British League Division Two

Last updated
British League Division Two
Sport Speedway
Founded1968
Ceased1994
CompetitorsVaried
Country United Kingdom

The British League Division Two was created in 1968 and was the second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom until the restructuring of British speedway in 1995. It was renamed the New National League in 1975 and the National League between 1976 and 1990. [1] [2]

Contents

History

After the formation of the British League in 1965, riders wanting to break into teams found it more difficult to do so. The idea of forming a second division was suggested and in 1968 the idea became a reality when ten teams formed the league. The ten teams were: Belle Vue Colts, Berwick Bandits, Canterbury Crusaders, Crayford Highwaymen, Middlesbrough Teessiders, Nelson Admirals, Plymouth Devils, Rayleigh Rockets, Reading Racers and the Weymouth Eagles. [3]

The league was renamed the New National League (to avoid confusion with the original National League) in 1975 after promoters of the Division Two tracks decided to form their own league after they became dissatisfied with the way the league was being run by the British Speedway Promoters' Association and the name was shortened to the National League in 1976. It was again named the British League Division Two in 1991 and a system of promotion and relegation was introduced between the British League and the British League Division Two. The league existed until 1994 when the top two league divisions of speedway in the UK were amalgamated for the 1995 and 1996 seasons. In 1997 the Premier League became the second tier when the Elite League was formed. [4]

Champions

SeasonChampionsSecond
1968 Belle Vue Colts Nelson Admirals
1969 Belle Vue Colts Reading Racers
1970 Canterbury Crusaders Eastbourne Eagles
1971 Eastbourne Eagles Bradford Northern
1972 Crewe Kings Boston Barracudas
1973 Boston Barracudas Workington Comets
1974 Birmingham Brummies Eastbourne Eagles
in 1975, it was renamed the New National League
1975 Birmingham Brummies Newcastle Diamonds
from 1976-1990, it was named the National League
1976 Newcastle Diamonds Ellesmere Port Gunners
1977 Eastbourne Eagles Rye House Rockets
1978 Canterbury Crusaders Newcastle Diamonds
1979 Mildenhall Fen Tigers Rye House Rockets
1980 Rye House Rockets Newcastle Diamonds
1981 Middlesbrough Tigers Weymouth Wildcats
1982 Newcastle Diamonds Mildenhall Fen Tigers
1983 Newcastle Diamonds Mildenhall Fen Tigers
1984 Long Eaton Invaders Mildenhall Fen Tigers
1985 Ellesmere Port Gunners Poole Wildcats
1986 Eastbourne Eagles Poole Wildcats
1987 Eastbourne Eagles Mildenhall Fen Tigers
1988 Hackney Kestrels Poole Pirates
1989 Poole Pirates Wimbledon Dons
1990 Poole Pirates Middlesbrough Bears
in 1991, the name reverted to British League Division Two
1991 Arena Essex Hammers Glasgow Tigers
1992 Peterborough Panthers Berwick Bandits
1993 Glasgow Tigers Long Eaton Invaders
1994 Glasgow Tigers Long Eaton Invaders

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poole Pirates</span> English motorcycle speedway team

Poole Pirates are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the SGB Championship. The club have been the champions of the United Kingdom on ten occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belle Vue Aces</span> British speedway team

The Belle Vue Aces are a British speedway club, based in Manchester. The club hold the record of having won the top tier League championship 13 times. They currently compete in the SGB Premiership, racing at The National Speedway Stadium, with home matches usually taking place on Monday evenings. They also run a second team in the National Development League, known as the Belle Vue Colts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canterbury Crusaders (speedway)</span>

The Canterbury Crusaders were a motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Kingsmead Stadium, Kingsmead Road, Canterbury from 1968 to 1987. For all of their 20-year existence, the Crusaders operated at the second level of British league speedway, in British League Division Two and the National League.

The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. They compete in the British SGB Premiership. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm.

The Elite League was the top division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom, governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). It was sponsored by Sky Sports until the end of the 2013 season. In 2016, the Elite League featured 8 teams, unlike 10 in 2014, during a season which ran between March and October. Each team had a designated race day on which they normally staged their home fixtures, and they regularly had home and away fixtures scheduled in the same week.

The Premier League was the second tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by The Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). The Premier League was founded in 1995 when the two divisions of the British League were amalgamated. In 1997, the Elite League was created as a new top tier with the Premier League becoming the second tier. The league operated until 2016 when British speedway was restructured with the formation of the SGB Premiership and SGB Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford Cheetahs</span> British speedway team

The Oxford Cheetahs are a British speedway team based at Oxford Stadium, in Oxford, England. They were founded in 1939 and are five times champions of Britain, in 1964, 1985, 1986, 1989 and 2001. The club folded in 2007 but returned to racing when participating in the SGB Championship 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastbourne Eagles</span>

The Eastbourne Eagles were a British motorcycle speedway team, based at Arlington Stadium, near Eastbourne, England. They were founded in 1929 and are two times champions of Britain in 1995 and 2000.

The Conference League was the third and lowest division of motorcycle speedway racing in the United Kingdom governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). The other leagues being the Elite League and Premier League. The League consisted of eight teams for the 2008 season. In 2009 it was replaced with the National League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mildenhall Fen Tigers</span>

The Mildenhall Fen Tigers are a British speedway team, founded in 1975 and currently riding in the National Development League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speedway in the United Kingdom</span> Overview of the motorcycle sport in Britain

The sport of speedway in the United Kingdom has changed little since the first meetings in the 1920s. It has three domestic leagues, its own Speedway Grand Prix, and an annual entry into the Speedway World Cup / Speedway of Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weymouth Wildcats</span>

The Weymouth Wildcats were a British motorcycle speedway team based in Weymouth, England, who raced in the National League. The Wildcats won the first Conference League Championship in their history in 2008 after winning the Conference League play-offs. They closed down in 2010. In 2019 they raced at Wimborne Road, the home of Poole Pirates in the Midland Southern Development League hoping to relocate into Weymouth later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cradley Heathens</span> Former motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England

Cradley Heathens was a motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England. The team was founded in 1947 and competed at the top level of British speedway until its closure in 1995. It was revived as Dudley Heathens in 2010, competing in the National League, reverting to the Cradley Heathens name in 2013. It ceased operating after the 2019 season, although a team bearing the Heathens name has operated under the NORA umbrella on the Isle of Wight in 2021 and 2022 and in 2022 won The Michael Richardson Trophy.

The Middlesbrough Bears were a British speedway team which operated under various names from 1939 until their closure in 1996.

The British League was the main motorcycle speedway league in Britain from its formation in 1965 until 1995 when British speedway was restructured. It initially had a single division, with a second division starting in 1968.

The Provincial League was a league competition for speedway teams in the United Kingdom. The Provincial League created as a breakaway league from the National League and continued for five seasons between 1960 and 1964.

The National League was the main speedway league in the United Kingdom from 1932 until 1964, after which it merged with the Provincial League to form the British League. Prior to 1932 there were only small regional leagues competing within the sport in the UK, with the Northern League and the Southern League merging for the inaugural 1932 season.

The British League Division Two Riders Championship was a speedway contest between the top riders from each club competing in the second tier of British speedway.

The 1995 Academy League was the second tier/division of British speedway. It was effectively the same division of teams that had competed in the 1994 British League Division 3 but was renamed because the British League Division 1 and 2 had merged.

References

  1. "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  2. Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN   0-904584-45-3.
  3. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  4. "Competitions". Speedway Archive. Retrieved 23 August 2021.