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 | 15 |
| Champions | Belle Vue Aces |
| Knockout Cup | Cradley Heath Heathens |
| League Cup | Cradley Heath Heathens |
| Individual | Kenny Carter |
| Midland Cup | Coventry Bees |
| Highest average | Kenny Carter |
| Division/s below | 1982 National League |
The 1982 British League season was the 48th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 18th known as the British League.[1][2]
Summary
After a ten-year drought Belle Vue Aces won the league pushing defending champions Cradley Heath into second place. A special performance was going to be needed to finish ahead of the star-studded Cradley Heath team and it was the consistency of the support riders which helped Belle Vue achieve this. England international Chris Morton was the heat leader but he was supported by a group of consistent scorers throughout the season that included Larry Ross (a former 5 times New Zealand champion), the former world champion Peter Collins, the Carr brothers Louis and Peter, Dane Peter Ravn and Scot Jim McMillan.[3][4] Cradley Heath went on to win their third Knockout Cup in four years and the League Cup.
Hackney Wick Stadium was subject to a second fatal accident within two years when American Denny Pyeatt lost his life in a league match on 16 July. Pyeatt riding for Reading Racers crashed into a lamp standard.[5][6] Swindon rider Martin Hewlett suffered a stroke after the Swindon v Birmingham fixture in September and died four days later.
Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Belle Vue Aces | 28 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 46 |
| 2 | Cradley Heath Heathens | 28 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 40 |
| 3 | Ipswich Witches | 28 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 34 |
| 4 | Coventry Bees | 28 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 34 |
| 5 | Sheffield Tigers | 28 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 31 |
| 6 | Birmingham Brummies | 28 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 27 |
| 7 | Hackney Hawks | 28 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 27 |
| 8 | Swindon Robins | 28 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 27 |
| 9 | Reading Racers | 28 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 26 |
| 10 | Leicester Lions | 28 | 13 | 0 | 15 | 26 |
| 11 | Wimbledon Dons | 28 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 26 |
| 12 | Eastbourne Eagles | 28 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 25 |
| 13 | Halifax Dukes | 28 | 10 | 1 | 17 | 21 |
| 14 | King's Lynn Stars | 28 | 9 | 3 | 16 | 21 |
| 15 | Poole Pirates | 28 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 9 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Top Ten Riders (League Averages)
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Kenny Carter | 
|
Halifax Dukes | 11.05 |
| 2 | Erik Gundersen | 
|
Cradley Heathens | 10.75 |
| 3 | Hans Nielsen |
|
Birmingham Brummies | 10.49 |
| 4 | Bruce Penhall | 
|
Cradley Heathens | 10.39 |
| 5 | Dennis Sigalos |
|
Ipswich Witches | 10.26 |
| 6 | Bobby Schwartz |
|
Reading Racers | 10.11 |
| 7 | Chris Morton |
|
Belle Vue | 9.98 |
| 8 | Shawn Moran |
|
Sheffield Tigers | 9.98 |
| 9 | Kelly Moran |
|
Eastbourne Eagles | 9.97 |
| 10 | Billy Sanders | 
|
King's Lynn Stars | 9.93 |
British League Knockout Cup
The 1982 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 44th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Cradley Heath Heathens were the winners.[7]
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/06 | Leicester | 45-33 | Kings Lynn |
| 06/06 | Eastbourne | 46-32 | Swindon |
| 05/06 | Kings Lynn | 48-30 | Leicester |
| 29/05 | Halifax | 45-33 | Hackney |
| 28/05 | Hackney | 38-40 | Halifax |
| 28/05 | Ipswich | 46-31 | Coventry |
| 27/05 | Sheffield | 42-36 | Cradley Heath |
| 22/05 | Coventry | 40-38 | Ipswich |
| 22/05 | Cradley Heath | 43-35 | Sheffield |
| 22/05 | Swindon | 38-40 | Eastbourne |
| 17/05 | Reading | 38-40 | Belle Vue |
| 15/05 | Belle Vue | 57-18 | Reading |
| 12/05 | Poole | 44-34 | Birmingham |
| 30/04 | Birmingham | 48-30 | Poole |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19/08 | Wimbledon | 40-38 | Eastbourne |
| 09/08 | Cradley Heath | 41-37 | Ipswich |
| 01/08 | Eastbourne | 43-35 | Wimbledon |
| 29/07 | Ipswich | 38.5-39.5 | Cradley Heath |
| 19/07 | Birmingham | 43-35 | Kings Lynn |
| 17/07 | Kings Lynn | 43-35 | Birmingham |
| 11/07 | Halifax | 41-37 | Belle Vue |
| 10/07 | Belle Vue | 44-34 | Halifax |
| 25/09 | Kings Lynn | 42-36 | Birmingham |
| 13/09 | Birmingham | 40-38 | Kings Lynn |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/10 | Kings Lynn | 36-42 | Belle Vue |
| 02/10 | Belle Vue | 49-29 | Kings Lynn |
| 19/09 | Eastbourne | 41-36 | Cradley Heath |
| 18/09 | Cradley Heath | 48-30 | Eastbourne |
Final
First leg
| Cradley Heath Erik Gundersen 15 Lance King 13 Phil Collins 7 Simon Wigg 5 Andy Reid 3 Alan Grahame 3 Wayne Jackson 0 | 46 - 32 | Belle Vue Aces Chris Morton 12 Peter Collins 6 Peter Ravn 6 Larry Ross 4 Louis Carr 2 Peter Carr 1 Jim McMillan 1 |
|---|---|---|
| [8] |
Second leg
| Belle Vue Aces Chris Morton 10 Peter Collins 7 Peter Ravn 7 Larry Ross 6 Rod Hunter 6 Louis Carr 5 Andy Smith 2 | 43 - 35 | Cradley Heath Erik Gundersen 15 Lance King 8 Alan Grahame 8 Simon Wigg 2 Phil Collins 1 Andy Reid 1 |
|---|---|---|
| [8] |
Cradley were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 81-75.
League Cup
The League Cup was split into North and South sections. The two-legged final was won by Cradley Heath Heathens beating Ipswich Witches in the final 83–73 on aggregate.
South Group