# 1980 National League season

The 1980 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom.

## Summary

The league was increased from 19 teams to 20 from the previous season. Exeter Falcons dropped down from the British League to join the 19 incumbent sides.
Rye House Rockets who had been pipped to the title in the previous season in the last meeting, won the title by just one point from Newcastle Diamonds to win their first National League title. Rye House had managed to retain all of their top riders from the previous season and the solid performances of Bob Garrad, Karl Fiala, Kelvin Mullarkey and Kevin Smith for the second year running made up for the disappointment of 1979. Newcastle's second-place finish was remarkable bearing in mind that they had lost the league's leading rider Tom Owen to Hull Vikings in the highest division. Despite signing 1979 Riders' champion Ian Gledhill, the defending champions Mildenhall suffered after losing Melvyn Taylor and Mick Hines to other teams.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Rye House Rockets | 38 | 31 | 0 | 7 | 62 |
| 2 | Newcastle Diamonds | 38 | 30 | 1 | 7 | 61 |
| 3 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 38 | 27 | 2 | 9 | 56 |
| 4 | Berwick Bandits | 38 | 24 | 1 | 13 | 49 |
| 5 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 38 | 23 | 2 | 13 | 48 |
| 6 | Boston Barracudas | 38 | 23 | 2 | 13 | 48 |
| 7 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 38 | 21 | 2 | 15 | 44 |
| 8 | Peterborough Panthers | 38 | 21 | 0 | 17 | 42 |
| 9 | Crayford Kestrels | 37 | 20 | 1 | 16 | 41 |
| 10 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 38 | 20 | 1 | 17 | 41 |
| 11 | Glasgow Tigers | 38 | 19 | 2 | 17 | 40 |
| 12 | Exeter Falcons | 38 | 17 | 1 | 20 | 35 |
| 13 | Scunthorpe Stags | 38 | 15 | 1 | 22 | 31 |
| 14 | Nottingham Outlaws | 38 | 14 | 2 | 22 | 30 |
| 15 | Oxford Cheetahs | 38 | 14 | 1 | 23 | 29 |
| 16 | Stoke Potters | 38 | 14 | 0 | 24 | 28 |
| 17 | Weymouth Wildcats | 37 | 13 | 1 | 23 | 27 |
| 18 | Canterbury Crusaders | 38 | 10 | 4 | 24 | 24 |
| 19 | Milton Keynes Knights | 38 | 8 | 2 | 28 | 18 |
| 20 | Workington Comets | 38 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 4 |
* Crayford v Weymouth fixture was never ridden.

## National League Knockout Cup

The 1980 National League Knockout Cup was the 13th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Berwick Bandits were the winners of the competition for the first time, having been runners-up three times in the previous four seasons.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 03/05 | Berwick | 52-26 | Newcastle |
| 28/04 | Newcastle | 41-37 | Berwick |
| 25/05 | Mildenhall | 45-33 | Rye House |
| 26/05 | Rye House | 44-34 | Mildenhall |
| 04/05 | Boston | 54-24 | Stoke |
| 05/05 | Stoke | 27-51 | Boston |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 07/06 | Berwick | 46-32 | Ellesmere Port |
| 13/06 | Ellesmere Port | 42-36 | Berwick |
| 23/05 | Edinburgh | 42-34 | Glasgow |
| 25/05 | Glasgow | 40-37 | Edinburgh |
| 01/06 | Mildenhall | 46-32 | Nottingham |
| 18/06 | Nottingham | 37-41 | Mildenhall |
| 07/06 | Canterbury | 44-33 | Milton Keynes |
| 10/06 | Milton Keynes | 40-38 | Canterbury |
| 19/06 | Middlesbrough | 51-27 | Scunthorpe |
| 29/06 | Scunthorpe | 37-40 | Middlesbrough |
| 05/06 | Oxford | 40-37 | Weymouth |
| 27/06 | Weymouth | 40-38 | Oxford |
| 08/06 | Boston | 59-19 | Workington |
| 11/07 | Workington | 26-52 | Boston |
| 13/06 | Peterborough | 42-25 | Crayford |
| 22/07 | Crayford | 41-37 | Peterborough |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 20/07 | Berwick | 47-31 | Edinburgh |
| 18/07 | Edinburgh | 39-39 | Berwick |
| 23/07 | Mildenhall | 51-27 | Canterbury |
| 26/07 | Canterbury | 44-34 | Mildenhall |
| 24/07 | Middlesbrough | 45-33 | Oxford |
| 06/08 | Oxford | 32-46 | Middlesbrough |
| 31/08 | Boston | 50-27 | Peterborough |
| 12/09 | Peterborough | 39-39 | Boston |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 06/09 | Berwick | 52-26 | Mildenhall |
| 07/09 | Mildenhall | 41-37 | Berwick |
| 18/09 | Middlesbrough | 54-24 | Boston |
| 05/10 | Boston | 42-36 | Middlesbrough |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Berwick were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 79–76.

## Riders' Championship

Wayne Brown won the Riders' Championship, sponsored by Toshiba and held at Wimbledon Stadium on 28 September 1980.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
| 1 | Wayne Brown | 3 3 3 3 2 | 14 |
| 2 | Martin Yeates | 2 1 3 3 3 | 12 |
| 3 | Steve Finch | 2 2 2 3 3 | 12 |
| 4 | Gary Guglielmi | 3 0 3 1 3 | 10 |
| 5 | Paul Woods | 2 3 3 2 | 10 |
| 6 | Mike Ferreira | 3 1 2 2 2 | 10 |
| 7 | Mike Sampson | 3 2 2 2 1 | 10 |
| 8 | Rob Maxfield | 0 3 0 2 3 | 8 |
| 9 | Rod Hunter | 1 1 3 1 | 6 |
| 10 | Kelvin Mullarkey | 1 2 1 1 1 | 6 |
| 11 | Steve Wilcock | 2 0 0 2 1 | 5 |
| 12 | Andy Hines | 1 1 2 1 0 | 5 |
| 13 | Phil White | 1 0 1 1 2 | 5 |
| 14 | Ray Bales | 3 1 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Derek Harrison | 0 2 0 0 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Graham Knowler | 1 0 0 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Keith Yorke | 0 | 0 |
* f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure

## Pairs

The National League Pairs was held at The Shay on 19 July and was won by Middlesbrough Tigers.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Middlesbrough | 11 | Wilcock 6 Courtney 5 |
| 2 | Ellesmere P | 10 | Finch 5 Jackson 5 |
| 3 | Rye House | 9 | Garrad 7 Mullarkey 2 |
| 4 | Weymouth | 6 | Woodward 6 Yeates 0 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Boston | 13 | Guglielmi 7 Hollingworth 6 |
| 2 | Canterbury | 9 | Ferreira 5 Hubbard 4 |
| 3 | Oxford | 9 | Perks 9 Hack 0 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 5 | Trownson 3 Lambert 2 |
Group C :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Crayford | 12 | Naylor 8 Woods 4 |
| 2 | Exeter | 9 | Maxfield 7 Boocock 2 |
| 3 | Berwick | 9 | Close 6 Brown 3 |
| 4 | Scunthorpe | 6 | Browning 3 White 3 |
Group D :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Peterborough | 11 | Hines 6 Greer 5 |
| 2 | Newcastle | 11 | Richardson 6 Blackadder 5 |
| 3 | Mildenhall | 7 | Henry 4 Gledhill 2 |
| 4 | Glasgow | 7 | Lawson 5 Reid 2 |
Semi finals
* Middlesbrough bt Crayford
* Boston bt Peterborough
Final
* Middlesbrough bt Boston

## Fours

Crayford Kestrels won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Arena on 27 July.
Semi finals
* SF1 = Crayford 17, Ellesmere Port 16, Berwick 8, Boston 7
* SF2 = Rye House 18, Stoke 15, Glasgow 8, Oxford 7
Final
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Crayford Kestrels | 14 | Rumsey 7, Woods 4, Naylor 3, Sage 0, Etheridge 0 |
| 2 | Rye House Rockets | 13 | Garrad 4 Mullarkey 4, Smith 3, Pullen 2, Fiala 0 |
| 3 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 12 | Carr L 5, Jackson 3, Carr P 2, Finch 2, Ellams 0 |
| 4 | Stoke Potters | 9 | Burton 6, Sawyer 2, Boyle 1, Stead 0, Evitts 0 |

## Leading final averages

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Dave Perks | Oxford Cheetahs | 10.82 |
| 2 | Paul Woods | Crayford Kestrels | 10.47 |
| 3 | Mike Ferreira | Canterbury Crusaders | 10.32 |
| 4 | Steve Wilcock | Middlesbrough Tigers | 10.28 |
| 5 | Steve Lawson | Glasgow Tigers | 10.17 |

## Riders & final averages

Berwick
* Wayne Brown 9.49
* Steve McDermott 9.06
* Mike Fullerton 7.63
* Roger Wright 7.43
* Nigel Close 7.32
* Graham Jones 6.36
* Mike Caroline 5.71
* Brett Saunders 5.57
* Rob Grant Sr. 5.41
Boston
* David Gagen 9.80
* Gary Guglielmi 9.33
* Rob Hollingworth 8.57
* Steve Lomas 8.10
* Dennis Mallett 7.09
* Chris Turner 6.87
* Tony Featherstone 6.19
* Michael Holding 4.52
* Ian Turner 4.49
* Mike Spinks 4.04
* Chris Cole 2.24
Canterbury
* Mike Ferreira 10.32
* Barney Kennett 7.90
* Ted Hubbard 7.66
* Denzil Kent 6.64
* Dave Piddock 4.83
* Kevin Brice 3.65
* Rob Dolman 3.42
* Tony Reynolds 2.77
* Kevin Howland 2.22
* Simon Franks 1.25
Crayford
* Paul Woods 10.47
* Steve Naylor 8.02
* Les Rumsey 7.72
* Alan Sage 6.89
* Laurie Etheridge 6.00
* Mike Pither 5.30
* Alan Johns 5.12
* Paul Gilbert 3.68
Edinburgh
* George Hunter 8.88
* Dave Trownson 8.40
* Neil Collins 8.13
* Brian Collins 6.09
* Benny Rourke 5.97
* Harry Maclean 5.18
* Roger Lambert 5.13
* Arnold Haley 4.76
Ellesmere Port
* Steve Finch 9.92
* Louis Carr 8.57
* John Jackson 8.46
* Eric Monaghan 5.24
* John Williams 5.23
* Phil Alderman 5.16
* Pete Ellams 5.03
* Peter Carr 4.70
* Paul Embley 4.13
Exeter
* Rob Maxfield 9.09
* Nigel Boocock 8.64
* John Barker 8.50
* Martin Hewlett 6.39
* John Williams 6.26
* Arnold Haley 5.83
* Tony Garard 5.76
* Dave Brewer 4.17
* Tony Sanford 3.92
* Phil Vance 1.78
Glasgow
* Steve Lawson 10.17
* Alan Emerson 8.72
* Andy Reid 8.02
* Jim Beaton 5.84
* Charlie McKinna 5.61
* Kenny McKinna 5.36
* Colin Caffrey 5.08
* Ray Palmer 4.89
* Andy Campbell 2.83
* Steve Mildoon 1.75
Middlesbrough
* Steve Wilcock 10.28
* Mark Courtney 9.18
* Brian Havelock 7.71
* Mike Spink 7.48
* Geoff Pusey 6.98
* Martin Dixon 6.68
* Bernie Collier 4.35
Mildenhall
* Ray Bales 8.97
* Robert Henry 8.64
* Mick Bates 7.60
* Ian Gledhill 7.04
* Richard Knight 6.19
* Andy Warne 5.33
* Mark Bilner 5.24
* Carl Baldwin 4.47
* Mark Baldwin 4.47
Milton Keynes
* Bob Humphreys 8.81
* Graham Plant 6.34
* Nigel Sparshott 6.06
* Andy Hibbs 5.96
* Bert Harkins 5.86
* Mick Blaynee 5.66
* Barry Allaway 4.63
* Nigel Davis 4.39
* Graham Clifton 3.56
* Robbie Vigus 3.79
* Steve Payne 2.17
Newcastle
* Rod Hunter 9.28
* Robbie Blackadder 8.54
* David Bargh 8.32
* Derek Richardson 7.61
* Nigel Crabtree 6.50
* Keith Bloxsome 6.4
* Paul Brown 2.82
Nottingham
* Mike Sampson 9.88
* Ivan Blacka 7.85
* Glenn MacDonald 7.56
* Craig Featherby 7.45
* Mark Collins 5.37
* Arthur Price 4.84
* Steve Sant 3.62
* Mark Williams 3.60
* Pete Bacon 3.43
* John Homer 2.98
Oxford
* Dave Perks 10.82
* Derek Harrison 8.75
* Bruce Cribb 7.42
* John Hack 6.87
* Colin Ackroyd 5.62
* Steve Crockett 4.68
* Mick Fletcher 4.36
* Kevin Bowen 4.29
* Mick Handley 4.00
* John Grahame 3.91
* Andy Passey 1.52
Peterborough
* Andy Hines 8.81
* Nigel Flatman 8.73
* Richard Greer 8.19
* Mick Hines 7.66
* Adrian Pepper 4.59
* Andy Fisher 4.57
* Nigel Couzens 4.41
* Andy Buck 4.32
* Ian Barney 1.58
Rye House
* Bobby Garrad 9.85
* Karl Fiala 9.45
* Kelvin Mullarkey 9.29
* Kevin Smith 8.43
* Ashley Pullen 6.84
* Peter Tarrant 5.78
* Andy Fines 4.07
* Carl Squirrell 3.03
* Barry King 2.40
Scunthorpe
* Phil White 9.07
* Arthur Browning 8.59
* Nicky Allott 7.08
* Kevin Teager 5.31
* Rob Woffinden 4.03
* John Priest 4.00
* Ian Jeffcoate 3.94
* Ian Westwell 3.88
* Graham Mortimer 2.96
Stoke
* Billy Burton 8.02
* Tony Boyle 7.26
* Paul Stead 6.47
* Les Sawyer 5.99
* Alan MacLean 5.70
* Neil Evitts 4.78
* Ian Robertson 4.64
* Rod North 4.58
* Mike Wilding 3.86
* Rob Lightfoot 3.34
Weymouth
* Martin Yeates 9.30
* Brian Woodward 7.68
* Simon Wigg 6.60
* Bob Coles 6.25
* Chris Pusey 5.94
* Malcolm Corradine 5.50
* Mark DeKok 4.93
* Terry Tulloch 4.22
* Geoff Swindells 2.78
Workington
* Ian Hindle 6.65
* Ian Robertson 5.16
* Steve Regeling 4.51
* Des Wilson 4.51
* Wayne Jackson 4.43
* Mark Dickinson 4.06
* Terry Kelly 3.68
* Chris Roynon 3.50
* Kevin Clapham 3.45
* Andy Margarson 2.76