The 1988 British League season was the 24th season of the British League, the top tier of speedway in the UK since 1965.[1]
Summary
Coventry Bees won the league.[2]
Final table
| Team | PL | W | D | L | BP | Pts |
| Coventry Bees | 40 | 31 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 82 |
| Belle Vue Aces | 40 | 26 | 1 | 13 | 13 | 66 |
| Cradley Heath Heathens | 39 | 22 | 1 | 16 | 15 | 60 |
| Oxford Cheetahs | 40 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 59 |
| Reading Racers | 40 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 12 | 55 |
| Sheffield Tigers | 39 | 19 | 2 | 18 | 8 | 48 |
| Swindon Robins | 40 | 17 | 1 | 22 | 8 | 43 |
| Wolverhampton Wolves | 40 | 15 | 3 | 22 | 8 | 41 |
| King's Lynn Stars | 40 | 14 | 3 | 23 | 7 | 38 |
| Ipswich Witches | 39 | 13 | 0 | 26 | 4 | 30 |
| Bradford Dukes | 39 | 10 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 22 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Leading averages
| Rider | Team | Average |
|---|---|---|
 Hans Nielsen |
Oxford | 11.03 |
| Tommy Knudsen |
Coventry | 10.08 |
| Erik Gundersen |
Cradley Heath | 10.06 |
 Kelvin Tatum |
Coventry | 10.04 |
| Jan O. Pedersen |
Cradley Heath | 9.88 |
 Shawn Moran |
Sheffield | 9.51 |
| Sam Ermolenko |
Wolverhampton | 9.40 |
| Jeremy Doncaster |
Ipswich | 9.34 |
| Chris Morton |
Belle Vue | 9.01 |
| Steve Bastable |
Bradford | 9.00 |
British League Knockout Cup
The 1988 British League Knockout Cup was the 50th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Cradley Heath Heathens were the winners for the third successive year if including the tied 1986 final.[3]
First Round
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/07 | King's Lynn | 47-43 | Ipswich |
| 08/07 | Ipswich | 34-55 | King's Lynn |
| 23/06 | Sheffield | 43-47 | Cradley Heath |
| 18/06 | Cradley Heath | 51-39 | Sheffield |
| 03/06 | Belle Vue | 53-37 | Bradford |
| 28/05 | Bradford | 36-54 | Belle Vue |
Quarter Finals
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13/08 | King's Lynn | 40-50 | Cradley Heath |
| 10/08 | Cradley Heath | 53-37 | King's Lynn |
| 19/07 | Coventry | 53-37 | Reading |
| 15/07 | Belle Vue | 53-37 | Wolverhampton |
| 14/07 | Oxford | 48-42 | Swindon |
| 11/07 | Reading | 49-41 | Coventry |
| 11/07 | Wolverhampton | 45-45 | Belle Vue |
Semi Finals
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/10 | Belle Vue | 48-42 | Cradley Heath |
| 13/10 | Oxford | 38-49 | Coventry |
| 08/10 | Coventry | 44-46 | Oxford |
| 14/09 | Cradley Heath | 49-41 | Belle Vue |
Final
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23/10 | Cradley Heath | 50-40 | Coventry |
| 22/10 | Coventry | 40-50 | Cradley Heath |
See also
List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
References
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "1988 league tables". Speedway GB.
- ^ "1988 British League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
United Kingdom Speedway Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tier One League Top division |
|  |
| Tier Two League Second division |
| |
| Tier Three League Third division | ||