| League | National League |
|---|---|
| Champions | Poole Pirates |
| Knockout Cup | Poole Pirates |
| Individual | Andy Grahame |
| Pairs | Hackney Kestrels |
| Fours | Stoke Potters |
| Highest average | Steve Schofield |
| Division/s above | 1990 British League |
The 1990 National League was the 16th since its establishment as a second tier in 1975, a renamed British League Division Two, and the last before it was again renamed British League Division Two.
Summary
The league was initially supposed to run with 18 teams - however, Mildenhall Fen Tigers were unable to form a team to the 42-point minimum average limit, and were expelled on March 22, 1990. Matches were once again run over a 16-heat formula, with seven riders per team.
Poole Pirates were again champions, and stepped up into British League Division One for the 1991 season.
League table
| Pos | Club | M | Home | Away | F | A | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | D | L | W | D | L | ||||||
| 1 | Poole Pirates | 32 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 1779 | 1224 | 58 |
| 2 | Middlesbrough Bears | 32 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 1701 | 1367 | 46 |
| 3 | Ipswich Witches | 32 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 1674 | 1387 | 46 |
| 4 | Glasgow Tigers | 32 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 1643.5 | 1419,5 | 38 |
| 5 | Hackney Kestrels | 32 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 1608 | 1451 | 38 |
| 6 | Berwick Bandits | 32 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 1575.5 | 1483.5 | 37 |
| 7 | Wimbledon Dons | 32 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 1376 | 1469 | 35 |
| 8 | Stoke Potters | 32 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 1573 | 1489 | 33 |
| 9 | Exeter Falcons | 32 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 1576 | 1489 | 31 |
| 10 | Peterborough Panthers | 32 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1456 | 1613 | 30 |
| 11 | Eastbourne Eagles | 32 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 1426 | 1636 | 30 |
| 12 | Newcastle Diamonds | 32 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 1478.5 | 1586.5 | 28 |
| 13 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 32 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1520.5 | 1539.5 | 25 |
| 14 | Arena Essex Hammers | 32 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 1380 | 1674 | 25 |
| 15 | Rye House Rockets | 32 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1386 | 1672 | 16 |
| 16 | Long Eaton Invaders | 32 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1372 | 1697 | 16 |
| 17 | Milton Keynes Knights | 32 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1286 | 1770 | 12 |
M = Meetings; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; F = Race points for; A = Race points against; Pts = Total Points
National League Knockout Cup
The 1990 National League Knockout Cup was the 23rd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Poole Pirates were the winners of the competition.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/04 | Berwick | 62-33 | Long Eaton |
| 11/04 | Long Eaton | 57-39 | Berwick |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21/07 | Berwick | 50-44 | Poole |
| 27/06 | Wimbledon | 62-33 | Exeter |
| 15/06 | Hackney | 64-32 | Eastbourne |
| 10/06 | Eastbourne | 40-56 | Hackney |
| 10/06 | Rye House | 51-45 | Milton Keynes |
| 07/06 | Middlesbrough | 51-44 | Edinburgh |
| 05/06 | Milton Keynes | 56-39 | Rye House |
| 05/06 | Poole | 56-40 | Berwick |
| 04/06 | Exeter | 61-35 | Wimbledon |
| 03/06 | Edinburgh | 51-45 | Middlesbrough |
| 03/06 | Glasgow | 54-41 | Ipswich |
| 03/06 | Newcastle | 61-35 | Arena Essex |
| 02/06 | Arena Essex | 41-55 | Newcastle |
| 02/06 | Stoke | 65-31 | Peterborough |
| 01/06 | Peterborough | 48-48 | Stoke |
| 31/05 | Ipswich | 60-36 | Glasgow |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21/08 | Poole | 62-33 | Hackney |
| 10/08 | Hackney | 47-48 | Poole |
| 29/07 | Newcastle | 54-41 | Ipswich |
| 21/07 | Stoke | 51-45 | Wimbledon |
| 19/07 | Middlesbrough | 69-27 | Milton Keynes |
| 18/07 | Wimbledon | 57-37 | Stoke |
| 17/07 | Milton Keynes | 40-56 | Middlesbrough |
| 19/07 | Ipswich | 61-35 | Newcastle |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30/08 | Ipswich | 47-49 | Poole |
| 28/08 | Poole | 60-36 | Ipswich |
| 23/08 | Middlesbrough | 69-27 | Wimbledon |
| 22/08 | Wimbledon | 36-59 | Middlesbrough |
Final
First leg
| Poole Pirates Craig Boyce 19 Alun Rossiter 13 Gary Allan 11 Tony Langdon 10 Rod Colquhoun 6 Gary Chessell 3 Tom P. Knudsen R/R | 62 – 34 | Middlesbrough Bears Rod Hunter 11 Jamie Luckhurst 7 Daz Sumner 5 Paul Bentley 5 David Cheshire 3 Dave Edwards 2 Steve Wilcock 1 |
|---|---|---|
Second leg
| Middlesbrough Bears Rod Hunter 9 Steve Wilcock 9 Daz Sumner 9 Paul Bentley 9 Jamie Luckhurst 7 David Cheshire 7 Dave Edwards 1 | 51 – 45 | Poole Pirates Craig Boyce 16 Gary Allan 11 Tony Langdon 10 Rod Colquhoun 4 Alun Rossiter 3 Justin Elkins 1 Tom P. Knudsen R/R |
|---|---|---|
Poole were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 107–85.
Riders' Championship
Andy Grahame won the Riders' Championship. The final sponsored by Jawa Moto & Barum was held on 15 September at Brandon Stadium.
| Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Andy Grahame |
2 3 3 3 3 | 14 |
| 2 | Chris Louis |
3 2 2 3 3 | 13 |
| 3 |  Craig Boyce |
3 3 2 3 0 | 11+3 |
| 4 |  David Bargh |
2 3 3 1 2 | 11+2 |
| 5 | Steve Regeling |
1 2 3 2 2 | 10 |
| 6 | Steve Schofield |
3 1 2 1 2 | 9 |
| 7 | Les Collins |
3 0 r 2 3 | 8 |
| 8 | Martin Goodwin |
2 1 1 3 1 | 8 |
| 9 | Eric Monaghan |
1 1 3 2 1 | 8 |
| 10 | Rod Hunter |
2 3 0 0 1 | 6 |
| 11 | David Walsh |
f f 2 0 3 | 5 |
| 12 |  Richard Hellsen |
1 2 1 1 1 | 6 |
| 13 | Shane Bowes |
1 2 fex 1 2 | 6 |
| 14 | Gordon Kennett |
0 1 1 2 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Mick Poole |
fex r 1 0 0 | 1 |
| 16 |  Jens Rasmussen |
r - - - - | 0 |
| 17 | Andy Meredith (res) |
0 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Lee Coleman (res) |
0 0 | 0 |
- f=fell, r-retired, ex=excluded, ef=engine failure t=touched tapes
Pairs
The National League Pairs Championship was held at Shawfield Stadium Glasgow on 17 June. The event was won by Hackney Kestrels.
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Semi finals
- Hackney bt Middlesbrough
- Exeter bt Newcastle
Final
- Hackney bt Exeter
Fours
Stoke won the Fours championship final, held at the East of England Showground on 22 July.
Semi finals
- SF1 = Ipswich 16, Stoke 11, Wimbledon 11, Glasgow 10
- SF2 = Poole 16, Hackney 13, Berwick 10, Middlesbrough 9
Final
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stoke | 16 | Monaghan 6, Carr 5, Crabtree 4, Cobby 1 Carlson 0 |
| 2 | Poole | 13 | Rossiter 5, Langdon 4, Boyce 3, Allan 1 |
| 3 | Hackney | 10 | Schofield 5, Galvin 3, Whittaker 2, Tagg 0 |
| 4 | Ipswich | 9 | Louis 4, Parker 2, Standing 2, Mogridge 1 |
Final leading averages
The top ten rider averages in the National League as of October 31, 1990:
| Rider | Average | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Schofield
|
10.51 | Hackney |
| 2 | Craig Boyce
|
10.45 | Poole |
| 3 | Steve Regeling
|
10.20 | Exeter |
| 4 | Chris Louis
|
10.19 | Ipswich |
| 5 | Rod Hunter
|
9.93 | Middlesbrough |
| 6 | David Bargh
|
9.72 | Newcastle |
| 7 | Mick Poole
|
9.58 | Peterborough |
| 8 | Andy Grahame
|
9.40 | Wimbledon |
| 9 | Jens Rasmussen
|
9.36 | Rye House |
| 10 | Andy Galvin
|
9.27 | Hackney |
Riders & final averages
Arena Essex
- Martin Goodwin 8.85
- Rob Tilbury 8.09
- Wayne Garratt 5.77
- Troy Pratt 5.65
- Kevin Brice 4.95
- Adrian Stevens 4.48
- Simon Wolstenholme 4.31
- Kevin Teager 3.88
- Robert Ledwith 2.86
Berwick
- Mark Courtney 8.67
- David Walsh 8.62
- David Blackburn 7.87
- Andy Campbell 6.39
- Alan Rivett 6.04
- Rob Grant Sr. 5.89
- Scott Robson 5.77
- Kevin Little 3.80
- Steve Widt 3.47
Eastbourne
- Gordon Kennett 8.94
- Andy Buck 6.99
- Tony Primmer 6.49
- Paul Woods 6.24
- Darren Standing 5.76
- Brian Nixon 5.52
- Keith Pritchard 5.52
- Justin Walker 4.82
- Darren Grayling 4.12
Edinburgh
- Les Collins 8.76
- Frede Schott 7.81
- Carl Blackbird 7.14
- Brett Saunders 6.98
- Michael Coles 6.09
- Scott Lamb 5.59
- Mick Powell 4.02
- Nigel Alderton 2.75
Exeter
- Steve Regeling 10.20
- Peter Jeffery 7.71
- Richard Green 7.68
- Colin Cook 6.61
- Andy Sell 5.73
- Steve Bishop 5.19
- Mark Simmonds 4.79
- Ian Barney 3.86
Glasgow
- Steve Lawson 8.83
- Kenny McKinna 8.54
- Shane Bowes 8.42
- Charlie McKinna 6.68
- Sean Courtney 6.58
- Phil Jeffrey 5.87
- Jason Lyons 5.79
- Geoff Powell 3.57
- Martin McKinna 3.04
Hackney
- Steve Schofield .10.51
- Andy Galvin 9.27
- Paul Whittaker 8.18
- Gary Tagg 5.96
- Michael Warren 5.45
- Dave Hamnett 4.41
- Tim Korneliussen 3.96
- Shawn Venables 3.80
- Ian Humphreys 2.91
Ipswich
- Chris Louis 10.18
- David Norris 8.30
- Dean Standing 8.02
- Alan Mogridge 7.81
- Shane Parker 6.45
- Robbie Fuller 5.07
- Colin White 2.53
- Craig Hyde 2.47
Long Eaton
- Richard Hellsen 8.43
- Nigel De'ath 6.91
- Kevin Smart 6.03
- Paul Fry 6.02
- Jon Surman 4.63
- Gary O'Hare 4.60
- Peter Lloyd 4.20
Middlesbrough
- Rod Hunter 9.93
- Daz Sumner 8.62
- David Cheshire 7.42
- Jamie Luckhurst .7.36
- Steve Wilcock 7.32
- Paul Bentley 7.26
- Duncan Chapman 3.62
- Dave Edwards 3.41
Milton Keynes
- Peter Glanz 7.24
- Jonathan Cooper 6.00
- Mark Blackbird 5.52
- David Clarke 5.47
- Trevor Banks 5.45
- Mark Lyndon 5.33
- Andy Hines 5.03
- Rob Woffinden 4.59
- Thierry Hilaire 3.68
Newcastle
- David Bargh 9.72
- Peter Carr 8.35
- Martin Dixon 7.40
- Simon Green 5.97
- Mark Thorpe 5.37
- Ian Stead 4.42
- Paul Smith 3.95
- Spencer Timmo 2.60
- John Wainwright 2.46
Peterborough
- Mick Poole 9.58
- Craig Hodgson 8.04
- Frank Andersen 7.83
- Scott Norman 6.91
- Ian Barney 6.72
- Nigel Flatman 5.77
- Mark Lyndon 4.46
- Wayne Bridgeford 3.70
- Sean Barker 2.98
Poole
- Craig Boyce 10.44
- Tom P. Knudsen 8.72
- Alun Rossiter 8.64
- Tony Langdon 8.23
- Gary Allan 7.51
- Gary Chessell 6.87
- Rod Colquhoun 5.73
- Steve Langdon 4.38
Rye House
- Jens Rasmussen 9.36
- Melvyn Taylor 8.86
- Glen Baxter 7.70
- Roger Johns 6.08
- Jamie Fagg 5.71
- Trevor O'Brien 5.39
- Scott Humphries 4.69
- Wayne Baxter 3.56
- Nigel Sparshott 3.14
- Kelvin Mullarkey 2.81
- Wayne Bridgeford 2.62
- Linden Warner 2.26
Stoke
- Eric Monaghan 9.00
- Nigel Crabtree 8.78
- Louis Carr 8.28
- Chris Cobby 5.74
- Mark Pearce 4.83
- Rob Woffinden 4.61
- David Clarke 4.00
- Mark Carlson 1.88
- Richard Davidson 1.88
Wimbledon
- Andy Grahame 9.40
- Nathan Simpson 8.00
- Ray Morton 7.52
- Neville Tatum 7.38
- Nigel Leaver 5.41
- Pete Chapman 4.99
- Deon Prinsloo 3.48
- Justin Pryor 3.34
See also
References
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - BRITISH LEAGUE ERA (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- "1990 National League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
- ^ "1990 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Poole 1990 KO cup final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- "Grahame's title". Staffordshire Sentinel. 17 September 1990. Retrieved 22 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "1990 fixtures" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- "Potters pairs bid comes unstuck". Staffordshire Sentinel. 18 June 1990. Retrieved 26 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Potters capture fours title for the first time". Staffordshire Sentinel. 6 August 1990. Retrieved 8 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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