 |
| 7 | Anders Michanek | Cradley | 10.35 |
| 8 | Dave Jessup | Reading | 10.27 |
| 9 | Malcolm Simmons | Poole | 10.22 |
| 10 | John Davis | Reading | 9.84 |

## British League Knockout Cup

The 1977 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 39th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. King's Lynn Stars were the winners.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 18/05 | Poole | 41-37 | Reading |
| 25/04 | Exeter | 50-28 | Swindon |
| 25/04 | Reading | 43-35 | Poole |
| 15/04 | Wolverhampton | 51-27 | Leicester |
| 12/04 | Leicester | 40-38 | Wolverhampton |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 23/07 | Halifax | 38-40 | Reading |
| 22/07 | Wolverhampton | 41-37 | Kings Lynn |
| 28/06 | White City | 51-27 | Birmingham |
| 20/06 | Birmingham | 34-44 | White City |
| 18/06 | Coventry | 57-21 | Exeter |
| 18/06 | Kings Lynn | 55-23 | Wolverhampton |
| 17/06 | Bristol | 56-22 | Wimbledon |
| 16/06 | Wimbledon | 48-30 | Bristol |
| 13/06 | Exeter | 38-40 | Coventry |
| 09/06 | Sheffield | 46-32 | Hackney |
| 08/06 | Hull | 46-32 | Cradley Heath |
| 11/06 | Cradley Heath | 42-36 | Hull |
| 03/06 | Hackney | 49-29 | Sheffield |
| 02/06 | Ipswich | 38-40 | Belle Vue |
| 30/05 | Reading | 53-25 | Halifax |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 22/08 | Reading | 51-27 | Belle Vue |
| 08/08 | White City | 50-28 | Coventry |
| 06/08 | Kings Lynn | 42-36 | Hackney |
| 05/08 | Bristol | 52-26 | Hull |
| 03/08 | Coventry | 43-35 | White City |
| 03/08 | Hull | 49-29 | Bristol |
| 29/07 | Hackney | 34-44 | Kings Lynn |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 14/10 | Bristol | 42-36 | Reading |
| 10/10 | Reading | 47-31 | Bristol |
| 24/09 | Kings Lynn | 44-34 | White City |
| 21/09 | White City | 42-34 | Kings Lynn |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
King's Lynn Stars were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 79-77.

## Riders' Championship

Ole Olsen won the British League Riders' Championship for the third time, it was held at Hyde Road on 15 October and sponsored by Leyland Cars.
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Ole Olsen | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Peter Collins | 3 3 3 2 3 | 14 |
| 3 | Michael Lee | 3 2 2 3 3 | 13 |
| 4 | Ivan Mauger | 3 2 2 2 3 | 12 |
| 5 | Ila Teromaa | 2 3 1 3 2 | 11 |
| 6 | Edward Jancarz | 2 1 3 2 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Jim McMillan | 1 3 1 1 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Doug Wyer | 1 0 2 2 2 | 7 |
| 9 | Bob Kilby | 0 2 3 1 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Dave Jessup | 2 0 2 1 0 | 5 |
| 11 | Phil Herne | 1 1 0 3 0 | 5 |
| 12 | Chris Pusey | 0 2 1 0 1 | 4 |
| 13 | Gordon Kennett | 1 1 1 0 1 | 4 |
| 14 | Ray Wilson | 0 EF 0 1 2 | 3 |
| 15 | Billy Sanders | EF 1 0 0 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Graham Drury | 2 0 0 0 0 | 2 |
* ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded

## Pairs

The British League Pairs Championship was held at Foxhall Stadium on 29 September and was won by Ipswich Witches for the second consecutive year.
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Ipswich Witches | 26 | Billy Sanders 14, John Louis 12 |
| 2 | King's Lynn Stars | 23 | Michael Lee 18, David Gagen 5 |
| 3 | White City Rebels | 20 | Gordon Kennett 13, Steve Weatherley 7 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 17 | Jim McMillan 10, Finn Thomsen 7 |
| 5 | Reading Racers | 17 | Dave Jessup 10, John Davis 7 |
| 6 | Belle Vue Aces | 12 | Alan Wilkinson 8, Chris Morton 4 |
| 7 | Sheffield Tigers | 11 | Craig Pendlebury 6, Doug Wyer 5 |

## Final leading averages

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Michael Lee | King's Lynn | 10.59 |
| 2 | Ole Olsen | Coventry | 10.52 |
| 3 | Ivan Mauger | Exeter | 10.50 |
| 4 | Peter Collins | Belle Vue | 10.46 |
| 5 | Gordon Kennett | White City | 10.41 |
| 6 | Anders Michanek | Cradley | 10.35 |
| 7 | Dave Jessup | Reading | 10.32 |
| 8 | Malcolm Simmons | Poole | 10.27 |
| 9 | Billy Sanders | Ipswich | 10.18 |
| 10 | John Davis | Reading | 9.80 |

## Midland Cup

Coventry won the Midland Cup for the second consecutive year. The competition consisted of six teams and was sponsored by the Trustee Savings Bank.
First round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Birmingham | Swindon | 36–42, 26–52 |
| Leicester | Cradley | 38–40, 31–47 |
Semi final round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Coventry | Swindon | 54–24, 48–29 |
| Cradley | Wolverhampton | 51–27, 38–40 |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Coventry won on aggregate 89–67

## London Cup

White City Rebels won the London Cup. Two of their fixtures doubled up as League and Knockout Cup matches.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | White City | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 161 | 150 | 6 |
| 2 | Wimbledon | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 170 | 141 | 5 |
| 3 | Hackney | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 136 | 176 | 1 |
Results
| Team | Score | Team |
| White City | 42–36 | Wimbledon |
| White City | 46–32 | Hackney |
| Wimbledon | 51–27 | Hackney |
| Wimbledon | 44–33 | White City |
| Hackney | 38–40 | White City |
| Hackney | 39–39 | Wimbledon |

## Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
* Peter Collins 10.46
* Chris Morton 8.96
* Alan Wilkinson 8.56
* Les Collins 7.87
* Russ Hodgson 5.90
* Derek Richardson 5.07
* Chris Turner 4.18
* Kristian Praestbro 3.72
* Jim Brett 3.61
* Steve Lawson 2.30
Birmingham
* Ray Wilson 8.74
* Alan Grahame 6.36
* Richard Greer 5.58
* Lou Sansom 5.00
* Jan Terje Gravningen 4.95
* Malcolm Shakespeare 4.75
* Carl Askew 4.56
* Stuart Mountford 4.10
* Finn Jensen 3.44
Bristol
* Phil Crump 9.77
* Phil Herne 9.23
* Steve Gresham 7.12
* Tormod Langli 6.39
* Nigel Boocock 6.06
* Phil Bass 4.61
* Danny Kennedy 4.56
* Edgar Stangeland 3.71
* Tom Leadbitter 3.19
* Tony Garard 3.17
* Brian Woodward 2.00
Coventry
* Ole Olsen 10.52
* Mitch Shirra 8.22
* Alan Molyneux 7.92
* Mick Bell 7.79
* Alf Busk 6.38
* Tommy Nilsson 6.23
* Frank Smith 3.85
* Dave Mortiboys 2.00
Cradley Heath
* Anders Michanek 10.35
* Bernt Persson 8.34
* Steve Bastable 7.86
* Bruce Cribb 6.54
* Bob Valentine 6.50
* Dave Perks 6.00
* Arthur Price 5.61
Exeter
* Ivan Mauger 10.50
* Scott Autrey 9.13
* Václav Verner 8.59
* John Titman 8.25
* Mike Farrell 6.48
* Steve Koppe 6.33
* Peter Prinsloo 6.21
* Walter Grubmuller 4.00
Hackney
* Dave Morton 8.67 (5 matches only)
* Keith White 7.45
* Barry Thomas 6.51
* Ted Hubbard 6.34
* Bent Rasmussen 4.68
* Vic Harding 4.19
* Tony Featherstone 4.07
* Laurie Etheridge 3.88
Halifax
* Chris Pusey 8.11
* Henny Kroeze 7.37
* Mike Lohmann 7.14
* Ian Cartwright 6.13
* Graham Plant 6.10
* Mick McKeon 4.83
* Steve Finch 4.81
* Tom Godal 3.80
* Geoff Pusey 2.81
Hull
* Graham Drury 8.63
* Bobby Beaton 8.01
* Joe Owen 6.61
* Tom Owen 6.00
* Mike Curoso 5.44
* Frank Auffret 5.23
* Mitch Graham 4.69
* Phil Kynman 3.05
Ipswich
* Billy Sanders 10.18
* John Louis 9.50
* Tony Davey 7.97
* Andy Hines 5.40
* Kevin Jolly 5.24
* Ted Howgego 5.13
* Mike Lanham 5.07
* Dave Gooderham 4.62
King's Lynn
* Michael Lee 10.59
* Terry Betts 9.78
* Ian Turner 7.36
* David Gagen 5.93
* Richard Hellsen 5.17
* Carl Glover 4.48
* Paul Tyrer 4.07
* Billy Spiers 3.25
* Billy Burton 2.17
Leicester
* Ila Teromaa 8.92
* John Boulger 8.42
* Garry Middleton 6.68
* Bolesław Proch 5.17
* Pepe Teromaa 4.74
* Doug Underwood 4.04
* Tommy Pettersson 4.00
* Ray Bales 3.89
* Markku Helminen 3.33
* Reidar Eide 3.24
* Adi Funk 2.96
* Chris Robins 2.96
* John McNeill 2.29
Poole
* Malcolm Simmons 10.27
* Christer Sjösten 7.47
* Eric Broadbelt 7.02
* Neil Middleditch 6.30
* Colin Gooddy 5.54
* Richard May 4.98
* Pete Smith 4.56
* Martin Yeates 4.52
Reading
* Dave Jessup 10.32
* John Davis 9.80
* Bengt Jansson 6.80
* Bob Humphreys 6.05
* Bernie Leigh 5.88
* Hans Wassermann 5.58
* Bolesław Proch 4.85
* Doug Underwood 4.37
* Ian Gledhill 3.26
* Glyn Taylor 2.53
Sheffield
* Doug Wyer 9.15
* Reg Wilson 8.84
* Craig Pendlebury 6.56
* Arnold Haley 5.43
* Keith Evans 5.05
* Tony Boyle 4.31
* Carl Glover 3.95
* Billy Burton 3.25
Swindon
* Martin Ashby 9.72
* Bob Kilby 8.74
* Jan Andersson 7.61
* Bobby McNeil 6.67
* Geoff Bouchard 5.49
* Soren Karlsson 5.48
* David Ashby 4.77
* Kevin Young 3.04
White City
* Gordon Kennett 10.41
* Mike Sampson 7.35
* Steve Weatherley 7.32
* Marek Cieślak 7.15
* Kai Niemi 6.85
* Trevor Geer 6.84
* Ian Clark 5.07
* Dave Kennett 4.70
Wimbledon
* Edward Jancarz 9.61
* Mick Hines 7.80
* Colin Richardson 7.74
* Larry Ross 7.32
* Stefan Salomonsso 5.47
* Roger Johns 5.46
* Graeme Stapleton 4.23
* Brendan Shiletto 3.67
* Rudy Muts 2.80
* Rob Jones 2.40
Wolverhampton
* Jimmy McMillan 8.68
* Finn Thomsen 8.17
* Hans Nielsen 7.25
* George Hunter 5.70
* Sören Sjösten 5.33
* Rob Hollingworth 4.69
* Steve Lomas 2.76