A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| League | British League |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 17 |
| Champions | Reading Racers |
| Knockout Cup | Cradley Heath Heathens |
| Individual | Les Collins |
| Midland Cup | Cradley Heathens |
| London Cup | Wimbledon Dons |
| Highest average | Hans Nielsen |
| Division/s below | 1980 National League |
The 1980 British League season was the 46th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 16th season known as the British League.[1][2]
Summary
The league comprised 17 teams - one fewer than the previous season. Exeter Falcons had dropped down to the National League. Hackney Hawks underwent a dramatic transformation from being the bottom side in 1979 to title contenders in 1980, but their challenge faded in the last few weeks and Reading Racers were crowned champions for the second time.[3][4]
Reading's success came down to three strong heat leaders, Swedish champion Jan Andersson, their new American signing Bobby Schwartz and England international John Davis. All three produced season averages around the 10 mark, which enabled the team to constantly pick up victories.[5] Cradley Heathens successfully retained their Knockout Cup crown overcoming a huge first leg deficit in the final.
Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Reading Racers | 32 | 24 | 1 | 7 | 49 |
| 2 | Hackney Hawks | 32 | 23 | 0 | 9 | 46 |
| 3 | Belle Vue Aces | 32 | 21 | 1 | 10 | 43 |
| 4 | Coventry Bees | 32 | 20 | 2 | 10 | 42 |
| 5 | Cradley Heath Heathens | 32 | 20 | 0 | 12 | 40 |
| 6 | Ipswich Witches | 32 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 34 |
| 7 | King's Lynn Stars | 32 | 17 | 0 | 15 | 34 |
| 8 | Swindon Robins | 32 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 34 |
| 9 | Poole Pirates | 32 | 15 | 2 | 15 | 32 |
| 10 | Halifax Dukes | 32 | 15 | 1 | 16 | 31 |
| 11 | Leicester Lions | 32 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 28 |
| 12 | Hull Vikings | 32 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 27 |
| 13 | Wimbledon Dons | 32 | 12 | 2 | 18 | 26 |
| 14 | Birmingham Brummies | 32 | 11 | 1 | 20 | 23 |
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 32 | 9 | 2 | 21 | 20 |
| 16 | Eastbourne Eagles | 32 | 9 | 1 | 22 | 19 |
| 17 | Sheffield Tigers | 32 | 8 | 0 | 24 | 16 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Top Ten Riders (League Averages)
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Peter Collins | 
|
Belle Vue | 10.70 |
| 2 | Hans Nielsen | 
|
Wolverhampton | 10.70 |
| 3 | Dave Jessup |
|
King's Lynn | 10.52 |
| 4 | Bo Petersen |
|
Hackney | 10.46 |
| 5 | Bruce Penhall | 
|
Cradley | 10.46 |
| 6 | Michael Lee |
|
King's Lynn | 10.17 |
| 7 | Chris Morton |
|
Belle Vue | 10.11 |
| 8 | Jan Andersson | 
|
Reading | 10.08 |
| 9 | Scott Autrey |
|
Swindon | 9.97 |
| 10 | Bobby Schwartz |
|
Reading | 9.95 |
British League Knockout Cup
The 1980 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 42nd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Cradley Heath were the winners.[6]
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06/05 | Leicester | 59-49 | Poole |
| 05/05 | Poole | 53-55 | Leicester |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17/07 | Coventry | 54-54 | Birmingham |
| 09/07 | Cradley Heath | 60-48 | Kings Lynn |
| 04/07 | Wolverhampton | 53-55 | Sheffield |
| 09/06 | Birmingham | 56-51 | Coventry |
| 06/06 | Eastbourne | 52.5-55.5 | Swindon |
| 05/06 | Sheffield | 56-52 | Wolverhampton |
| 03/06 | Hull | 67-41 | Hackney |
| 31/05 | Belle Vue | 60-48 | Wimbledon |
| 31/05 | Halifax | 57-50 | Reading |
| 31/05 | Swindon | 62-46 | Eastbourne |
| 30/05 | Hackney | 45-63 | Hull |
| 29/05 | Wimbledon | 57-51 | Belle Vue |
| 29/05 | Ipswich | 66-42 | Leicester |
| 27/05 | Leicester | 54-54 | Ipswich |
| 25/05 | Kings Lynn | 58-50 | Cradley Heath |
| 21/04 | Reading | 62-46 | Halifax |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/09 | Birmingham | 76-30 | Sheffield |
| 23/08 | Belle Vue | 68-40 | Hull |
| 21/08 | Cradley Heath | 54-54 | Reading |
| 21/08 | Sheffield | 49-58 | Birmingham |
| 04/08 | Reading | 53-55 | Cradley Heath |
| 19/07 | Swindon | 63-45 | Ipswich |
| 17/07 | Ipswich | 55-53 | Swindon |
| 09/07 | Hull | 66-42 | Belle Vue |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/10 | Cradley Heath | 67-41 | Birmingham |
| 24/09 | Belle Vue | 59-49 | Swindon |
| 15/09 | Birmingham | 56-52 | Cradley Heath |
| 30/08 | Swindon | 56-52 | Belle Vue |
Final
First leg
| Belle Vue Aces Chris Morton 14 Rob Maxfield 14 Peter Collins 13 Pekka Hautamaki 10 Louis Carr 5 Steve Wilcock 5 Dave Allen 4 Derek Richardson 2 | 67 - 41 | Cradley Heath Phil Collins 13 Alan Grahame 13 Erik Gundersen 7 Ila Teromaa 6 John Hack 1 Steve Lawson 1 Craig Featherby 0 Bruce Penhall R/R |
|---|---|---|
Second leg
| Cradley Heath Bruce Penhall 15 Erik Gundersen 13 Phil Collins 12 Alan Grahame 11 Andy Reid 9 Ila Teromaa 8 Steve Lawson 5 Craig Featherby 5 | 75 - 33 | Belle Vue Aces Pekka Hautamaki 10 Louis Carr 10 Tony Boyle 6 John Williams 4 Chris Morton 2 (inj) Peter Collins 1 (inj) Dave Allen 0 Mark Lohmann R/R |
|---|---|---|
Cradley Heath were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 116-100.
Riders' Championship
Les Collins won the British League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 18 October and sponsored by Gauntlet (Leyland Used Cars).[7]
