# 1982 National League season

In 1982 the National League, also known as British League Division Two, was the second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom.

## Summary

Long Eaton Invaders replaced Workington Comets, after the latter withdrew from the league before the start of the season. Wolverhampton Wolves were unable to form a team and would not race for two seasons.
The league champions were Newcastle Diamonds.
Milton Keynes rider Brett Alderton was killed in an accident during the second half of a league meeting at King's Lynn. The 18-year old Australian sustained a fatal head injury on 17 April.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Newcastle Diamonds | 36 | 30 | 0 | 6 | 60 |
| 2 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 36 | 26 | 1 | 9 | 53 |
| 3 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 36 | 25 | 0 | 11 | 50 |
| 4 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 36 | 24 | 1 | 11 | 49 |
| 5 | Weymouth Wildcats | 36 | 22 | 1 | 13 | 45 |
| 6 | Rye House Rockets | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 44 |
| 7 | Long Eaton Invaders | 36 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 41 |
| 8 | Boston Barracudas | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 39 |
| 9 | Berwick Bandits | 36 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 37 |
| 10 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 17 | 0 | 19 | 34 |
| 11 | Glasgow Tigers | 36 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 32 |
| 12 | Milton Keynes Knights | 36 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 29 |
| 13 | Peterborough Panthers | 36 | 13 | 2 | 21 | 28 |
| 14 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 36 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 28 |
| 15 | Crayford Kestrels | 36 | 13 | 0 | 23 | 26 |
| 16 | Canterbury Crusaders | 36 | 12 | 1 | 23 | 25 |
| 17 | Scunthorpe Stags | 36 | 11 | 2 | 23 | 24 |
| 18 | Stoke Potters | 36 | 11 | 1 | 24 | 23 |
| 19 | Oxford Cheetahs | 36 | 7 | 3 | 26 | 17 |

## Top Five Riders (League Averages)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Joe Owen | Newcastle | 11.09 |
| 2 | Simon Wigg | Weymouth | 10.67 |
| 3 | Steve Lawson | Glasgow | 10.40 |
| 4 | Rod Hunter | Newcastle | 10.22 |
| 5 | Bob Garrad | Rye House | 9.86 |

## National League Knockout Cup

The 1982 National League Knockout Cup was the 15th 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 |
| 11/05 | Milton Keynes | 47-49 | Oxford |
| 06/05 | Oxford | 54-42 | Milton Keynes |
| 27/04 | Weymouth | 60-36 | Canterbury |
| 24/04 | Canterbury | 54-42 | Weymouth |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 24/06 | Oxford | 39-56 | Mildenhall |
| 07/06 | Scunthorpe | 51-45 | Peterborough |
| 31/05 | Rye House | 35-25 | Crayford |
| 31/05 | Long Eaton | 67-29 | Berwick |
| 29/05 | Berwick | 67-29 | Long Eaton |
| 26/05 | Edinburgh | 53-43 | Ellesmere Port |
| 26/05 | Mildenhall | 62-34 | Oxford |
| 25/05 | Crayford | 33-62 | Rye House |
| 24/05 | Newcastle | 55-41 | Middlesbrough |
| 23/05 | Boston | 59-37 | Stoke |
| 22/05 | Stoke | 42-54 | Boston |
| 21/05 | Ellesmere Port | 60-36 | Edinburgh |
| 21/05 | Peterborough | 58-38 | Scunthorpe |
| 20/05 | Middlesbrough | 53-43 | Newcastle |
| 18/05 | Weymouth | 62-34 | Exeter |
| 17/05 | Exeter | 60-36 | Weymouth |
| 30/06 replay | Long Eaton | 62-34 | Berwick |
| 06/06 replay | Berwick | 67-29 | Long Eaton |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 07/08 | Berwick | 64-32 | Ellesmere Port |
| 30/07 | Ellesmere Port | 69-26 | Berwick |
| 29/07 | Weymouth | 53-43 | Peterborough |
| 26/07 | Newcastle | 62-34 | Boston |
| 18/07 | Boston | 47-49 | Newcastle |
| 11/07 | Rye House | 60-35 | Mildenhall |
| 10/07 | Mildenhall | 56-39 | Rye House |
| 02/07 | Peterborough | 48-48 | Weymouth |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 05/09 | Rye House | 59-37 | Ellesmere Port |
| 31/08 | Weymouth | 35-61 | Newcastle |
| 20/08 | Ellesmere Port | 71-25 | Rye House |
| 16/08 | Newcastle | 63-32 | Weymouth |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Newcastle were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 118–74.

## Riders' Championship

Joe Owen won the Riders' Championship, sponsored by the Daily Mirror and held at Wimbledon Stadium on 18 September 1982.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
| 1 | Joe Owen | 3 3 3 3 2 | 14 |
| 2 | Steve Lomas | 3 3 3 3 | 12 |
| 3 | Bob Garrad | 1 3 2 3 2 | 11 |
| 4 | Andy Hines | 2 3 2 3 | 10 |
| 5 | Keith White | 0 1 2 3 3 | 9 |
| 6 | Derek Harrison | 2 3 2 1 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Steve Lawson | 2 0 1 2 3 | 8 |
| 8 | Andy Campbell | 1 2 3 1 1 | 8 |
| 9 | Dave Trownson | 0 2 1 2 2 | 7 |
| 10 | Alan Molyneux | 2 2 2 0 | 6 |
| 11 | Martin Yeates | 3 0 0 0 2 | 5 |
| 12 | Barry Thomas | 3 0 1 1 0 | 5 |
| 13 | Steve Wilcock | 3 1 1 0 | 5 |
| 14 | Barney Kennett | 1 1 2 0 1 | 5 |
| 15 | John Jackson | 2 1 0 1 0 | 4 |
| 16 | Steve McDermott | 1 0 0 1 | 2 |

## Pairs

The National League Pairs was held at Abbey Stadium on 28 August and was won by Weymouth Wildcats.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Weymouth | 15 | Yeates 8 Wigg 7 |
| 2 | Boston | 8 | Hollingworth 6 Lomas 2 |
| 3 | Glasgow | 7 | Lawson 4 McKinna 3 |
| 4 | Crayford | 6 | Thomas 3 Sage 3 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Newcastle | 15 | Hunter 9 Owen J 6 |
| 2 | Mildenhall | 9 | Bales 5 Harrison 4 |
| 3 | Peterborough | 9 | Allen 5 Hines 4 |
| 4 | Berwick | 0 | McDermott 0 Cribb 0 |
Group C :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Middlesbrough | 11 | Dixon 9 Wilcock 2 |
| 2 | Milton K | 11 | Featherby 8 White 3 |
| 3 | Ellesmere P | 8 | Jackson 5 Finch 3 |
| 4 | Canterbury | 6 | Kennett 5 Clark 1 |
Group D :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Long Eaton | 13 | Perks 8 Molyneux 5 |
| 2 | Rye House | 11 | Garrad 6 Cox 5 |
| 3 | Exeter | 7 | Campbell 5 Millard 2 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 5 | Trownson 5 Blacka 0 |
Semi finals
* Weymouth bt Middlesbrough
* Long Eaton bt Newcastle
Final
* Weymouth bt Long Eaton

## Fours

Newcastle Diamonds won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Arena on 25 July.
Semi finals
* SF1 = Newcastle 16, Middlesbrough 12, Ellesmere Port 10, Peterborough 10
* SF2 = Mildenhall 15, Rye House 14, Oxford 12, Exeter 7
Final
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Newcastle | 17 | Owen 6, Beaton 4, Hunter 4, Emerson 3 |
| 2 | Mildenhall | 15 | Henry 5, Knight 5, Bales 4, Harrison 1 |
| 3 | Middlesbrough | 13 | Dixon 5, Wilcock 4, Pusey 2, Spink 2 |
| 4 | Rye House | 3 | Mullarkey 2, Naylor 1, Garrad 0, Bryenton 0 |

## Leading final averages

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Joe Owen | Newcastle | 11.01 |
| 2 | Steve Lawson | Glasgow | 10.40 |
| 3 | Simon Wigg | Weymouth | 10.36 |
| 4 | Rod Hunter | Newcastle | 10.12 |
| 5 | Bob Garrad | Rye House | 9.85 |

## Riders & final averages

Berwick
* Steve McDermott 8.83
* Bruce Cribb 7.85
* Brian Collins 7.24
* George Hunter 7.23
* Paul Thorp 6.47
* Rob Grant Sr. 6.12
* Mike Caroline 5.45
* Rob Carter 2.75
Boston
* Steve Lomas 9.17
* David Gagen 9.09
* Rob Hollingworth 8.86
* Dennis Mallett 5.94
* David Blackburn 4.71
* Guy Wilson 4.68
* Peter Framingham 4.19
* Robbie McGregor 3.60
* Chris Cole 2.97
Canterbury
* Barney Kennett 8.66
* Denzil Kent 7.74
* Ian Clark 7.64
* Darryl Simpson 5.18
* Keith Pritchard 4.46
* Kevin Brice 4.36
* Nigel Couzens 4.36
* Mark Martin 3.74
Crayford
* Barry Thomas 8.75
* Trevor Banks 7.62
* Mike Spinks 6.83
* Alan Sage 6.48
* Alan Mogridge 5.96
* Laurie Etheridge 5.67
* Paul Bosley 5.22
* Mike Pither 5.02
* Trevor Barnwell 3.53
* Chris Tritton 3.23
* Andy Galvin 2.40
Edinburgh
* Dave Trownson 9.21
* Eric Broadbelt 7.05
* Brett Saunders 7.03
* Ivan Blacka 6.54
* Benny Rourke 6.00
* Chris Turner 5.95
* Mark Fiora 5.69
* Roger Lambert 4.36
* Ian Westwell 2.87
* Sean Courtney 2.53
Ellesmere Port
* John Jackson 9.15
* Steve Finch 8.56
* Rob Maxfield 7.26
* Eric Monaghan 6.97
* Phil Alderman 5.98
* Billy Burton 5.98
* Glen Parrott 4.91
* Rob Tate 4.63
Exeter
* John Barker 9.07
* Les Sawyer 8.56
* Andy Campbell 8.38
* Keith Millard 8.18
* Bob Coles 6.54
* Keith Wright 4.67
* Steve Bishop 4.37
* Mike Semmonds 3.72
* Dave Brewer 3.43
Glasgow
* Steve Lawson 10.40
* Kenny McKinna 8.78
* Colin Caffrey 5.92
* Harry Maclean 4.53
* Rob Carter .86
* Kym Mauger 3.67
* Alan Mason 3.65
* Martin McKinna 2.64
* Des Wilson 1.71
Long Eaton
* Alan Molyneux 9.35
* Paul Stead 8.41
* Dave Perks 7.94
* Nigel Close 6.63
* Paul Evitts 6.46
* Nicky Allott 6.20
* Mark Summerfield 5.03
* David Blackburn 4.56
Middlesbrough
* Martin Dixon 9.39
* Steve Wilcock 9.27
* Mike Spink 7.67
* Geoff Pusey 7.34
* Paul Price 5.21
* Rob Woffinden 4.86
* Alan Armstrong 4.33
* Peter Spink 3.61
* Bernie Collier 1.64
Mildenhall
* Derek Harrison 9.33
* Ray Bales 8.78
* Richard Knight 8.32
* Mick Bates 7.65
* Robert Henry 7.62
* Carl Baldwin 7.59
* Andy Warne 4.48
* Carl Blackbird 4.44
Milton Keynes
* Keith White 8.09
* Andy Hibbs 8.00
* Craig Featherby 7.25
* Nigel Sparshott 7.03
* Steve Payne 6.29
* Tony Featherstone 5.60
* Paul Clarke 4.08
Newcastle
* Joe Owen 11.01
* Rod Hunter 10.12
* Bobby Beaton 9.01
* Alan Emerson 7.81
* Keith Bloxsome 7.35
* Tom Owen 7.12
* Robbie Foy 3.65
* Barry Shearer 1.47
Oxford
* Ashley Pullen 7.73
* Graham Drury 7.54
* Colin Ackroyd 7.42
* Simon Cross 6.88
* Kevin Smart 5.13
* Wayne Jackson 5.10
* Brian Woodward 4.83
* John Frankland 4.50
* Gary Chessell 3.90
* Bill Barrett 3.14
* Mick Handley 3.06
* Mick Fletcher 2.15
Peterborough
* Andy Hines 8.64
* Dave Allen 8.26
* Mick Hines 7.33
* Andy Buck 6.38
* Andy Fisher 5.49
* Ian Barney 5.38
* Neil Cotton 3.06
Rye House
* Bobby Garrad 9.85
* Marvyn Cox 8.87
* Kelvin Mullarkey 7.78
* Steve Naylor 7.72
* Peter Johns 4.95
* Andy Fines 4.68
* Steve Bryenton 4.31
* Garry Monk 3.04
Scunthorpe
* Mike Wilding 7.88
* Kevin Teager 7.18
* Nigel Crabtree 7.07
* Rob Woffinden 5.97
* Derek Richardson 5.74
* Julian Parr 5.45
* Terry Kelly 5.11
* Ian Gibson 4.13
* Mark DeKok 4.09
Stoke
* Rod North 7.24
* Pete Smith 6.91
* Mark Collins 6.53
* Mike Sampson 6.05
* Ian Robertson 6.01
* Brian Havelock 5.69
* Arthur Browning 5.36
* Pete Ellams 5.31
* Jim Burdfield 4.41
* Steve Sant 3.32
Weymouth
* Simon Wigg 10.36
* Martin Yeates 8.46
* Steve Schofield 7.10
* Terry Tulloch 6.72
* Les Rumsey 6.39
* Stan Bear 6.00
* John McNeill 5.69
* Steve Crockett 3.56
* Mark Minett 2.86
* Rob Mather 2.85