1989 National League season explained

Competition:National League
Competitors:18
Domesticcup1:Champions
Domesticcup1 Winners:Poole Pirates
Domesticcup2:Knockout Cup
Domesticcup2 Winners:Berwick Bandits
Domesticcup3:Individual
Domesticcup3 Winners:Mark Loram
Domesticcup4:Pairs
Domesticcup4 Winners:Stoke Potters
Domesticcup5:Fours
Domesticcup5 Winners:Peterborough Panthers
Domesticcup6:London Cup
Domesticcup6 Winners:Hackney Hawks
Highest Average:Steve Schofield
League Above:1989 British League
Prevseason:1988
Nextseason:1990

The National League was the second tier of British speedway racing in 1989.[1]

Team changes

Promoter Terry Cheney moved the Milton Keynes Knights out of the Groveway and into the Elfield Park.[2] [3] [4]

Summary

The champions that year were Poole Pirates.[5] [6]

Paul Muchene lost his life in the fixture between Arena Essex and Hackney at the Hackney Wick Stadium on 30 June 1989.[7]

Final table

PosTeamPLWDLPts
1Poole Pirates34261753
2Wimbledon Dons34232948
3Berwick Bandits342301146
4Ipswich Witches342301146
5Exeter Falcons341911439
6Hackney Kestrels341911439
7Eastbourne Eagles341901538
8Edinburgh Monarchs341901538
9Glasgow Tigers341701734
10Stoke Potters341611733
11Peterborough Panthers341601832
12Arena Essex Hammers341421830
13Middlesbrough Tigers341402028
14Rye House Rockets341302126
15Newcastle Diamonds341122124
16Mildenhall Fen Tigers341012321
17Long Eaton Invaders341012321
18Milton Keynes Knights34722516

National League Knockout Cup

The 1989 National League Knockout Cup was the 22nd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Berwick Bandits were the winners of the competition.[8]

First round

width=80Datewidth=250Team onewidth=80Scorewidth=250Team two
10/04Exeter62-34 Rye House
09/04Rye House57-39 Exeter
09/04Newcastle43-52 Berwick
08/04Berwick 65-30 Newcastle

Second round

width=80Datewidth=250Team onewidth=80Scorewidth=250Team two
26/05Hackney 42-54 Poole
17/05Wimbledon59-37 Milton Keynes
16/05Milton Keynes43-53 Wimbledon
16/05Poole66-33 Hackney
15/05Exeter52-44 Stoke
14/05Eastbourne64-32 Glasgow
14/05Mildenhall45-51 Peterborough
13/05Berwick69-27 Long Eaton
13/05Stoke 51-45 Exeter
12/05Glasgow48-48 Eastbourne
12/05Peterborough63-33 Mildenhall
10/05Long Eaton43-53 Berwick
06/05Arena Essex57-39 Edinburgh
05/05Edinburgh60-36 Arena Essex
04/05Middlesbrough47-49 Ipswich
24/03Ipswich 60-36 Middlesbrough

Quarter-finals

width=80Datewidth=250Team onewidth=80Scorewidth=250Team two
05/07Wimbledon52-44 Ipswich
04/07Poole60-36 Eastbourne
03/07Exeter 58-38 Berwick
02/07Eastbourne43-53Poole
02/07Edinburgh63-33 Peterborough
01/07Berwick58-38 Exeter
30/06Peterborough64-32 Edinburgh
22/06Ipswich48-48 Wimbledon
24/07
replay		Exeter 52-43 Berwick
22/07
replay		Berwick 58-38Exeter
Semi-finals
width=80Datewidth=250Team onewidth=80Scorewidth=250Team two
15/08Poole62-33 Wimbledon
13/08Peterborough59-37 Berwick
09/08Wimbledon48-48 Poole
05/08Berwick 61-35 Peterborough

Final

First legSecond leg

Berwick were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 109–83.

Riders' Championship

Mark Loram won the Riders' Championship. The final sponsored by Jawa Moto & Barum was held on 9 September 1989 at Brandon Stadium.[9]

width=25pxPos. width=180pxRider width=100pxPts width=50pxTotal
1 2 3 3 3 3 14
2 3 1 2 3 3 12
3 1 3 3 3 1 11
4 0 2 3 3 3 10
5 2 3 0 3 2 10
6 3 2 1 2 2 10
7 3 0 3 1 2 9
8 0 1 2 2 3 8
92 2 2 2 0 8
10 3 2 1 1 0 7
11 0 3 0 0 2 5
12 2 0 1 1 1 5
13 1 1 2 1 0 5
14 1 1 1 0 1 4
15 1 0 0 0 1 2
16 0 - - - - 0

Pairs

The National League Pairs was held at Hackney Wick Stadium on 19 August. The event was won by Stoke Potters for the second consecutive season.[10]

Group A
width=20Poswidth=80Teamwidth=20Ptswidth=100Riders
1Hackney20Whittaker 12
Galvin 8
2Wimbledon 13 Morton 7
Wiltshire 6
3Poole 12Boyce 6
Adams 6
4Newcastle 9 Carr P 6
Hunter 3
Group B
width=20Poswidth=80Teamwidth=20Ptswidth=100Riders
1Edinburgh 20 Collins L 12
Saunders 8
2Berwick 12 Blackburn 10
Courtney 2
3Exeter 12Green 7
Regeling 5
4Ipswich10 Standing 6
Loram 4
Group C
width=20Poswidth=80Teamwidth=20Ptswidth=100Riders
1Stoke 18 Monaghan 12
Crabtree 6
2Rye House 13 Rasmussen 9
Baxter 4
3Arena Essex12Goodwin 8
Tilbury 4
4Peterborough9Poole 9
Jolly 0
Group D
width=20Poswidth=80Teamwidth=20Ptswidth=100Riders
1Mildenhall 18Eriksen 10
Glanz 8
2Middlesbrough13Sumner 10
Dixon 3
3Eastbourne 13Buck 8
Kennett 5
4 Glasgow 8McKinna 8
Lawson 0

Semi finals

Final

Fours

Peterborough Panthers won the fours championship final for the second successive year, held at the East of England Arena on 23 July.[11]

Semi finals

Final

width=25pxPos width=150pxTeamwidth=50pxPts width=400pxRiders
1 Peterborough15 Barney 5, Jolly 5, Poole 3, Hodgson 2
2 Stoke 14 Monaghan 5, Crabtree 4, Carr L 3, Cobby 2
3 Exeter 12 Andersen 6, Cook 4, Regeling 1, Green 1
4 Eastbourne 7Buck 3, Norris 2, Kennett 1, Barker 1

Leading averages

width=200Riderwidth=200Teamwidth=40Average
Steve SchofieldHackney10.50
Andy GalvinHackney9.95
Todd WiltshireWimbledon9.94
David BlackburnBerwick9.78
Stoke9.77
Steve RegelingExeter9.74
Kenny McKinnaGlasgow9.71
Mark LoramIpswich9.65
Chris LouisIpswich9.65
Gordon KennettEastbourne9.60
Mark CourtneyBerwick9.52

London Cup

Hackney won the London Cup but the competition consisted of just Wimbledon and Hackney.[12]

Results

width=100Teamwidth=70Scorewidth=100Team
Wimbledon 49–47Hackney
Hackney 54–42 Wimbledon

Riders & final averages

Arena Essex

Berwick

Eastbourne

Edinburgh

Exeter

Glasgow

Hackney

Ipswich

Long Eaton

Middlesbrough

Mildenhall

Milton Keynes

Newcastle

Peterborough

Poole

Rye House

Stoke

Wimbledon

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Historic league tables. Speedway Archive.
  2. News: Knights call it a day at Groveway . Buckinghamshire Examiner . 25 November 1988 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription . 29 September 2024.
  3. News: Primmer on form . Milton Keynes Citizen . 12 January 1989 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription . 29 September 2024.
  4. News: Welcome News . Milton Keynes Citizen . 16 February 1989 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription . 29 September 2024.
  5. Oakes, P.(2006). Speedway Star Almanac.
  6. Web site: BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990). Official British Speedway website. 11 September 2021.
  7. Web site: Paul Dominic Muchene . Motorsport Memorial . 18 February 2024.
  8. Web site: 1989 National League Knockout Cup. Speedway archive.
  9. News: Speedway . Daily Record . 11 September 1989 . 22 June 2023 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  10. Book: Oakes, Peter . Speedway Yearbook 1990 . 1990 . 59 . Front Page Books . 0-948882-15-8.
  11. Book: Oakes, Peter . Speedway Yearbook 1990 . 1990 . 46 . Front Page Books . 0-948882-15-8.
  12. Web site: 1989 fixtures and results . Speedway Researcher . 1 October 2023.

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