1987 National League season
{{Short description|Second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox speedway league season
| competition = National League
| competitors = 16
| domesticcup1 = Champions
| domesticcup1 winners = Eastbourne Eagles
| domesticcup2 = Knockout Cup
| domesticcup2 winners = Eastbourne Eagles
| domesticcup3 = Individual
| domesticcup3 winners = Andrew Silver
| domesticcup4 = Pairs
| domesticcup4 winners = Mildenhall Fen Tigers
| domesticcup5 = Fours
| domesticcup5 winners = Mildenhall Fen Tigers
| league above = 1987 British League
| highest average = Andrew Silver
| prevseason = 1986
| nextseason = 1988
}}
In 1987 the National League, also known as British League Division Two, was the second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/p/compet.html|title=Historic league tables|publisher=Speedway Archive}}
Team changes
Glasgow Tigers were without a home so they joined the 1987 season based at Workington's Derwent Park.{{cite web |url=http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/Workington%20Derwent%20Park.htm|title=Workington Speedway|website=Defunct Speedway|access-date=31 August 2021}}{{cite news |title=Speedway |work=Daily Record |date=13 May 1987 |access-date=3 May 2024|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003741/19870513/037/0037 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}
Mid-season withdrawals
On 31 July, Glasgow Tigers (now called Workington Tigers held their last fixture against Stoke. The following day on 1 August, Boston Barracudas withdrew after a heavy home defeat to Eastbourne.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005383/19870813/238/0022 |title=Speedway shutdown |website=Sleaford Standard |date=13 August 1987 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=29 September 2024}} Both Glasgow-Workington and Boston had their results expunged.{{cite web |url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/yearbyyear.html|title=Year by Year|website=Speedway Researcher|access-date=31 August 2021}}
Summary
The league champions that year were Eastbourne Eagles.Oakes, P.(2006). Speedway Star Almanac. {{ISBN|0-9552376-1-0}}{{cite web |url=https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/history/leaguetables1965-1990|title=BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)|website=Official British Speedway website|access-date=11 September 2021}}
Final table
| class=wikitable width="450"
! Pos ! Team ! PL ! W ! D ! L ! Pts |
| 1
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 22 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 8 | align="center" | 44 |
| 2
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 20 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 9 | align="center" | 41 |
| 3
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 19 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 10 | align="center" | 39 |
| 4
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 18 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 11 | align="center" | 37 |
| 5
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 18 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 12 | align="center" | 36 |
| 6
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 17 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 22 | align="center" | 35 |
| 7
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 14 | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 14 | align="center" | 30 |
| 8
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 15 | align="center" | 0 | align="center" | 15 | align="center" | 30 |
| 9
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 13 | align="center" | 3 | align="center" | 14 | align="center" | 29 |
| 10
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 13 | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 15 | align="center" | 28 |
| 11
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 12 | align="center" | 2 | align="center" | 16 | align="center" | 26 |
| 12
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 12 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 17 | align="center" | 25 |
| 13
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 11 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 18 | align="center" | 23 |
| 14
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 11 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 18 | align="center" | 23 |
| 15
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 8 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 21 | align="center" | 17 |
| 16
| align="center" | 30 | align="center" | 8 | align="center" | 1 | align="center" | 21 | align="center" | 17 |
National League Knockout Cup
The 1987 National League Knockout Cup was the 20th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Eastbourne Eagles were the winners of the competition for the third successive year.{{cite web|url=http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2014/11/national-league-ko-cup-1987.html|title=1987 National League Knockout Cup|publisher=Speedway archive}}
First round
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
!width=80| Date !width=250| Team one !width=80| Score !width=250| Team two | |||
| 24/05 | Mildenhall | 66-30 | Rye House |
| 17/05 | Rye House | 24-24a | Mildenhall |
| 25/04 | Berwick | 64-32 | Newcastle |
| 20/04 | Newcastle | 51-44 | Berwick |
a=Abandoned
Second round
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
!width=80| Date !width=250| Team one !width=80| Score !width=250| Team two | |||
| 10/07 | Peterborough | 57-39 | Middlesbrough |
| 21/06 | Glasgow | 47-49 | Edinburgh |
| 21/06 | Peterborough | 34-32a | Middlesbrough |
| 20/06 | Berwick | 65-31 | Long Eaton |
| 19/06 | Edinburgh | 65-31 | Glasgow |
| 18/06 | Middlesbrough | 56-40 | Peterborough |
| 17/06 | Long Eaton | 51-45 | Berwick |
| 17/06 | Mildenhall | 64-31 | Exeter |
| 16/06 | Poole | 51-45 | Eastbourne |
| 15/06 | Exeter | 51-45 | Mildenhall |
| 14/06 | Eastbourne | 62-33 | Poole |
| 01/06 | Arena Essex | 52-44 | Wimbledon |
| 30/05 | Canterbury | 61-35 | Boston |
| 25/05 | Rye House | 47-48 | Mildenhall |
| 20/05 | Wimbledon | 48-48 | Arena Essex |
| 16/05 | Stoke | 60-36 | Milton Keynes |
| 12/05 | Milton Keynes | 50-46 | Stoke |
| 10/05 | Boston | 50-46 | Canterbury |
a=Abandoned
Quarter-finals
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
!width=80| Date !width=250| Team one !width=80| Score !width=250| Team two | |||
| 01/08 | Stoke | 49-29 | Peterborough |
| 31/07 | Edinburgh | 45-50 | Eastbourne |
| 25/07 | Berwick | 46-50 | Mildenhall |
| 25/07 | Canterbury | 54-42 | Arena Essex |
| 25/07 | Eastbourne | 56-40 | Edinburgh |
| 24/07 | Peterborough | 50-46 | Stoke |
| 09/07 | Arena Essex | 60-36 | Canterbury |
| 01/07 | Mildenhall | 61-35 | Berwick |
Semi-finals
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
!width=80| Date !width=250| Team one !width=80| Score !width=250| Team two | |||
| 31/08 | Mildenhall | 60-36 | Arena Essex |
| 23/08 | Eastbourne | 57-39 | Stoke |
| 20/08 | Arena Essex | 51-45 | Mildenhall |
| 15/08 | Stoke | 53-42 | Eastbourne |
Final
First leg
{{footballbox
|date = 27 September 1987
|team1 = Mildenhall Fen Tigers
Melvyn Taylor 12
Dave Jessup 11
David Jackson 10
Glen Baxter 8
Eric Monaghan 5
Richard Green 4
Lee Farthing 0
|score = 50 – 46
|report = {{cite web |url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1987fixtures.pdf|title=1987 KO cup final|website=Speedway Researcher|access-date=29 September 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/mildenhall1987.pdf|title=Mildenhall 1987 KO cup final|website=Speedway Researcher|access-date=29 September 2021}}
|team2 = Eastbourne Eagles
Martin Dugard 14
Gordon Kennett 13
Andy Buck 9
Dean Standing 5
Dean Barker 2
Keith Pritchard 2
Darren Standing 1
|stadium = Mildenhall Stadium
}}
Second leg
{{footballbox
|date = 4 October 1987
|team1 = Eastbourne Eagles
Dean Standing 11
Andy Buck 11
Gordon Kennett 10
Martin Dugard 9
Dean Barker 6
Keith Pritchard 5
Darren Standing 2
|score = 54 – 41
|team2 = Mildenhall Fen Tigers
Melvyn Taylor 12
Dave Jessup 11
David Jackson 11
Richard Green 5
Eric Monaghan 1
Paul Blackbird 1
Glen Baxter 0
|stadium = Arlington Stadium
}}
Eastbourne were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 100–91.
Riders' Championship
Andrew Silver won the Riders' Championship. The final sponsored by Jawa Moto & Barum was held on 12 September 1987 at Brandon Stadium.{{cite news |title=Nigel makes up for NLRC second |work=Staffordshire Sentinel |date=14 September 1987 |access-date=21 June 2023 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000525/19870914/267/0014 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}
| class=wikitable
!width=25px|Pos. | width=180px|Rider | width=100px|Pts | width=50px|Total |
| align=center {{speedway color|g}}
|1 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Andrew Silver | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
| align=center
|2 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Nigel Crabtree | 3 3 3 3 2 | 14 |
| align=center
|3 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} David Blackburn | 2 2 1 3 2 | 10+3 |
| align=center
|4 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Les Collins | 1 3 3 2 1 | 10+2 |
| align=center
|5 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} David Biles | 1 2 2 2 3 | 10+1 |
| align=center
|6 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Dave Mullett | 2 1 2 2 2 | 9 |
| align=center
|7 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Martin Dixon | 3 2 2 1 0 | 8 |
| align=center
|8 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Dave Jessup | ef 3 3 2 0 | 8 |
| align=center
|9 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Kevin Jolly | 2 0 1 1 3 | 7 |
| align=center
|10 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Martin Dugard | 3 2 0 fr 2 | 7 |
| align=center
|11 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Trevor Banks | 0 1 2 3 0 | 6 |
| align=center
|12 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Paul Woods | 1 1 1 0 3 | 6 |
| align=center
|13 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Steve Lawson | 2 0 0 1 1 | 4 |
| align=center
|14 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Nigel Sparshott | 0 0 1 0 1 | 2 |
| align=center
|15 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Ian Barney | 0 1 0 0 1 | 2 |
| align=center
|16 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Rob Woffinden | 1 tex ef 1 0 | 2 |
| align=center
|17 | align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Wayne Broadhurst | r | 0 |
- f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure t-touched tapes
Pairs
The National League Pairs was held at Wimborne Road on 26 July and was won by Mildenhall Fen Tigers.{{cite web |url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1987fixtures.pdf |title=1987 fixtures |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=25 May 2023}}{{cite news |title=Tigers triumph |work=Cambridge Daily News |date=27 July 1987 |access-date=25 May 2023 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003740/19870727/023/0023 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}
Semi finals
- Peterborough (Hawkins & Barney) bt Stoke (Crabtree & Stead) 6-3
- Mildenhall (Jessup & Taylor) bt Eastbourne (Kennett & Dugard) 6-3
Final
- Mildenhall bt Peterborough 6-3
Fours
Mildenhall won the fours championship final. The first semi final was held at Peterborough on 9 August but the remaining semi final and final were cancelled due to heavy rain. The re-run was not held until 16 October at Hackney.{{cite news |title=Fantastic Fours! |work=Cambridge Daily News |date=31 October 1987 |access-date=8 May 2023 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003740/19871031/023/0023 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}
Semi finals
- SF1 = Mildenhall 18, Arena Essex 16, Berwick 8, Poole 6
- SF2 = 1 Eastbourne, 2 Wimbledon, 3 Middlesbrough 4 Peterborough
Final
| class=wikitable style="font-size:93%;"
!width=25px|Pos | width=150px|Team | width=50px|Pts | width=400px|Riders |
| align=center
|1 | align=left|Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 31 | Taylor 10, Monaghan 9, Jackson 6, Jessup 6 |
| align=center
|2 | align=left|Arena Essex Hammers | 30 | Silver 12, Goodwin 10, G Chessell 5 M Chessell 3 |
| align=center
|3 | align=left|Eastbourne Eagles | 27 | Buck 8, Kennett 8, Dean Standing 4, Pritchard 4 Dugard 3 |
| align=center
|4 | align=left|Wimbledon Dons | 7 | Tatum 5, Johns 1 Simpson 1, Jolly 0, Mussett 0 |
Leading averages
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%"
!width=200| Rider !width=200| Team !width=40| Average | ||
| align="left"| Andrew Silver | Arena Essex | 10.66 |
| align="left"| Martin Dugard | Eastbourne | 10.40 |
| align="left"| Melvyn Taylor | Mildenhall | 10.38 |
| align="left"| Nigel Crabtree | Stoke | 10.20 |
| align="left"| Martin Dixon | Middlesbrough | 10.01 |
| align="left"| Les Collins | Edinburgh | 9.96 |
| align="left"| Dave Jessup | Mildenhall | 9.92 |
| align="left"| Steve Schofield | Poole | 9.54 |
| align="left"| Kevin Jolly | Wimbledon | 9.48 |
| align="left"| Gordon Kennett | Eastbourne | 9.40 |
Riders & final averages
Arena Essex
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Andrew Silver 10.66
- Martin Goodwin 8.91
- Nigel Leaver 6.76
- Gary Chessell 6.18
- Ian Humphreys 4.55
- Steve Bishop 4.06
- Mark Chessell 2.98
- Lawrie Bloomfield 2.73
- Simon Wolstenholme 2.00
{{div col end}}
Berwick
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Charlie McKinna 8.08
- Steve McDermott 8.00
- Phil White 7.88
- Rob Woffinden 7.68
- Rob Grant Sr. 6.93
- Ian Stead 6.85
- Wayne Ross 6.45
- Sean Courtney 6.06
- Paul McHale 4.57
{{div col end}}
Boston (withdrew from league)
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Andy Hines 8.17
- Carl Baldwin 6.35
- Phil White 5.81
- Andy Fisher 4.96
- Wally Hill 3.60
- Jonathan Cooper 3.32
- Gary Clegg 3.29
- Jamie Young 3.27
- Chris Mulvihill 1.75
{{div col end}}
Canterbury
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Dave Mullett 8.62
- Mike Spink 7.51
- Rob Tilbury 7.15
- Paul Whittaker 6.93
- Paul Evitts 6.33
- Mark Lyndon 5.63
- Richard Pettman 3.95
- Carl Chalcraft 3.76
- Jimmy Goodsell 2.00
{{div col end}}
Eastbourne
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Martin Dugard 10.40
- Gordon Kennett 9.40
- Andy Buck 8.66
- Dean Standing 7.33
- Keith Pritchard 7.02
- Dean Barker 5.16
- Darren Standing 4.30
- Steve Chambers 4.00
{{div col end}}
Edinburgh
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Les Collins 9.96
- Doug Wyer 8.40
- Brett Saunders 7.77
- Dave Trownson 6.90
- Chris Cobby 6.15
- Scott Lamb 5.55
- Phil Jeffrey 4.73
- Jamie Young 2.87
- Ray Taaffe 2.82
- Colin Smith 1.00
- Shaun Bickley 0.71
{{div col end}}
Exeter
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Alan Rivett 7.59
- Colin Cook 7.44
- David Smart 7.43
- Kevin Price 6.81
- Michael Coles 5.09
- Andy Sell 4.66
- Dave Gibbs 4.46
- Tony Mattingley 3.77
{{div col end}}
Glasgow/Workington (withdrew from league)
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Steve Lawson 8.48
- Gordon Whitaker 7.16
- Martin McKinna 5.35
- Jacko Irving 4.63
- Derek Cooper 3.35
- Geoff Powell 3.10
- Jim Graham 2.59
{{div col end}}
Long Eaton
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Glenn Doyle 8.50
- Nigel Sparshott 7.72
- Keith White 7.33
- Gerald Short 7.02
- Glyn Taylor 6.14
- Miles Evans 6.00
- Richie Owen 4.78
- Ian Stead 4.00
- Rob Carter 3.52
- Kevin Price 3.31
- Mark Ferry 2.30
- Mark Hepworth 1.84
{{div col end}}
Middlesbrough
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Martin Dixon 10.01
- Mark Fiora 8.89
- Steve Wilcock 7.56
- Peter McNamara 5.40
- Ashley Norton 5.18
- Andy Buck 4.97
- Mark Burrows 4.38
- Geoff Pusey 4.06
{{div col end}}
Mildenhall
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Melvyn Taylor 10.38
- Dave Jessup 9.92
- Eric Monaghan 7.90
- Dave Jackson 6.42
- Richard Green 5.91
- Glen Baxter 5.28
- Lee Farthing 4.08
- Rob Parish 3.40
{{div col end}}
Milton Keynes
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Kevin Smart 8.51
- Trevor Banks 8.48
- Keith White 8.19
- Andy Hines 7.27
- Mark Carlson 6.96
- Troy Butler 6.83
- Peter Lloyd 6.46
- Ian Clark 5.09
{{div col end}}
Newcastle
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- David Blackburn 8.90
- Tom Owen 7.31
- Dave Morton 7.22
- Mark Courtney 7.18
- Gary O'Hare 5.42
- Shane Bowes 4.69
- Bernie Collier 4.67
- Paul Cooper 1.69
{{div col end}}
Peterborough
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Ian Barney 9.16
- Kevin Hawkins 8.69
- Nigel Flatman 7.63
- Carl Baldwin 7.35
- Craig Hodgson 6.23
- Jamie Habbin 6.17
- Pete Chapman 6.09
- Rob Fortune 5.08
{{div col end}}
Poole
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Steve Schofield 9.54
- David Biles 9.16
- Martin Yeates 7.66
- Kevin Smith 7.33
- Wayne Barrett 4.08
- Peter Read 3.53
- Will James 3.39
- Nigel Newman 2.90
{{div col end}}
Rye House
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Paul Woods 8.11
- Barry Thomas 6.93
- Jamie Luckhurst 6.40
- Kevin Brice 5.10
- Linden Warner 4.99
- Kevin Teager 4.81
- Gary Rolls 4.44
- Rob Parish 4.15
- Steve Bryenton 4.00
- Julian Parr 3.51
{{div col end}}
Stoke
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Nigel Crabtree 10.20
- Darren Sumner 8.03
- Graham Jones 7.94
- Paul Stead 7.38
- Mike Wilding 6.34
- Derek Richardson 5.16
- Bobby Duncan 3.71
{{div col end}}
Wimbledon
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Kevin Jolly 9.48
- Roger Johns 9.02
- Neville Tatum 8.56
- Jeremy Luckhurst 6.06
- Alan Farmer 5.27
- Terry Mussett 5.00
- Nathan Simpson 4.36
- Mark Fordham 3.79
- Mark Lyndon 3.46
{{div col end}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Speedway British League Division Two seasons}}
{{Speedway in the United Kingdom}}
{{United Kingdom Speedway Seasons}}
Category:Speedway British League Division Two / National League