1972 British League Division Two season
League | British League Division Two |
---|---|
No. of competitors | 17 |
Champions | Crewe Kings |
Knockout Cup | Crewe Kings |
Individual | Phil Crump |
Highest average | Phil Crump |
Division/s above | British League (Div 1) |
The 1972 British League Division Two season was the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1][2]
Summary
[edit]The league still consisted of 17 teams with two teams leaving the league and two teams entering. The Rochdale Hornets had disbanded for good at the end of the previous season, whilst Ipswich Witches moved up to the British League. Two newly created teams Ellesmere Port Gunners and Scunthorpe Saints joined the league. The Romford Bombers promotion and team moved to the West Ham Stadium replacing the defunct West Ham Hammers at the stadium but halfway through the season, they moved again to become Barrow Happy Faces as their sponsor at the time was Duckhams Oil - its happy face logo was prominently displayed on the team's race jackets.[3]
Crewe Kings won their first title and completed the league and cup double.[4][5] Crewe were led by their Australian Phil Crump who finished top of the league averages and won the Riders' Championship. John Jackson also finished with an impressive average, as did their new signing Australian international Garry Flood. Flood would only ride the one season in speedway and would go on to win eight Australian Motocross Championships.[3][6]
Final table
[edit]Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Crewe Kings | 32 | 22 | 1 | 9 | 45 |
2 | Boston Barracudas | 32 | 21 | 1 | 10 | 43 |
3 | Peterborough Panthers | 32 | 21 | 0 | 11 | 42 |
4 | Rayleigh Rockets | 32 | 17 | 4 | 11 | 38 |
5 | Eastbourne Eagles | 32 | 18 | 2 | 12 | 38 |
6 | Birmingham Brummies | 32 | 18 | 1 | 13 | 37 |
7 | Workington Comets | 32 | 18 | 0 | 14 | 36 |
8 | Hull Vikings | 32 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 32 |
9 | Barrow Happy Faces | 32 | 15 | 1 | 16 | 31 |
10 | Teesside Teessiders | 32 | 14 | 3 | 15 | 31 |
11 | Bradford Northern | 32 | 15 | 0 | 17 | 30 |
12 | Sunderland Stars | 32 | 13 | 2 | 17 | 28 |
13 | Canterbury Crusaders | 32 | 13 | 1 | 18 | 27 |
14 | Berwick Bandits | 32 | 12 | 3 | 17 | 27 |
15 | Ellesmere Port Gunners | 32 | 12 | 0 | 20 | 24 |
16 | Long Eaton Rangers | 32 | 11 | 2 | 19 | 24 |
17 | Scunthorpe Saints | 32 | 5 | 1 | 26 | 11 |
Top Five Riders (League Averages)
[edit]Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Phil Crump | ![]() |
Crewe | 11.10 |
2 | Geoff Maloney | ![]() |
Rayleigh | 10.53 |
3 | Richard Greer | ![]() |
Peterborough | 9.98 |
4 | John Harrhy | ![]() |
Peterborough | 9.93 |
5 | John Jackson | ![]() |
Crewe | 9.91 |
British League Division Two Knockout Cup
[edit]The 1972 British League Division Two Knockout Cup (sponsored by the Speedway Express) was the fifth edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Crewe Kings were the winners of the competition.[7]
First round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
01/05 | Crewe | 49-29 | Ellesmere Port |
02/05 | Ellesmere Port | 33-45 | Crewe |
Second round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
05/06 | Crewe | 59-19 | Scunthorpe |
04/06 | Scunthorpe | 19-59 | Crewe |
04/06 | Sunderland | 55-23 | Workington |
09/06 | Workington | 46-31 | Sunderland |
25/06 | Eastbourne | 50-28 | Long Eaton |
08/06 | Long Eaton | 38-40 | Eastbourne |
04/06 | Boston | 46-32 | Rayleigh |
17/06 | Rayleigh | 43-35 | Boston |
09/06 | Peterborough | 52-26 | Barrow |
13/06 | Barrow | 36-42 | Peterborough |
07/06 | Bradford | 52-26 | Berwick |
10/06 | Berwick | 39-38 | Bradford |
05/06 | Birmingham | 43-35 | Canterbury |
10/06 | Canterbury | 41-37 | Birmingham |
08/06 | Teesside | 48-30 | Hull |
07/06 | Hull | 40-38 | Teesside |
Quarter-finals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
03/07 | Crewe | 53-25 | Sunderland |
03/07 | Sunderland | 42-36 | Crewe |
09/07 | Eastbourne | 45-33 | Boston |
02/07 | Boston | 40-38 | Eastbourne |
07/07 | Peterborough | 36-14 | Bradford |
05/07 | Bradford | 45-33 | Peterborough |
03/07 | Birmingham | 48-30 | Teesside |
06/07 | Teesside | 41-37 | Birmingham |
Semi-finals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
31/07 | Crewe | 47-31 | Eastbourne |
30/07 | Eastbourne | 44-34 | Crewe |
04/08 | Peterborough | 43-35 | Birmingham |
14/08 | Birmingham | 42-36 | Peterborough |
Final
[edit]First leg
Crewe Kings John Jackson 12 Garry Flood 10 Phil Crump 9 Dave Parry 7 Dai Evans 6 Garry Moore 4 Peter Nicholas 3 | 51 – 27 | Peterborough Panthers Roy Carter 11 Brian Clark 6 John Davis 4 John Amies 3 David Ashby 1 Ted Howgego 1 Frank Smith 1 Richard Greer R/R |
---|---|---|
[8] |
Second leg
Peterborough Panthers Richard Greer 11 Roy Carter 10 Brian Clark 6 John Davis 5 Ted Howgego 4 David Ashby 3 John Amies 1 | 40 – 38 | Crewe Kings Phil Crump 12 John Jackson 10 Garry Flood 8 Garry Moore 6 Dai Evans 2 Dave Parry 0 Peter Nicholas 0 |
---|---|---|
[8] |
Crewe were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 89–67.
Leading final averages
[edit]Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Phil Crump | ![]() |
Crewe | 11.13 |
2 | Geoff Maloney | ![]() |
Rayleigh | 10.34 |
=3 | Richard Greer | ![]() |
Peterborough | 10.03 |
=3 | John Jackson | ![]() |
Crewe | 10.03 |
5 | Malcolm Ballard | ![]() |
Eastbourne | 9.94 |
Riders' Championship
[edit]Phil Crump won the Rider's Championship, held at Wimbledon Stadium on 14 October.[9]
Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
r 3 3 3 3 | 12+3 |
2 | ![]() |
3 2 3 2 2 | 12+2 |
3 | ![]() |
3 3 1 1 3 | 11+3 |
4 | ![]() |
3 3 2 3 fex | 11+disq |
5 | ![]() |
1 2 2 3 2 | 10 |
6 | ![]() |
f 0 3 3 3 | 9 |
7 | ![]() |
1 1 2 2 | 9 |
8 | ![]() |
2 1 2 2 1 | 8 |
9 | ![]() |
1 0 3 2 2 | 8 |
10 | ![]() |
2 1 ex 1 3 | 7 |
11 | ![]() |
2 3 ex ex 0 | 5 |
12 | ![]() |
1 0 2 0 1 | 4 |
13 | ![]() |
1 1 0 1 1 | 4 |
14 | ![]() |
0 2 1 0 1 | 4 |
15 | ![]() |
2 0 0 1 0 | 3 |
16 | ![]() |
0 2 0 0 0 | 2 |
17 | ![]() |
1 | 0 |
18 | ![]() |
0 0 | 0 |
- f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure
Riders' final averages
[edit]Barrow
- Bob Coles 8.61
- Mike Sampson 8.35
- Mike Watkin 6.75
- Tom Owen 5.36
- Ian Hindle 4.95
- Chris Roynon 4.57
- Bobby Campbell 4.36
- Keith Evans 4.33
- Alan Mackie 3.69
Berwick
- Jimmy Gallacher 8.35
- Andy Meldrum 8.35
- Doug Templeton 8.31
- Willie Templeton 7.27
- Jim Beaton 6.34
- Graham Jones 4.26
- George Beaton 4.00
- Geoff Davies 3.87
- Dennis Jackson 3.07
- Alistair Brady 2.53
Birmingham
- Pete Bailey 9.57
- Arthur Browning 9.42
- George Major 7.87
- Terry Shearer 7.55
- Mick Hines 7.34
- Malcolm Corradine 6.00
- Mike Lanham 5.94
- Cliff Emms 5.83
- Archie Wilkinson 5.00
- Mike Gardner 4.32
- Steve Wilson 3.84
Boston
- Arthur Price 9.10
- Jim Ryman 8.58
- Russ Osborne 7.72
- Carl Glover 7.38
- Tony Featherstone 6.38
- Ray Bales 6.27
- Vic Cross 5.87
- Jack Bywater 5.23
Bradford
- Dave Baugh 8.69
- Alan Knapkin 8.11
- Robin Adlington 7.89
- Colin Meredith 5.92
- Alf Wells 5.92
- Alan Bridget 5.82
- Barry Meeks 4.81
- Sid Sheldrick 4.73
- Mick Fielding 3.88
- Mick Fairbairn 3.54
Canterbury
- Ross Gilbertson 9.46
- Graham Banks 7.62
- Ted Hubbard 7.26
- Dave Piddock 7.03
- Bob Hughes 6.46
- Barney Kennett 6.25
- Les Rumsey 4.87
- Trevor Jones 4.31
- Charlie Benham 3.49
- Mike Vernam 3.33
- Gary Cottham Sr. 3.20
Crewe
- Phil Crump 11.13
- John Jackson 10.03
- Garry Flood 8.40
- Dai Evans 12
- Dave Morton 6.60
- Dave Parry 5.76
- Peter Nicholas 5.00
- Garry Moore 4.56
Eastbourne
- Malcolm Ballard 9.94
- Gordon Kennett 8.68
- Bobby McNeil 7.84
- Roger Johns 7.24
- Reg Trott 5.60
- Trevor Geer 5.51
- Derek Cook 5.42
- Paul Gachet 5.14
- Simon Bruce 3.91
Ellesmere Port
- Paul Tyrer 8.47
- Graham Drury 6.56
- Colin Goad 6.42
- Robbie Gardner 6.40
- Cyril Francis 5.65
- Ian Gills 5.41
- Chris Blythe 4.50
- Paul Callaghan 4.45
- Geoff Pusey 1.90
Hull
- Tony Childs 9.03
- Dave Mills 8.59
- Robin Amundson 7.73
- Stan Stevens 6.76
- Dennis Gavros 5.71
- Bryan Loakes 5.40
- Pete Boston 4.95
- Clark Facey 4.54
- Dennis Wasden 4.31
- Colin Tucker 4.15
- Bernie Hornby 1.82
Long Eaton
- Geoff Bouchard 8.06
- Roger Mills 7.95
- Joe Hughes 6.29
- Steve Bass 5.77
- Chris Harrison 4.42
- Peter Jarvis 4.05
- Cliff Emms 3.40
- Phil Whittaker 3.39
- Gil Farmer 3.06
- Ian Champion 2.67
- Brian Woodhouse 1.56
Peterborough
- Richard Greer 10.03
- John Harrhy 9.93 (7 matches only)
- John Davis 8.13
- Roy Carter 8.12
- Clive Noy 6.63
- Ted Howgego 6.57
- Alan Witt 5.09
- Brian Clark 5.05
- Pete Saunders 5.04
- Frank Smith 4.67
- John Amies 4.12
- David Ashby 3.89
Rayleigh
- Geoff Maloney 10.34
- Bob Young 8.74
- Brian Foote 8.67
- Allan Emmett 8.21
- Trevor Barnwell 6.22
- Dingle Brown 6.12
- Dave "Tiger" Beech 5.90
- Nigel Rackett 5.12
- Ivan Miller 5.04
- Peter Claridge 4.38
- Terry Stone 3.79
Scunthorpe
- Brian Maxted 6.36
- Terry Kelly 6.00
- Ray Watkins 5.80
- Phil Bass 5.78
- Doug Underwood 5.08
- Ian Wilson 5.00
- Rod Haynes 4.79
- Brian Osborn 4.07
- Alan Bellham 3.70
- John Bowerman 3.67
- Peter Taylor 2.82
Sunderland
- Jack Millen 8.69
- Graeme Smith 8.29
- Russ Dent 7.25
- George Barclay 6.88
- Dave Gatenby 5.27
- Peter Wrathall 4.16
- Jim Wells 3.81
Teesside
- Roger Wright 8.56
- Dave Durham 7.90
- Bruce Forrester 7.35
- Frank Auffret 6.93
- Pete Reading 6.54
- Tim Swales 5.97
- Mick Moore 5.79
- Tony Swales 4.32
- Maxwell Clift .3.00
Workington
- Taffy Owen 8.8
- Lou Sansom 8.53
- Malcolm MacKay 8.47
- Mitch Graham 6.43
- Kym Amundson 5.89
- Steve Watson 5.13
- Dave Kumeta 4.04
- Darryl Stobbart 4.00
- Lindsay Davies 3.71
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ a b "teams". wwosbackup. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 101. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
- ^ "Gary Flood - One of Australia's all-time motocross legends". Motorcross history. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "1972 British League Division Two Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- ^ a b "1972 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ "Phil Crump wins title after run-off". Hull Daily Mail. 16 October 1972. Retrieved 16 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.