1987_National_League_season
1987 National League season
Second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom
In 1987 the National League, also known as British League Division Two, was the second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom.[1]
Quick Facts League, No. of competitors ...
| League | National League |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 16 |
| Champions | Eastbourne Eagles |
| Knockout Cup | Eastbourne Eagles |
| Individual | Andrew Silver |
| Pairs | Mildenhall Fen Tigers |
| Fours | Mildenhall Fen Tigers |
| Highest average | Andrew Silver |
| Division/s above | 1987 British League |
Close
Glasgow Tigers were without a home so they joined the 1987 season based at Workington's Derwent Park.[2]
On 31 July, Glasgow Tigers (now called Workington Tigers held their last fixture against Stoke.[2] The following day on 1 August, Boston Barracudas withdrew after a heavy home defeat to Eastbourne. Both Glasgow-Workington and Boston had their results expunged.[3]
The league champions that year were Eastbourne Eagles.[4][5]
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Eastbourne Eagles | 30 | 22 | 0 | 8 | 44 |
| 2 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 30 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 41 |
| 3 | Milton Keynes Knights | 30 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 39 |
| 4 | Stoke Potters | 30 | 18 | 1 | 11 | 37 |
| 5 | Peterborough Panthers | 30 | 18 | 0 | 12 | 36 |
| 6 | Berwick Bandits | 30 | 17 | 1 | 22 | 35 |
| 7 | Wimbledon Dons | 30 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 30 |
| 8 | Poole Pirates | 30 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 30 |
| 9 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 29 |
| 10 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 30 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 28 |
| 11 | Newcastle Diamonds | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 26 |
| 12 | Arena Essex Hammers | 30 | 12 | 1 | 17 | 25 |
| 13 | Canterbury Crusaders | 30 | 11 | 1 | 18 | 23 |
| 14 | Exeter Falcons | 30 | 11 | 1 | 18 | 23 |
| 15 | Long Eaton Invaders | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 17 |
| 16 | Rye House Rockets | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 17 |
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.[6]
First round
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | 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 |
Close
a=Abandoned
Second round
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | 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 |
Close
a=Abandoned
Quarter-finals
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | 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 |
Close
Semi-finals
More information Date, Team one ...
| Date | Team one | Score | 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 |
Close
Final
First leg
More information Mildenhall Fen TigersMelvyn Taylor 12Dave Jessup 11David Jackson 10Glen Baxter 8Eric Monaghan 5Richard Green 4Lee Farthing 0, 50 – 46 ...
| Mildenhall Fen Tigers Melvyn Taylor 12 Dave Jessup 11 David Jackson 10 Glen Baxter 8 Eric Monaghan 5 Richard Green 4 Lee Farthing 0 | 50 – 46 | Eastbourne Eagles Martin Dugard 14 Gordon Kennett 13 Andy Buck 9 Dean Standing 5 Dean Barker 2 Keith Pritchard 2 Darren Standing 1 |
|---|---|---|
| [7][8] |
Close
Second leg
More information Eastbourne EaglesDean Standing 11Andy Buck 11Gordon Kennett 10Martin Dugard 9Dean Barker 6Keith Pritchard 5Darren Standing 2, 54 – 41 ...
| Eastbourne Eagles Dean Standing 11 Andy Buck 11 Gordon Kennett 10 Martin Dugard 9 Dean Barker 6 Keith Pritchard 5 Darren Standing 2 | 54 – 41 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers Melvyn Taylor 12 Dave Jessup 11 David Jackson 11 Richard Green 5 Eric Monaghan 1 Paul Blackbird 1 Glen Baxter 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [7][8] |
Close
Eastbourne were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 100–91.
Andrew Silver won the Riders' Championship. The final sponsored by Jawa Moto & Barum was held on 12 September 1987 at Brandon Stadium.[9]
More information Pos., Rider ...
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Andrew Silver | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Nigel Crabtree | 3 3 3 3 2 | 14 |
| 3 | David Blackburn | 2 2 1 3 2 | 10+3 |
| 4 | Les Collins | 1 3 3 2 1 | 10+2 |
| 5 | David Biles | 1 2 2 2 3 | 10+1 |
| 6 | Dave Mullett | 2 1 2 2 2 | 9 |
| 7 | Martin Dixon | 3 2 2 1 0 | 8 |
| 8 | Dave Jessup | ef 3 3 2 0 | 8 |
| 9 | Kevin Jolly | 2 0 1 1 3 | 7 |
| 10 | Martin Dugard | 3 2 0 fr 2 | 7 |
| 11 | Trevor Banks | 0 1 2 3 0 | 6 |
| 12 | Paul Woods | 1 1 1 0 3 | 6 |
| 13 | Steve Lawson | 2 0 0 1 1 | 4 |
| 14 | Nigel Sparshott | 0 0 1 0 1 | 2 |
| 15 | Ian Barney | 0 1 0 0 1 | 2 |
| 16 | Rob Woffinden | 1 tex ef 1 0 | 2 |
| 17 | Wayne Broadhurst | r | 0 |
Close
- f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure t-touched tapes
The National League Pairs was held at Wimborne Road on 26 July and was won by Mildenhall Fen Tigers.[10][11]
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
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.[12]
Semi finals
- SF1 = Mildenhall 18, Arena Essex 16, Berwick 8, Poole 6
- SF2 = 1 Eastbourne, 2 Wimbledon, 3 Middlesbrough 4 Peterborough
Final
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 31 | Taylor 10, Monaghan 9, Jackson 6, Jessup 6 |
| 2 | Arena Essex Hammers | 30 | Silver 12, Goodwin 10, G Chessell 5 M Chessell 3 |
| 3 | Eastbourne Eagles | 27 | Buck 8, Kennett 8, Dean Standing 4, Pritchard 4 Dugard 3 |
| 4 | Wimbledon Dons | 7 | Tatum 5, Johns 1 Simpson 1, Jolly 0, Mussett 0 |
Close
More information Rider, Team ...
| Rider | Team | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Silver | Arena Essex | 10.66 |
| Martin Dugard | Eastbourne | 10.40 |
| Melvyn Taylor | Mildenhall | 10.38 |
| Nigel Crabtree | Stoke | 10.20 |
| Martin Dixon | Middlesbrough | 10.01 |
| Les Collins | Edinburgh | 9.96 |
| Dave Jessup | Mildenhall | 9.92 |
| Steve Schofield | Poole | 9.54 |
| Kevin Jolly | Wimbledon | 9.48 |
| Gordon Kennett | Eastbourne | 9.40 |
Close
Arena Essex
- 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
Berwick
- 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
Boston (withdrew from league)
- 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
Canterbury
- 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
Eastbourne
- 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
Edinburgh
- 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
Exeter
- 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
Glasgow (withdrew from league)
- 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
Long Eaton
- 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
Middlesbrough
- 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
Mildenhall
- 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
Milton Keynes
- 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
Newcastle
- 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
Peterborough
- 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
Poole
- 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
Rye House
- 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
Stoke
- 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
Wimbledon
- 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
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- "Workington Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- Oakes, P.(2006). Speedway Star Almanac. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0
- "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- "1987 National League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- "1987 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- "Mildenhall 1987 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- "Nigel makes up for NLRC second". Staffordshire Sentinel. 14 September 1987. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "1987 fixtures" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- "Tigers triumph". Cambridge Daily News. 27 July 1987. Retrieved 25 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Fantastic Fours!". Cambridge Daily News. 31 October 1987. Retrieved 8 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.