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 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Cradley Heathens |
| Knockout Cup | Cradley Heathens |
| League Cup | Belle Vue Aces |
| Individual | Erik Gundersen |
| Midland Cup | Cradley Heathens |
| London Cup | Wimbledon Dons |
| Highest average | Hans Nielsen |
| Division/s below | 1983 National League |
The 1983 British League season was the 49th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 19th known as the British League.[1]
Summary
Cradley Heath Heathens won the league and cup double.[2] Despite losing their double world champion Bruce Penhall to retirement the Cradley side performed just as well. Erik Gundersen, Simon Wigg and Lance King were now some of the world's leading riders and backed up by Phil Collins, Alan Grahame and Peter Ravn they were a formidable team. Even Penhall's replacement, a new signing from Denmark Jan O. Pedersen was already showing signs of a bright future.[3]
Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Cradley Heath Heathens | 28 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 52 |
| 2 | Ipswich Witches | 28 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 45 |
| 3 | Coventry Bees | 28 | 19 | 0 | 9 | 38 |
| 4 | Reading Racers | 28 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 34 |
| 5 | Belle Vue Aces | 28 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 33 |
| 6 | Wimbledon Dons | 28 | 15 | 1 | 12 | 31 |
| 7 | Hackney Hawks | 28 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| 8 | King's Lynn Stars | 28 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 25 |
| 9 | Birmingham Brummies | 28 | 12 | 0 | 16 | 24 |
| 10 | Sheffield Tigers | 28 | 10 | 2 | 16 | 22 |
| 11 | Halifax Dukes | 28 | 10 | 1 | 17 | 21 |
| 12 | Leicester Lions | 28 | 9 | 2 | 17 | 20 |
| 13 | Poole Pirates | 28 | 9 | 0 | 19 | 18 |
| 14 | Eastbourne Eagles | 28 | 7 | 1 | 20 | 15 |
| 15 | Swindon Robins | 28 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 14 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Top Ten Riders (League Averages)
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Dennis Sigalos | 
|
Ipswich Witches | 10.99 |
| 2 | Hans Nielsen | 
|
Birmingham Brummies | 10.77 |
| 3 | Erik Gundersen |
|
Cradley Heathens | 10.59 |
| 4 | Mitch Shirra | 
|
Reading Racers | 10.38 |
| 5 | Michael Lee | 
|
Poole Pirates | 10.36 |
| 6 | Kenny Carter |
|
Halifax Dukes | 10.34 |
| 7 | Billy Sanders | 
|
Ipswich Witches | 10.27 |
| 8 | Chris Morton |
|
Belle Vue Aces | 10.17 |
| 9 | Phil Crump |
|
Swindon Robins | 9.88 |
| 10 | Jan Andersson | 
|
Reading Racers | 9.61 |
British League Knockout Cup
The 1983 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 45th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Cradley Heath Heathens were the winners.[4]
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/07 | Belle Vue | 56-22 | Halifax |
| 30/06 | Wimbledon | 46-32 | Swindon |
| 25/06 | Halifax | 41-37 | Belle Vue |
| 25/06 | Swindon | 34-44 | Wimbledon |
| 19/06 | Eastbourne | 34-43 | Kings Lynn |
| 11/06 | Coventry | 45-33 | Sheffield |
| 11/06 | Cradley Heath | 46-32 | Hackney |
| 11/06 | Kings Lynn | 47-31 | Eastbourne |
| 09/06 | Sheffield | 37-41 | Coventry |
| 30/05 | Birmingham | 43-35 | Reading |
| 30/05 | Reading | 44-34 | Birmingham |
| 27/05 | Hackney | 35-43 | Cradley Heath |
| 24/05 | Leicester | 40-38 | Ipswich |
| 19/05 | Ipswich | 43-34 | Leicester |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21/08 | Kings Lynn | 45-33 | Belle Vue |
| 20/08 | Belle Vue | 58-20 | Kings Lynn |
| 23/07 | Coventry | 44-34 | Wimbledon |
| 21/07 | Wimbledon | 38-40 | Coventry |
| 18/07 | Reading | 40-38 | Ipswich |
| 13/07 | Poole | 35-43 | Cradley Heath |
| 09/07 | Cradley Heath | 53-25 | Poole |
| 07/07 | Ipswich | 39-39 | Reading |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/10 | Belle Vue | 38-40 | Coventry |
| 08/10 | Coventry | 44-34 | Belle Vue |
| 24/09 | Cradley Heath | 47-31 | Reading |
| 19/09 | Reading | 32-46 | Cradley Heath |
Final
First leg=
| Coventry Bees Ole Olsen 10 Gary Guglielmi 8 Sam Nikolajsen 7 Steve Bastable 5 Rick Miller4 Finn Thomsen (guest) 3 Kevin Hawkins 2 | 39 - 39 | Cradley Heath Erik Gundersen 13 Simon Wigg 11 Phil Collins 8 Alan Grahame 3 Peter Ravn 2 Jan O. Pedersen 2 Lance King R/R |
|---|---|---|
| [5] |
Second leg
| Cradley Heath Erik Gundersen 13 Alan Grahame 9 Peter Ravn 7 Simon Wigg 7 Phil Collins 6 Jan O. Pedersen 5 Lance King R/R | 47 - 31 | Coventry Bees Ole Olsen 10 Gary Guglielmi 10 Bo Petersen (guest) 7 Steve Bastable 2 Rick Miller 1 Kevin Hawkins 1 Sam Nikolajsen 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [5] |
Cradley Heath were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 86-70.
League Cup
The League Cup was split into North and South sections. The two-legged final was won by Belle Vue Aces beating Coventry Bees in the final 86-70 on aggregate.
South Group