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1974 British League Division Two season

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British motorcycle speedway season

1974 British League Division Two season
League	British League Division Two
No. of competitors	19
Champions	Birmingham Brummies
Knockout Cup	Birmingham Brummies
Individual	Carl Glover
Highest average	Phil Herne
Division/s above	British League (Div 1)
←1973 1975 →

The1974 British League Division Two season was the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. It was the final season ofBritish League Division Two before it was renamed as theNew National League.^[1]

Summary

[edit]

The league was again expanded by one team from 18 to 19 teams.Weymouth Wizards were the new addition to the league, returning to action after five years out. Additionally there were two in and two out;Hull Vikings had moved up to theBritish League swapping places withCoatbridge Tigers and also swapping their top riders.Rayleigh Rockets closed down but the promotion, riders and nickname moved toRye House. It was the first season of league speedway at Rye House since the1959 Southern Area League.^[2]^[3]

There were a few changes of nicknames; theChesterton Potters changed their team name to the Stoke Potters,Bradford became the Barons,Sunderland became the Gladiators andLong Eaton raced as the Archers.^[4]

Birmingham Brummies won their first title, completing a league and cup double.^[5]^[6] AustralianPhil Herne improved his average by over 3 points from the 1973 season andArthur Browning also exceeded a 10 average, the two factors proved to be the catalyst for Birmingham's success.John Hart andGeorge Major both scored heavily throughout the season too.^[2]

Final table

[edit]

Pos	Team	PL	W	D	L	Pts
1	Birmingham Brummies	35	26	3	6	55
2	Eastbourne Eagles	36	24	3	9	51
3	Boston Barracudas	36	23	2	11	48
4	Workington Comets	36	22	3	11	47
5	Crewe Kings	36	22	0	14	44
6	Teesside Tigers	36	19	1	16	39
7	Bradford Barons	36	19	1	16	39
8	Peterborough Panthers	34	18	1	15	37
9	Coatbridge Tigers	36	18	0	18	36
10	Canterbury Crusaders	36	18	0	18	36
11	Berwick Bandits	36	16	1	19	33
12	Barrow Bombers	36	15	2	19	32
13	Stoke Potters	36	16	0	20	32
14	Ellesmere Port Gunners	35	14	3	18	31
15	Long Eaton Archers	36	14	2	20	30
16	Rye House Rockets	36	13	0	23	26
17	Scunthorpe Saints	36	10	2	24	22
18	Sunderland Gladiators	36	11	0	25	22
19	Weymouth Wizards	36	10	0	26	20

Fixtures and results

[edit]

Home \ Away	BAR	BER	BIR	BOS	BRA	CAN	COA	CK	EAS	EP	LE	MID	PET	RH	SCU	STO	SUN	WEY	WOR
Barrow		50–28	39–39	35–43	30–48	40–38	47–31	48–30	38–39	42–35	52–26	44–34	53–25	56–21	45–32	48–30	55–23	49–28	39–39
Berwick	39–38		32–46	37–41	39–39	42–36	44–34	49–28	40–38	42–36	44–34	44–34	38–40	46–32	42–36	51–27	46–32	44–34	43–35
Birmingham	52–25	53–25		43–35	54–24	52–26	47–31	49–29	39–39	57–21	56–22	43–35	56–22	57–21	51–27	42–36	60–17	48–30	58–20
Boston	49–29	49–29	44–34		58–20	43–34	41–37	50–28	40–38	45–33	47–31	46–32	41–36	50–28	46–31	43–35	57–21	49–29	43–35
Bradford	42–36	43–35	26–51	48–30		48–30	49–28	42–36	40–38	42–36	40–37	44–34	49–29	50–28	41–37	41–37	44–34	54–24	44–34
Canterbury	49–29	49–29	29–48	42–36	55–23		41–09	46–32	34–44	59–19	50–28	46–32	32–46	48–30	44–34	45–33	46–31	43–35	38–40
Coatbridge	41–37	36–41	45–33	48–30	41–36	58–20		57–20	42–36	49–29	50–28	43–35	55–23	59–19	44–34	47–31	61–16	54–24	49–29
Crewe	61–17	61–17	40–37	52–26	52–26	52–26	51–27		55–23	54–24	49–29	52–26	55–23	48–30	46–32	54–24	49–29	50.5–26.5	38–40
Eastbourne	47–31	58–20	47–31	41.5–36.5	58–20	38–30	51–27	54–24		49–29	55–23	44–34	57–21	59–19	54–23	51–27	55–23	52–26	57–21
Ellesmere Port	48–29	48–29	39–39	30–47	49–29	44–34	40–38	37–41	39–39		45–32	49–29	41–37	56–22	42–36	38–40	47–31	52–26	40–38
Long Eaton	44–34	39–38	33–45	37–41	47–30	44–34	40–38	41–37	40–38	39–39		43–35	39–39	52–26	47–31	48–30	53–25	42–36	44–34
Middlesbrough/Teesside	54–24	58–20	40–38	39–39	34–44	47–31	51–27	46–31	37–40	41–37	44–34		50–28	44–34	50–28	44–34	52–26	52–26	51–27
Peterborough	47–31	49–29	nh	42–36	45–33	29–49	50–28	37–41	43–35	nh	47–31	41–36		55–23	50–28	44–34	60–18	55–23	46–32
Rye House	42–36	50–28	31–46	40–38	50–28	44–33	41–36	37–40	28–49	48–30	40–38	37–41	33–44		47–30	47–31	42–35	50–28	38–40
Scunthorpe	38–40	37–41	31–47	39–39	53–24	43–35	58–20	35–43	32–46	31–47	44–34	32–46	42–35	52–25		48–30	56–22	50–27	39–39
Stoke	40–38	51–27	38–40	34–44	41–37	46–32	49–29	41–37	36–42	49–29	50–28	51–27	46–32	50–27	43–35		56–22	50–28	44–34
Sunderland	37–40	56–22	33–45	42–36	44–34	36–42	33–45	32–46	40–38	43–35	51–27	37–41	54–24	38–39	44–34	41–37		60–18	34–44
Weymouth	36.5–41.5	47–31	20–58	41–36	41–37	35–42	41–36	41–37	30–48	44–34	50–28	37–41	34–44	50–27	45–33	48–30	38–39		33–45
Workington	41–37	45–33	44–34	44–34	58–20	53–25	40–38	42–36	39–39	44–34	58–20	55–22	47–31	45–33	46–32	50–28	46–32	59–18

Source:^[7]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top five riders (league averages)

[edit]

	Rider	Team	C.M.A.
1	Phil Herne	Birmingham	10.78
2	Carl Glover	Boston	10.44
3	Mitch Graham	Workington	10.29
4	Arthur Browning	Birmingham	10.17
5	John Jackson	Crewe	10.07

British League Division Two Knockout Cup

[edit]

The 1974 British League Division Two Knockout Cup was the seventh edition of theKnockout Cup for tier two teams.Birmingham Brummies were the winners of the competition.^[8]

First round

Date	Team one	Score	Team two
02/04	Barrow	36-42	Stoke
29/04	Crewe	43-35	Workington
04/04	Stoke	46-31	Barrow
12/04	Sunderland	37-41	Teesside
18/04	Teesside	55-22	Sunderland
03/05	Workington	46-32	Crewe

Second round

Date	Team one	Score	Team two
25/05	Berwick	29-49	Workington
20/05	Birmingham	47-31	Long Eaton
19/05	Boston	49-28	Weymouth
22/05	Bradford	43-34	Ellesmere Port
04/05	Canterbury	44-34	Eastbourne
03/05	Coatbridge	55-23	Scunthorpe
05/05	Eastbourne	47-31	Canterbury
21/05	Ellesmere Port	52-26	Bradford
13/06	Long Eaton	37-40	Birmingham
24/05	Peterborough	52-26	Rye House
05/05	Rye House	36-42	Peterborough
27/05	Scunthorpe	44-34	Coatbridge
17/05	Stoke	51-27	Teesside
23/05	Teesside	32-45	Stoke
14/05	Weymouth	44-34	Boston
24/05	Workington	50-28	Berwick

Quarter-finals

Date	Team one	Score	Team two
01/07	Birmingham	48-30	Boston
14/07	Boston	39-39	Birmingham
02/08	Coatbridge	48-30	Stoke
14/07	Eastbourne	50-28	Workington
18/06	Ellesmere Port	40-38	Peterborough
21/06	Peterborough	46-31	Ellesmere Port
18/07	Stoke	40-38	Coatbridge
26/07	Workington	43-35	Eastbourne

Semi-finals

Date	Team one	Score	Team two
09/09	Birmingham	58-20	Peterborough
23/08	Coatbridge	48-29	Eastbourne
01/09	Eastbourne	56-21	Coatbridge
06/09	Peterborough	41-37	Birmingham

Final

[edit]

First leg

20 October 1974

Eastbourne Eagles Paul Gachet 12 Martin Yeates 9 Neil Middleditch 8 Pete Jarman 7 Bobby McNeil 7 Mike Sampson 2 Trevor Geer 2	47 – 31	Birmingham Brummies Arthur Browning 11 Phil Herne 10 John Hart 4 George Major 4 Keith Anderson 1 Carl Askew 1 Ricky Day R/R
	^[9]

Arlington Stadium

Second leg

21 October 1974

Birmingham Brummies Phil Herne 12 Arthur Browning 11 George Major 10 John Hart 7 Keith Anderson 7 Ricky Day 2 Carl Askew 1	50 – 27	Eastbourne Eagles Pete Jarman 9 Neil Middleditch 8 Paul Gachet 7 Trevor Geer 2 Martin Yeates 1 Bobby McNeil 0 Mike Sampson 0
	^[9]

Perry Barr Stadium

Birmingham were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate81–74.

Leading final averages

[edit]

	Rider	Team	C.M.A.
1	Phil Herne	Birmingham	10.48
2	Carl Glover	Boston	10.29
3	Arthur Browning	Birmingham	10.14
4	Mitch Graham	Workington	10.00
5	John Jackson	Crewe	9.95

Riders' Championship

[edit]

Carl Glover won theRider's Championship, held atWimbledon Stadium on 28 September.^[10]

Pos.	Rider	Pts	Total
1	Carl Glover	23332	13+3
2	Ted Hubbard	33322	13+2
3	Phil Herne	31233	12
4	Mike Lanham	32221	10
5	Geoff Bouchard	12232	10
6	John Jackson	10333	10
7	Colin Meredith	22221	9
8	Mike Broadbanks	223fx	7
9	Graham Drury	00123	6
10	Brian Havelock (res)	13	4
11	Bobby McNeil	13fx	4
12	Ken McKinlay	13fx	4
13	Dave Gifford	21000	3
14	Brian Foote	01110	3
15	Tom Owen	11f1r	3
16	Bruce Forrester	30ffxex	2
17	Bob Hughes (res)	11	1
18	Willie Templeton (res)	01fex1	0
19	Mitch Graham	0ex	0

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

Riders & final averages

[edit]

Barrow

Tom Owen 8.54
Dave Baugh 8.46
Terry Kelly 8.00
Sid Sheldrick 7.77
Paul O'Neal 7.37
Joe Owen 7.36
Chris Roynon 6.12
Mick Sheldrick 3.40
Graham Tattersall 2.74

Berwick

Brian Havelock 7.70
Willie Templeton 7.27
Graham Jones 6.80
Jim Wells 6.67
Doug Templeton 6.59
Denny Morter 6.00
Alf Wells 5.84
Colin Farquharson 5.67
Dave Trownson 4.90
Ian Wilson 3.76
Robin Dixon 3.50

Birmingham

Phil Herne 10.48
Arthur Browning 10.14
John Hart 8.99
George Major 8.97
Ricky Day 6.55
Carl Askew 5.14
Keith Anderson 5.02
Alan Grahame 4.13

Boston

Carl Glover 10.29
Jim Ryman 8.07
Russ Osborne 8.00
David Gagen 7.15
Rob Hollingworth 6.18
Dave Piddock 5.89
Les Glover 5.07
Rob Mouncer 3.79
Billy Burton 2.97

Bradford

Alan Knapkin 9.33
Tony Featherstone 8.66
Colin Meredith 8.33
Mick Fairbairn 5.98
Mick Fishwick 5.63
Eddie Argall 5.16
Steve Wilcock 5.15
Roger Austin 4.76
Mick Fielding 4.74
Dave Parkin 2.70

Canterbury

Trevor Jones 8.84
Ted Hubbard 8.13
Dave Gooderham 7.28
Roger Johns 6.93
Barney Kennett 6.85
Derek Cook 6.43
Les Rumsey 6.38
Graham Clifton 4.74
Peter Murray 3.09
Jimmy Squibb 3.08

Coatbridge

Dave Gifford 8.82
Brian Collins 8.66
Robin Adlington 7.60
Jimmy Gallacher 7.38
Grahame Dawson 5.83
John Wilson 5.15
Eddie Argall 4.13
Chris Quigley 4.00
Mike Ferreira 3.33
Jim Beresford 2.74

Crewe

John Jackson 9.95
Jack Millen 9.10
Dave Morton 8.87
Keith White 7.43
Ian Cartwright 6.43
Les Ott 6.06
Cliff Anderson 5.72
Wayne Forrest 4.59
Mike Gardner 4.57
Stuart Cope 2.91
Paul Wells 2.12

Eastbourne

Bobby McNeil 8.77
Trevor Geer 8.46
Paul Gachet 8.29
Mike Sampson 7.79
Neil Middleditch 7.72
Pete Jarman 6.99
Steve Weatherley 6.41
Martin Yeates 6.26
Eric Dugard 5.28

Ellesmere Port

Graham Drury 9.31
Colin Goad 8.32
Steve Taylor 7.36
Nigel Wasley 6.16
Wayne Hughes 6.05
Duncan Meredith 5.89
Gerald Smitherman 5.20
Nicky Allott 4.37
Ken Stafford 3.60
Steve Casey 2.71
Ray Hassall 2.16

Long Eaton

Geoff Bouchard 9.24
Alan Molyneux 8.23
Phil Bass 6.95
Alan Witt 5.05
Steve Finch 4.33
James Bond 4.06
Max Brown 3.90
Dave Harvey 3.90
Pip Austen 3.63
Harry MacLean 2.97

Peterborough

Mike Lanham 9.11
Brian Clark 8.73
Jack Walker 6.75
Ken Matthews 6.31
Roy Carter 6.29
Steve Osborn 6.12
Roy Sizmore 5.74
Peter Thompson 4.85
Eric Dugard 4.44
Chris Drewett 4.14

Rye House

Brian Foote 7.93
Steve Clarke 7.45
Clive Hitch 6.88
Trevor Barnwell 6.71
George Barclay 5.58
Peter Moore 5.39
Bob Young 5.31
John Gibbons 5.29
Bob Cooper 4.78
Pete Wigley 4.36

Scunthorpe

Tony Childs 8.82
Ken McKinlay 8.13
Doug Underwood 6.56
Andy Sims 6.54
Keith Evans 6.07
Dingle Brown 6.04
Chris Emery 6.03
Jack Bywater 5.60
Tim Swales 4.50
Chris Doyle 4.14
Roger Pascall 2.86

Stoke

Mike Broadbank 9.37
Geoff Pusey 7.46
Brian Woodward 7.18
Steve Bastable 6.00
Alan Bridgett 5.97
Steve Holden 5.87
Nigel Wasley 5.64
Andy Cusworth 5.22
Mick Newton 2.67

Sunderland

Jim Wells 7.92
Brian Havelock 7.23
Tim Swales 6.77
George Barclay 6.43
Russ Dent 6.15
Andy Meldrum 6.07
Dennis Gavros 5.00
Brian Johnson 4.00
Vic Harding 3.71
John Robson 2.82
Derek Fell 2.50

Teesside

Bruce Forrester 9.39
Dave Durham 7.87
Pete Reading 7.73
Roger Wright 7.12
Russ Hodgson 6.42
Alan Emerson 5.14
Tony Swales 3.63
Merv Salt 3.29

Weymouth

Kelvin Mullarkey 7.19
Bob Hughes 6.77
Steve Lomas 6.36
Nigel Couzens 5.64
Geoff Swindells 5.51
Clark Facey 4.88
Russell Foot 4.88
Glyn Facey 4.80
Brian Paddington 4.28
Mark Sawyers 3.47

Workington

Mitch Graham 10.00
Malcolm MacKay 8.77
Taffy Owen 8.42
Alan Cowland 7.28
Steve Watson 5.54
Darryl Stobbart 4.98
Bernie Hornby 4.14
Steve Lawson 1.68

References

[edit]

^"Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
^^a ^b"teams".wwosbackup. Retrieved19 September 2021.
^"Lightning ban lifted just in time".South Eastern Gazette. 26 March 1974. Retrieved24 May 2024 – viaBritish Newspaper Archive.
^"BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)".Official British Speedway website. Retrieved11 September 2021.
^Rogers, Martin (1978).The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129.ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
^Oakes, Peter (1981).1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 101.ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
^"1974 fixtures & results". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved5 March 2025.
^"1974 British League Division Two Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
^^a ^b"1974 KO cup final"(PDF).Speedway Researcher. Retrieved19 September 2021.
^"Crash ends Graham's title hopes".Hull Daily Mail. 30 September 1974. Retrieved17 June 2023 – viaBritish Newspaper Archive.

v t e Speedway in the United Kingdom
Current leagues	SGB Premiership SGB Championship National Development League List of champions
Former leagues	Elite League Premier League National League (1932–1964) Provincial League (1960–1964) British League British League Division Two/National League Conference League National League Division Two National League Division Three English Dirt Track League/Northern League Southern League (1929–1931) Southern League (1952–1953) Provincial League (1936–1937) Southern Area League
Current team competitions	Knockout Cup League Pairs champions League Fours champions
Former team competitions	London Cup Midland Cup Craven and Young Shields Premiership Shield
Current individual competitions	British Speedway Championship League Riders' champions British U-21 British U-19 Scottish Open
Former individual competitions	London Riders' Midland Riders' Northern Riders' Southern Riders' Olympique Internationale
See also	Speedway British Speedway Promoters' Association Speedway Control Bureau

v t e United Kingdom Speedway Seasons
Tier One League Top division	1929 1929 1930 1930 1931 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Tier Two League Second division	1934 1936 1937 1938 1939 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Tier Three League Third division	1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1994 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Champions	League champions Cup winners

v t e British League Division Two/National League seasons
1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994	Speedway British League Division Two