The 1979 National League was contested as the second division/tier of Speedway in the United Kingdom.^[1]

Summary

The league was reduced from 20 teams to 19 from the previous season. White City Rebels closure saw their riders move to Eastbourne Eagles who moved up to the British League. Barrow Furness Flyers dropped out and Nottingham Outlaws joined the league. Teesside Tigers changed their name to Middlesbrough Tigers. Scunthorpe Saints changed their name to Scunthorpe Stags.

There was a controversial end to the season when Rye House Rockets visited Mildenhall Fen Tigers needing a draw to win the title. Needing a 5-1 in the last heat to tie the match, Rocket Karl Fiala's exclusion prompted team-mate Bob Garrad to withdraw from the re-run in protest. Mildenhall went on to win at bottom club Scunthorpe Saints in the last match of the season to win the title by one point^[2]

Final table

Team	PL	W	D	L	Pts
Mildenhall Fen Tigers	36	30	0	6	60
Rye House Rockets	36	29	1	6	59
Oxford Cheetahs	36	24	1	11	49
Berwick Bandits	36	21	3	12	45
Milton Keynes Knights	36	21	0	15	42
Newcastle Diamonds	36	20	0	16	40
Glasgow Tigers	36	19	0	17	38
Peterborough Panthers	36	18	2	16	38
Ellesmere Port Gunners	36	18	1	17	37
Canterbury Crusaders	36	17	2	17	36
Middlesbrough Tigers	36	17	1	18	35
Crayford Kestrels	36	16	0	20	32
Stoke Potters	36	15	2	19	32
Nottingham Outlaws	36	14	1	21	29
Workington Comets	36	14	1	21	29
Boston Barracudas	36	13	2	21	28
Edinburgh Monarchs	36	13	1	22	27
Weymouth Wildcats	36	9	1	26	19
Scunthorpe Stags	36	4	1	31	9

Top Five Riders

	Rider	Nat	Team	C.M.A.
1			Newcastle Diamonds	11.09
2	George Hunter		Oxford Cheetahs	10.98
3			Nottingham Outlaws	10.13
4			Oxford Cheetahs	9.92
5			Nottingham Outlaws	9.62

National League Knockout Cup

The 1979 National League Knockout Cup was the 12th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Rye House Rockets were the winners of the competition.^[3]

First Round

Date	Team One	Score	Team Two
29/04	Rye House	56-22	Weymouth
22/05	Weymouth	34-44	Rye House
20/04	Edinburgh	46-32	Boston
10/06	Boston	44-34	Edinburgh

Second Round

Date	Team One	Score	Team Two
03/06	Rye House	54-24	Glasgow
08/06	Glasgow	47-31	Rye House
15/06	Workington	46-30	Middlesbrough
14/06	Middlesbrough	45-32	Workington
10/06	Mildenhall	53-25	Ellesmere Port
08/06	Ellesmere Port	41-37	Mildenhall
19/06	Crayford	44-34	Edinburgh
06/07	Edinburgh	39-39	Crayford
09/06	Berwick	60-18	Scunthorpe
04/06	Scunthorpe	38-40	Berwick
14/06	Oxford	45-33	Peterborough
08/06	Peterborough	34-44	Oxford
18/06	Newcastle	57-21	Canterbury
26/05	Canterbury	39-39	Newcastle
12/06	Milton Keynes	50-28	Stoke
09/06	Stoke	42-36	Milton Keynes

Quarter Finals

Date	Team One	Score	Team Two
15/07	Rye House	59-19	Workington
29/06	Workington	49-29	Rye House
25/07	Mildenhall	56-22	Crayford
10/07	Crayford	39-39	Mildenhall
?	Berwick	51-27	Oxford
05/07	Oxford	44-34	Berwick
09/07	Newcastle	53-25	Milton Keynes
10/07	Milton Keynes	35-42	Newcastle

Semi Finals

Date	Team One	Score	Team Two
27/08	Rye House	44-34	Mildenhall
26/08	Mildenhall	38-40	Rye House
22/09	Berwick	47-31	Newcastle
19/08	Newcastle	46-32	Berwick

Final

Date	Team One	Score	Team Two
14/10	Rye House	54-24	Berwick
27/10	Berwick	40-38	Rye House

See also

List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions

References