1968 British League Division Two season#British League Division Two Knockout Cup

The formation of a new division 2 was a success and attracted five new clubs to league speedway, the Nelson Admirals from Nelson in Lancashire,{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001805/19680531/431/0029 |title=A cinders debut |website=Nelson Leader |date=31 May 1968 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=27 August 2024}} the Crayford Highwaymen from east London,{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003546/19680503/263/0015 |title=Speedway comes to Kent |website=Kent Messenger & Gravesend Telegraph |date=3 May 1968 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=2 November 2024 }} the Canterbury Crusaders from Kent, the Berwick Bandits from Scotland and the Reading Racers. Additionally three other clubs, Middlesbrough, Plymouth and Rayleigh returned to league action having previously competed in the old defunct Provincial League and Weymouth returned after a 13-year absence.{{cite web |url=https://wwosbackup.proboards.com/board/71/teams|title=Teams|website=wwosbackup|access-date=5 September 2021}}{{cite web |url=http://www.speedwayplus.com/TearsAndGloryExtract.shtml|title=Book Extract:Tears and Glory The Winged Wheel Story|website=Speedway Plus|access-date=10 September 2021}}

Belle Vue Aces, members of the first division, fielded a reserve side known as Belle Vue Colts and won the first league title.{{cite book|last=Oakes|first=Peter|title=1981 Speedway Yearbook|year=1981|page=101|publisher=Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd|isbn=0-86215-017-5}} Colt's riders Taffy Owen, Ken Eyre, Eric Broadbelt and John Woodcock all scored heavily and ended with impressive averages.{{cite web|url=http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/p/compet.html|title=Historic league tables|publisher=Speedway Archive}} Canterbury in their first season of existence won the division 2 Knockout Cup beating another new team Reading in the final.

{{#invoke:sports results|main

|matches_style=FBR|solid_cell=grey

|team1=BV|team2=BER|team3=CAN|team4=CRA|team5=MID|team6=NEL|team7=PLY|team8=RAY|team9=REA|team10=WEY

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|name_BER=Berwick

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|update=complete|source={{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1968.html |publisher=Speedway Researcher |title=1968 fixtures & results |access-date=18 February 2025 }}

}}

The 1968 British League Division Two Knockout Cup was the first edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams and coincided with the newly formed league.{{cite web |url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/yearbyyear.html|title=Year by Year|website=Speedway Researcher|access-date=5 September 2021}}

Previously the tier two and tier three teams had competed in the National Trophy until 1964, and although they held their own finals during some years it only served as qualification for the main competition. Canterbury Crusaders were the winners of the competition.{{cite web|url=http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2013/05/british-league-division-two-ko-cup-1968.html|title=1968 British League Division Two Knockout Cup|publisher=Speedway archive}}

First round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

First leg

{{football box

|date = 12 October 1968

|team1 =Canterbury Crusaders
Peter Murray 14
Barry Crowson 14
Martyn Piddock 13
John Hibben 10
Graham Miles 7
Ken Vale 2
Pat Flanagan 0

|score = 60 – 36

|report = {{cite web |url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1968record.pdf|title=Season 1968|website=Speedway Researcher|access-date=5 September 2021}}

|team2 = Reading Racers
Vic White 11
John Poyser 8
Ian Champion 6
Stuart Wallace 4
Phil Pratt 3
Ted Spittles 2
Dene Davies 2

|stadium = Kingsmead Stadium

}}

Second leg

{{football box

|date = 14 October 1968

|team1 =Reading Racers
John Poyser 17
Vic White 11
Ted Spittles 9
Stuart Wallace 3
Dene Davies 2
Phil Pratt 1
Ian Champion 1

|score = 44 – 52

|report =

|team2 = Canterbury Crusaders
Peter Murray 14
Barry Crowson 12
John Hibben 8
Graham Miles 6
Ken Vale 6
Martyn Piddock 5
Dave Grimley (guest) 1

|stadium = Reading Stadium

}}

Canterbury were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 112–80.

Graham Plant aged just 19, won the Rider's Championship. The final was held at Hackney Wick Stadium on 27 September. Several riders were involved in a crash, which resulted in Chris Bailey (broken wrist) and Barry Crowson (suspected fractured thigh bone) going to hospital.{{cite news |title=Two in hospital after Big Speedway Pile-Up |work=Daily Mirror |date=28 September 1968 |access-date=13 June 2023 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19680928/300/0026 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }} However, Crowson after receiving an all-clear rode for his parent club West Ham Hammers the following evening.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005211/19690215/249/0025 |title=Barry Crowson joins the Eagles |website=Eastbourne Herald |date=15 February 1969 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=4 October 2024 }}

• f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure

Belle Vue Colts

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Taffy Owen 9.35
• Ken Eyre 8.94
• Eric Broadbelt 8.15
• John Woodcock 8.15
• Chris Bailey 7.74
• Ken Moss 6.33
• Peter Thompson 5.93
• Brian Bentley 5.49

{{div col end}}

Berwick

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Bill McMillan 9.12
• Roy Williams 7.85
• Brian Whaley 7.69
• Brian Black 6.81
• Mark Hall 6.59
• Lex Milloy 5.89
• Grieves Davidson 4.53
• Alex Nichol 3.51
• Tom Blackwood 3.37
• Colin Robertson 2.71

{{div col end}}

Canterbury

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Peter Murray 10.05
• Barry Crowson 8.44
• Ken Vale 8.00
• Martyn Piddock 7.96
• John Hibben 6.85
• Tyburn Gallows 4.91
• Pat Flanagan 4.61
• Chris Raines 4.57
• Frank Wendon 4.30
• Barry Lee 3.15

{{div col end}}

Crayford

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Mick Handley 10.48
• Tony Childs 7.68
• Derek Timms 6.54
• Colin Clark 6.05
• Dai Evans 5.88
• Geoff Ambrose 5.87
• Stuart Riley 5.12
• Tony Armstrong 4.31

{{div col end}}

Middlesbrough

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Allan Brown 9.63
• Graham Plant 8.54
• Graham Edmonds 8.31
• Tom Leadbitter 6.82
• Terry Lee 6.78
• Paul O'Neal 6.07
• Pete Reading 4.75
• Alan Palmer 3.25
• John Spilsbury 2.09

{{div col end}}

Nelson

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Dave Schofield 9.54
• Alan Paynter 9.10
• Murray Burt 8.76
• Gary Peterson 8.14
• Terry Shearer 6.76
• Dave Beacon 5.79
• Jack Winstanley 5.51
• Paul Sharples 4.15

{{div col end}}

Plymouth

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Mike Cake 10.22
• Chris Bass 10.15
• Phil Woodcock 6.67
• Tony George 6.13
• Dave Whittaker 6.08
• Keith Marks 5.69
• Frank Payne 5.07
• Chris Roynon 4.75
• Ian Gills 3.23

{{div col end}}

Rayleigh

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Graeme Smith 7.55
• Mike Gardner 7.49
• Dennis Mannion 7.44
• Dingle Brown 6.48
• Laurie Etheridge 6.20
• Geoff Maloney 6.06
• Terry Stone 6.03
• Colin Tucker 3.09

{{div col end}}

Reading

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• John Poyser 9.29
• Ian Champion 6.91
• Joe Weichlbauer 6.88
• Ted Spittles 6.68
• Stuart Wallace 6.20
• Dene Davies 5.39
• Ian Bottomley 4.91
• Phil Pratt 4.59

{{div col end}}

Weymouth

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Tony Lomas 9.39
• Mike Vernam 7.94
• Barry Duke 7.71
• Chris Yeatman 6.14
• Mick Steel 5.08
• Roy Carter 4.58
• Adrian Degan 3.05
• Phil Arnold 2.72

{{div col end}}

• List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
• Knockout Cup (speedway)

{{Reflist}}

{{Speedway in the United Kingdom}}

{{United Kingdom Speedway Seasons}}

{{Speedway British League Division Two seasons}}

Category:Speedway British League Division Two / National League