1988_National_League_season
1988 National League season
British motorcycle speedway season
In 1988 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 | Hackney Kestrels |
| Knockout Cup | Hackney Kestrels |
| Individual | Troy Butler |
| Pairs | Stoke Potters |
| Fours | Peterborough Panthers |
| Highest average | Mark Loram |
| Division/s above | 1988 British League |
Close
Glasgow Tigers returned to Glasgow for the first time in 15 years, when they moved into Shawfield Stadium in Rutherglen.[2]
The league champions that year were Hackney Kestrels.[3][4]
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Hackney Kestrels | 30 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 54 |
| 2 | Poole Pirates | 30 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 41 |
| 3 | Eastbourne Eagles | 30 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 36 |
| 4 | Wimbledon Dons | 30 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 36 |
| 5 | Berwick Bandits | 30 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 36 |
| 6 | Milton Keynes Knights | 30 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 36 |
| 7 | Stoke Potters | 30 | 16 | 0 | 14 | 32 |
| 8 | Peterborough Panthers | 30 | 15 | 1 | 14 | 31 |
| 9 | Arena Essex Hammers | 30 | 15 | 1 | 14 | 31 |
| 10 | Glasgow Tigers | 30 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 28 |
| 11 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 30 | 14 | 0 | 16 | 28 |
| 12 | Exeter Falcons | 30 | 12 | 0 | 18 | 24 |
| 13 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 30 | 10 | 1 | 19 | 21 |
| 14 | Rye House Rockets | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 17 |
| 15 | Middlesbrough Tigers | 30 | 7 | 1 | 22 | 15 |
| 16 | Long Eaton Invaders | 30 | 7 | 0 | 23 | 14 |
The 1988 National League Knockout Cup was the 21st edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Hackney Kestrels were the winners of the competition.
First round
More information Team one, Team two ...
| Team one | Team two | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | Stoke | 55–41 | 45–50 |
| Berwick | Glasgow | 56–40 | 49–47 |
| Hackney | Poole | 70–26 | 40–56 |
| Peterborough | Rye House | 58–38 | 39–56 |
| Arena Essex | Mildenhall | 54–42 | 39–57 |
| Eastbourne | Exeter | 66–29 | 50–46 |
| Milton Keynes | Wimbledon | 44–52 | 41–55 |
| Long Eaton | Middlesbrough | 51–45 | 33–63 |
Close
Quarter-finals
More information Team one, Team two ...
| Team one | Team two | 1st leg | 2nd leg | replay | replay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | Peterborough | 51–45 | 46–49 | ||
| Berwick | Eastbourne | 56–40 | 45–51 | ||
| Mildenhall | Wimbledon | 59–37 | 37–59 | 45–50 | 46–50 |
| Hackney | Middlesbrough | 56–40 | 51–45 |
Close
Semi-finals
More information Team one, Team two ...
| Team one | Team two | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berwick | Wimbledon | 58–38 | 33–63 |
| Edinburgh | Hackney | 45–51 | 25–71 |
Close
Final
First leg
Second leg
Hackney were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 110–82.
Troy Butler won the Riders' Championship. The final sponsored by Jawa Moto & Barum was held on 10 September 1988 at Brandon Stadium.[6][7]
More information Pos., Rider ...
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Troy Butler | 3 3 3 3 3 | 15 |
| 2 |  Mark Loram | 3 2 2 2 2 | 11+3 |
| 3 |  Kenny McKinna | 3 1 2 2 3 | 11+2 |
| 4 | Melvyn Taylor | 2 3 3 2 ef | 10 |
| 5 | Graham Jones | 1 3 0 3 3 | 10 |
| 6 | Kevin Jolly | 0 2 3 3 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Steve Schofield | 3 3 0 1 2 | 9 |
| 8 | Gordon Kennett | 2 1 2 2 1 | 8 |
| 9 | Ian Barney | 2 1 1 0 2 | 6 |
| 10 | Mark Fiora | 1 0 3 0 3 | 7 |
| 11 | Steve Regeling | 2 2 1 1 0 | 6 |
| 12 | Martin Goodwin | 1 0 1 1 2 | 5 |
| 13 |  Jens Rasmussen | 0 2 2 ef 1 | 5 |
| 14 | Jamie Luckhurst | 0 0 1 3 r | 4 |
| 15 | Keith White | 1 0 0 1 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Mark Courtney | 0 1 0 0 x | 1 |
| 17 | Mike Bacon (res) | ef | 0 |
Close
- f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure t=touched tapes
The National League Pairs was held at Wimborne Road was due to be held on 24 July but was postponed before being held on 23 August. The event was won by Stoke Potters.[8][9]
More information Group A, Pos ...
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Close
Semi finals
- Stoke bt Eastbourne 5-4
- Poole bt Peterborough 5-4
Final
- Stoke bt Poole 7-2
Peterborough Panthers won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Arena on 7 August.[10]
Semi finals
- SF1 = Poole 20, Peterborough 18, Stoke 9, Glasgow 1
- SF2 = Mildenhall 15, Eastbourne 12, Middlesbrough 11, Hackney 10
Final
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peterborough Panthers | 14 | Hodgson 5, Poole 4, Hawkins 4, Barney 1 |
| 2 | Mildenhall Fen Tigers | 13 | Hines 4, Taylor 4, Monaghan 3, Baxter 1 |
| 3 | Eastbourne Eagles | 13 | Buck 6, Standing 4, Barker 3, Kennett 0 |
| 4 | Poole Pirates | 8 | Biles 4, Smart 2, Boyce 2, Schofield 0 |
Close
More information Rider, Team ...
| Rider | Team | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Loram | Hackney | 10.34 |
| Steve Schofield | Poole | 10.22 |
| Melvyn Taylor | Mildenhall | 10.11 |
| Mark Courtney | Berwick | 10.07 |
| Kenny McKinna | Glasgow | 10.05 |
| Gordon Kennett | Eastbourne | 9.97 |
| Andy Galvin | Hackney | 9.86 |
| Martin Goodwin | Arena Essex | 9.68 |
| Andy Buck | Eastbourne | 9.56 |
| Mick Poole | Peterborough | 9.52 |
| Mark Fiora | Middlesbrough | 9.45 |
Close
Arena Essex
- Martin Goodwin 9.68
- David Smart 7.27
- Rob Tilbury 6.75
- Nigel Leaver 5.80
- Chris Cobby 5.71
- Ian Humphreys 4.76
- Simon Wolstenholme 4.61
Berwick
- Mark Courtney 10.07
- Charlie McKinna 8.40
- Steve McDermott 6.66
- Rob Grant Sr. 6.55
- Sean Courtney 6.12
- Phil Kynman 5.30
- Rob Woffinden 4.75
- Wayne Ross 4.61
- Ian Stead 4.56
- Scott Robson 2.15
Eastbourne
- Gordon Kennett 9.97
- Andy Buck 9.56
- Dean Standing 7.71
- Dean Barker 7.37
- Keith Pritchard 5.62
- David Norris 5.00
- Jon Surman 4.44
- Darren Standing 4.32
Edinburgh
- Les Collins 9.00
- Jamie Luckhurst 8.60
- Doug Wyer 7.27
- Brett Saunders 6.57
- Scott Lamb 4.69
- Rob Woffinden 4.59
- Jeremy Luckhurst 4.24
- Darrell Branford 2.86
- Mike Long 2.74
Exeter
- Steve Regeling 7.90
- Colin Cook 6.80
- Richard Green 6.46
- Alan Rivett 6.43
- Dave Trownson 6.16
- Peter Jeffery 5.53
- Andy Sell 5.32
- Rob Fortune 4.72
- Tony Mattingley 2.90
- Bruce Cribb 3.24
Glasgow
- Kenny McKinna 10.05
- Steve Lawson 8.69
- David Blackburn 7.33
- Phil Jeffrey 5.36
- Shane Bowes 5.01
- Martin McKinna 4.17
- Geoff Powell 3.73
- Wayne Ross 3.06
- Michael Irving 2.20
Hackney
- Mark Loram 10.34
- Andy Galvin 9.86
- Chris Louis 8.04
- Alan Mogridge 7.41
- Paul Whittaker 7.29
- Gary Rolls 5.94
- Barry Thomas 5.92
Long Eaton
- Keith White 8.40
- Glenn Doyle 7.83
- Mike Spink 6.20
- Gary O'Hare 5.44
- Richie Owen 4.00
- Darrell Branford 3.48
- Dave Morton 3.29
- Wayne Elliott 3.21
- Jon Roberts 2.92
- Steve Bishop 2.71
Middlesbrough
- Mark Fiora 9.45
- Daz Sumner 8.10
- Martin Dixon 8.00
- Peter McNamara 5.80
- Ashley Norton 4.56
- Nigel Sparshott 4.52
- Geoff Pusey 3.80
- Andy Sumner 3.74
- Andy Buck 3.04
- David Clay 2.86
- Max Schofield 2.38
- Paul Bentley 2.33
Mildenhall
- Melvyn Taylor 10.11
- Dave Jackson 7.74
- Andy Hines 7.08
- Eric Monaghan 6.62
- Glen Baxter 5.66
- Michael Coles 5.59
- Paul Blackbird 2.57
- Simon Green 2.56
Milton Keynes
- Troy Butler 8.72
- Alastair Stevens 7.67
- Carl Baldwin 7.51
- Trevor Banks 7.20
- Ian Clark 6.44
- Mark Carlson 6.10
- Tony Primmer 6.07
- Nigel Sparshott 5.61
- Paul Atkins 3.65
Peterborough
- Mick Poole 9.52
- Ian Barney 8.41
- Kevin Hawkins 7.98
- Craig Hodgson 7.81
- Jamie Habbin 5.72
- John Stokes 4.97
- Pete Chapman 4.55
Poole
- Steve Schofield 10.22
- David Biles 8.48
- Craig Boyce 7.65
- Kevin Smart 6.68
- Tony Langdon 6.67
- Gary Allan 5.58
- Robbie Fuller 4.98
- Nigel Flatman 4.90
- Steve Bishop 4.48
- Steve Langdon 3.50
Rye House
- Jens Rasmussen 9.28
- Paul Woods 8.12
- Steve Wilcock 6.27
- Mark Lyndon 5.59
- Kevin Brice 4.53
- Carl Chalcraft 4.50
- Peter Schroeck 3.46
- John Wainwright 2.67
- Kevin Teager 2.38
Stoke
- Nigel Crabtree 9.16
- Graham Jones 8.92
- Louis Carr 8.02
- Steve Bastable 6.96
- Derek Richardson 6.87
- Paul Fry 5.18
- Wayne Broadhurst 2.48
- Jon Hughes 2.08
Wimbledon
- Kevin Jolly 9.05
- Ray Morton 8.30
- Todd Wiltshire 7.66
- Roger Johns 7.29
- Alastair Stevens 7.20
- Andy Campbell 6.59
- Nathan Simpson 6.26
- Terry Mussett 4.73
- Rodney Payne 4.00
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- "Shawfield welcomes the roar of the Tigers". Rutherglen Reformer. 15 January 1988. Retrieved 25 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- 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.
- "1988 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- "Leading the way home". Cambridge Daily News. 12 September 1988. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Troy Butler". Speedway Museum. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- "1988 fixtures" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- "Stokespeedway pair triumph". Staffordshire Sentinel. 24 August 1988. Retrieved 25 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Speedway". Cambridge Daily News. 8 August 1988. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.