# 1981 National League season

The 1981 National League was contested as the second division/tier of Speedway in the United Kingdom.

## Summary

The league started with 20 teams with Nottingham Outlaws dropping out after the BSPA refused an application by promoter Maurice Jones to run during 1981. However, Wolverhampton Wolves joined having moved down from the British League. Wolves promoter Mike Parker was replaced by Dan McCormick for the 1981 season.
Berwick Bandits were forced to quit after 26 league meetings, their record being expunged. Middlesbrough Tigers comfortably won their first ever title.
Exeter Falcons rider Tony Sanford died following an accident at the County Ground Stadium on 7 September. He was racing in a match against Milton Keynes when he hit a barrier near the final bend. A memorial trophy was held in subsequent years in his memory.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 36 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 61 |
| 2 | Weymouth Wildcats | 36 | 26 | 1 | 9 | 53 |
| 3 | Newcastle Diamonds | 36 | 25 | 1 | 10 | 51 |
| 4 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 36 | 25 | 0 | 11 | 50 |
| 5 | Glasgow Tigers | 36 | 24 | 0 | 12 | 48 |
| 6 | Boston Barracudas | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 44 |
| 7 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 44 |
| 8 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 40 |
| 9 | Peterborough Panthers | 36 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 39 |
| 10 | Crayford Kestrels | 36 | 19 | 0 | 17 | 38 |
| 11 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 36 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 37 |
| 12 | Oxford Cheetahs | 36 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 37 |
| 13 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 29 |
| 14 | Canterbury Crusaders | 36 | 14 | 1 | 21 | 29 |
| 15 | Stoke Potters | 36 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 28 |
| 16 | Rye House Rockets | 36 | 11 | 0 | 25 | 22 |
| 17 | Scunthorpe Stags | 36 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 13 |
| 18 | Workington Comets | 36 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 13 |
| 19 | Milton Keynes Knights | 36 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 8 |

## National League Knockout Cup

The 1981 National League Knockout Cup was the 14th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Edinburgh Monarchs were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 29/03 | Mildenhall | 58-38 | Canterbury |
| 04/04 | Canterbury | 52-44 | Mildenhall |
| 17/04 | Ellesmere Port | 47-49 | Wolverhampton |
| 19/04 | Wolverhampton | 43-53 | Ellesmere Port |
| 23/04 | Middlesbrough | 69-27 | Glasgow |
| 29/05 | Glasgow | 55-40 | Middlesbrough |
| 11/04 | Stoke | 51-45 | Milton Keynes |
| 07/04 | Milton Keynes | 38-58 | Stoke |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 29/05 | Edinburgh | 65-31 | Exeter |
| 01/06 | Exeter | 56-40 | Edinburgh |
| 04/06 | Oxford | 59-34 | Scunthorpe |
| 01/06 | Scunthorpe | 46-49 | Oxford |
| 07/06 | Mildenhall | 76-20 | Ellesmere Port |
| 29/05 | Ellesmere Port | 30-64 | Mildenhall |
| 29/05 | Peterborough | 70-26 | Rye House |
| 07/06 | Rye House | 32-64 | Peterborough |
| 06/06 | Berwick | 53-42 | Newcastle |
| 08/06 | Newcastle | 52-44 | Berwick |
| 09/06 | Weymouth | 74-20 | Workington |
| 29/05 | Workington | 31-59 | Weymouth |
| 07/06 | Boston | 69-27 | Crayford |
| 02/06 | Crayford | 42-51 | Boston |
| 07/06 | Middlesbrough | 55-41 | Stoke |
| 06/06 | Stoke | 48-48 | Middlesbrough |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 14/08 | Edinburgh | 65-31 | Oxford |
| 13/08 | Oxford | 41-54 | Edinburgh |
| 05/07 | Mildenhall | 61-35 | Peterborough |
| 26/06 | Peterborough | 49-47 | Mildenhall |
| 17/07 | Berwick | 51-45 | Weymouth |
| 14/07 | Weymouth | 48-48 | Berwick |
| 02/08 | Boston | 57-39 | Middlesbrough |
| ? | Middlesbrough | 45-51 | Boston |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 27/09 | Edinburgh | 64-32 | Mildenhall |
| 11/09 | Mildenhall | 46-50 | Edinburgh |
| 14/10 | Berwick | 64-32 | Boston |
| 27/09 | Boston | 58½-37½ | Berwick |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Edinburgh were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 101–89.

## Riders' Championship

Mike Ferreira won the Riders' Championship, held at Wimbledon Stadium on 26 September 1981.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
| 1 | Mike Ferreira | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Simon Wigg | 1 3 3 3 3 | 13 |
| 3 | Bruce Cribb | 3 3 2 0 3 | 11 |
| 4 | Dave Perks | 3 1 2 2 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Neil Collins | 2 3 2 2 1 | 10 |
| 6 | Steve Wilcock | 2 2 1 2 2 | 9 |
| 7 | Steve Lawson | 2 0 3 3 | 8 |
| 8 | Barry Thomas | 2 0 3 2 1 | 8 |
| 9 | Kelvin Mullarkey | 0 2 1 3 2 | 8 |
| 10 | Steve Finch | 0 2 2 1 | 6 |
| 11 | Wayne Brown | 3 2 | 5 |
| 12 | Ian Gledhill | 0 2 1 1 | 4 |
| 13 | Rob Maxfield | 1 1 1 1 0 | 4 |
| 14 | David Gagen | 2 0 1 0 | 3 |
| 15 | David Bargh | 1 1 1 0 | 3 |
| 16 | Bob Humphreys | 1 0 0 | 1 |
| 17 | John Barclay | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | Neville Moore | 0 | 0 |
* f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure

## Pairs

The National League Pairs was held at The Shay on 18 July and was won by Canterbury Crusaders.
Group A :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Mildenhall | 13 | Gledhill 9 Bales 4 |
| 2 | Middlesbrough | 11 | Wilcock 8 Dixon 3 |
| 3 | Rye House | 6 | Mullarkey 6 Naylor 0 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 5 | Turner 4 Collins N 1 |
Group B :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Wolverhampton | 13 | Cribb 8 Evitts 5 |
| 2 | Glasgow | 10 | Lawson 8 McKinna 2 |
| 3 | Oxford | 7 | Perks 5 Harrison 2 |
| 4 | Peterborough | 6 | Greer 6 Buck 0 |
Group C :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Berwick | 11 | Brown 9 McDermott 2 |
| 2 | Newcastle | 11 | Hunter 7 Bargh 4 |
| 3 | Weymouth | 8 | Yeates 5 Wigg 3 |
| 4 | Exeter | 6 | Maxfield 6 Hewlett 0 |
Group D :
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Canterbury | 12 | Ferreira 9 Kent 5 |
| 2 | Crayford | 12 | Thomas 7 Sage 5 |
| 3 | Boston | 7 | Gagen 4 Lomas 3 |
| 4 | Ellesmere P | 3 | Jackson 2 Finch 1 |
Semi finals
* Canterbury bt Wolverhampton
* Berwick bt Mildenhall
Final
* Canterbury bt Berwick

## Fours

Edinburgh Monarchs won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Arena on 26 July.
Semi finals
* SF1 = Wolverhampton 16, Edinburgh 16, Mildenhall 13, Crayford 3
* SF2 = Middlesbrough 16, Newcastle 16, Peterborough 11, Weymouth 4
Final
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 15 | Turner 4, Collins 4, Trownson 4, Blacka 3 |
| 2 | Newcastle Diamonds | 13 | Bargh 5, Emerson 3, Hunter 3, Blackadder 2 |
| 3 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 11 | Courtney 5, Pusey 3, Wilcock 2, Havelock 1 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 9 | Burton 5, Evitts 2, Stead 2, Cribb 0 |

## Leading final averages

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Mike Ferreira | Canterbury Crusaders | 10.87 |
| 2 | Steve Lawson | Glasgow Tigers | 10.55 |
| 3 | Mark Courtney | Middlesbrough Tigers | 10.44 |
| 4 | Les Rumsey | Weymouth | 10.19 |
| 5 | Dave Perks | Oxford Cheetahs | 10.13 |

## Riders & final averages

Berwick (withdrew from league)
* Wayne Brown 9.24
* Steve McDermott 8.40
* Rob Grant Sr. 6.95
* Mike Caroline 5.94
* Brian Collins 5.38
* Brett Saunders 5.05
* Roger Wright 4.92
* Graham Jones 4.61
* Jim Beaton 4.00
* Ian Anderson 1.26
Boston
* David Gagen 8.84
* Steve Lomas 8.84
* Steve Regeling 8.47
* Rob Hollingworth 8.45
* Dennis Mallett 6.35
* Mike Spinks 5.95
* Michael Holding 5.23
* Keven Dye 4.31
* Chris Cole 3.45
Canterbury
* Mike Ferreira 10.87
* Denzil Kent 7.75
* Barney Kennett 6.81
* Mark Martin 4.69
* Darryl Simpson 4.43
* Kevin Brice 4.21
* Brendan Shiletto 4.07
* Jamie Luckhurst 3.78
* Rob Dolman 3.30
* Graham Knowler 2.67
Crayford
* Barry Thomas 9.02
* Alan Sage 7.88
* Laurie Etheridge 6.90
* Mike Pither 5.72
* Trevor Barnwell 5.70
* Mike Spinks 4.83
* Paul Hollingsbee 4.47
* Keith Pritchard 4.15
* Paul Bosley 2.24
Edinburgh
* Neil Collins 9.68
* Dave Trownson 8.57
* George Hunter 8.45
* Chris Turner 7.49
* Ivan Blacka 7.07
* Benny Rourke 5.85
* Roger Lambert 5.27
* Guy Robson 2.77
* Ian Westwell 2.27
Ellesmere Port
* Billy Burton 8.63
* Steve Finch 8.14
* Peter Carr 7.49
* John Jackson 7.34
* Rob Ashton 6.51
* Phil Alderman 5.98
* Eric Monaghan 5.98
* Paul Embley 4.81
* Paul Price 3.11
* Andrew Reeves 1.68
Exeter
* Rob Maxfield 9.07
* Bob Coles 8.24
* Martin Hewlett 8.10
* John Barker 7.85
* Les Sawyer 7.68
* Andy Campbell 6.53
* Keith Wright 6.00
* John Williams 5.99
* Keith Millard 4.30
* Tony Sanford 3.20
Glasgow
* Steve Lawson 10.55
* Charlie McKinna 8.04
* Kenny McKinna 7.57
* Nigel Close 7.08
* Harry Maclean 6.02
* Colin Caffrey 5.80
* Andy Reid 5.52
* Ray Palmer 4.44
* Alan Mason 2.74
Middlesbrough
* Mark Courtney 10.44
* Steve Wilcock 9.95
* Martin Dixon 8.28
* Brian Havelock 7.20
* Mike Spink 7.18
* Geoff Pusey 6.71
* Bernie Collier 5.05
* Peter Tarrant 3.60
* Alan Armstrong 3.54
Mildenhall
* Robert Henry 8.59
* Ray Bales 8.35
* Mick Bates 8.25
* Ian Gledhill 7.89
* Richard Knight 7.24
* Carl Baldwin 4.48
* Andy Warne 3.78
* Mark Bilner 3.73
* Carl Blackbird 2.77
Milton Keynes
* Bob Humphreys 9.14
* Graham Plant 6.38
* Andy Hibbs 6.00
* Mick Blaynee 4.77
* Barry Allaway 4.41
* Mark Baldwin 4.36
* Steve Payne 4.30
* Nigel Davis 4.20
* Brett Alderton 4.15
Newcastle
* David Bargh 9.04
* Rod Hunter 8.68
* Robbie Blackadder 8.40
* Alan Emerson 8.07
* Keith Bloxsome 6.87
* Glenn MacDonald 5.54
* Kym Mauger 2.92
Oxford
* Dave Perks 10.13
* Derek Harrison 9.40
* Colin Ackroyd 8.12
* Paul Evitts 5.31
* Arthur Price 4.51
* John Grahame 4.14
* Mick Handley .4.04
* Mick Fletcher 3.94
* Alan MacLean 1.44
Peterborough
* Richard Greer 8.20
* Andy Hines 8.04
* Dave Allen 7.69
* Mick Hines 7.58
* Andy Fisher 6.08
* Nigel Couzens 5.97
* Andy Buck 5.32
* Ian Barney 4.91
Rye House
* Bobby Garrad 8.85
* Kelvin Mullarkey 8.27
* Steve Naylor 7.67
* Kevin Bowen 5.05
* Peter Johns 4.71
* Peter Tarrant 4.62
* Marvyn Cox 4.57
* Garry Monk 4.51
* Barry King 4.20
* Tony Garard 2.18
Scunthorpe
* Kevin Teager 7.56
* Nicky Allott 7.51
* Mark DeKok 5.71
* Tony Featherstone 5.33
* Rob Woffinden 5.19
* Tony Childs 3.62
* Graeme Beardsley 3.45
* Julian Parr 2.99
* Phil Kynman 2.73
Stoke
* Pete Smith 8.28
* Mike Sampson 7.97
* Arthur Browning 6.68
* Rob Lightfoot 6.55
* Mark Collins 6.29
* Rod North 6.11
* Steve Sant 6.06
* Ian Robertson 3.87
Weymouth
* Les Rumsey 10.19
* Martin Yeates 10.12
* Simon Wigg 10.07
* Brian Woodward 7.11
* Malcolm Shakespeare 7.02
* Terry Tulloch 5.91
* Steve Crockett 5.68
* Steve Schofield 5.64
* Bob Coles 5.22
Wolverhampton
* Bruce Cribb 9.99
* Les Rumsey 8.77
* Neil Evitts 7.80
* Billy Burton 6.74
* Tony Boyle 5.95
* Paul Stead 5.51
* Mike Wilding 4.11
* Rob Carter 3.55
* John Hough 3.49
* Steve Crockett 1.41
Workington
* Terry Kelly 6.97
* Wayne Jackson 6.22
* Mark Dickinson 5.67
* Guy Wilson 4.47
* Des Wilson 4.42
* Kevin Clapham 3.67
* David Blackburn 3.51
* John Frankland 2.69
* Michael Irving 0.89