1971

KO Cup Final Defeat By Hackney

Season Review

This was a disappointing season from a results point of view but for speedway fans this was a brilliant year.  Close matches were the order of the day with four home matches resulting in draws - v Hackney, Leicester, Oxford & Wembley.  Nine other league matches were last heat deciders so the Heathens fans were treated to some very close encounters.
 Lots of changes to the team from 1970, with Colin Pratt still seriously injured from the Lokeren road accident, Chris Bass deciding to stay at home in Australia, Ken Wakefield deciding to hang up his leathers, Mike Gardner forced to move on and the worst blow for Jan Simensen to be allocated to Coventry.
team photo

L to R. Roy Trigg, Barry Duke, Bernt Persson, Bob Andrews, Jimmy Squibb, Peter Jarman, John Hart, team manager - Russ Bragg, inset -Mick Handley.
   (photo by kind permission of Speedway Star & News)
Simensen's replacement Bob Andrews was a late arrival and the Heathens were forced to use novices from the winter training school Andy Bearne and Richard Eslick.  Johnny Hart was signed from Sheffield and Pete Jarman from Oxford.
It looked a very 'experienced', side but after only one win in the first six matches Cradley signed Bengt Andersson a Swedish rider who had ridden for several British League teams.
For a time Cradley held their own in League matches and the fans had a treat when Roy Trigg won a run-off against Pete Jarman in the World Championship round but it was short lived when "Speedy Pete" broke his ankle in the L.P.Trophy meeting again the Heathens were in trouble.

Bernie Persson was again on form finishing runner-up to Ivan Mauger in the Les Pottinger Trophy meeting then a few weeks later knocking a whole second off the Reading track record while beating Anders Michanek.  Through May / June Bernie got double figures on ten occasions, and got through to his third World Final in which he scored 9 points.  Barry Duke came in from Swindon in exchange for local lad Mick Handley.

Cradley reached the final of the K.O.Cup for the first time since 1964 but were handicapped when Jimmy Squibb was injured (the first time Jimmy had missed a match through injury for almost ten years.)
However the Heathens finished bottom but one in the British League above West Ham.
programme 1971

Riders Performance Chart

'The Heathens' 1971


Rider
Matches
Rides
Points
Bonus
Total
Aver
B.Persson
30
136
313
12
325
9.56
B.Andrews
33
140
248
20
268
7.66
R.Trigg
34
145
247
11
258
7.12
P.Jarman
23
80
93
13
106
5.30
M.Handley
6
22
28
1
29
5.27
J.Squibb
32
109
110
20
130
4.77
J.Hart
34
138
122
19
141
4.09
B.Duke
11
34
28
6
34
4.00
M.Ballard
2
8
7
1
8
4.00
B.Andersson
14
36
18
4
22
2.44
M.Holmes
1
2
1
0
1
2.00
R.Elsick
6
13
3
2
5
1.54
R.Waller
1
3
1
0
1
1.33
C.Francis
3
8
2
0
2
1.00
A.Bearne
4
10
2
0
2
0.80

statistics taken from the Cradley Speedway database for BL matches only.

Final League Table

British League
Team
PL
W
D
L
 BP
For
Ag
Pts
Belle Vue
36
25
1
10
--
1583
1217
51
Leicester
36
22
3
11
--
1490
1309
47
Coventry
36
23
0
13
--
1495
1310
46
Sheffield
36
21
1
14
--
1450
1357
43
Swindon
36
19
3
14
--
1413
1392
41
Reading
36
18
4
14
--
1438
1361
40
Hackney
36
17
4
14
--
1410
1393
38
Newport
36
19
0
17
--
1390
1416
38
Wembley
36
17
3
16
--
1433
1372
37
Wimbledon
36
18
1
17
--
1389
1415
37
Poole
36
17
2
17
--
1407
1399
36
Wolverhampton
36
17
1
18
--
1382
1412
35
Kings Lynn
36
16
2
16
--
1396.5
1406.5
34
Halifax
36
16
2
18
--
1374
1430
34
Exeter
36
16
0
20
--
1193
1424
32
Glasgow
36
15
1
20
--
1403
1401
31
Oxford
36
12
1
23
--
1263.5
1537.5
25
CRADLEY
36
8
4
24
--
1298
1507
20
West Ham
36
9
1
26
--
1236
1571
19

Dudley Wolves Trophy
1st leg - Wolves 39 Cradley 39
Bernt Persson 9, Bob Andrews 8, Jimmy Squibb 7,
Pete Jarman 7, Roy Trigg 5, John Hart 3,
Bengt Andersson 0.
2nd leg Cradley 44 Wolves 34
Bernt Persson 10, Roy Trigg 10, Jimmy Squibb 7,
Pete Jarman 6, Mick Handley 5, John Hart 4,
Bob Andrews 2.

Cradley win 83-73 on aggregate
The L.P.Transport Trophy was won by Ivan Mauger and the Alan Hunt Memorial by Ole Olsen

KO Cup

Round 2 - Reading 38 Cradley 40
Bernt Persson 12, Roy Trigg 11, Bob Andrews 8, Jimmy Squibb 5, John Hart 3, Barry Duke 1,
 Bengt Anderssson 0.

Round 3 - Cradley 40 Glasgow 38
(G)Reidar Eide 9, Pete Jarman 8, Roy Trigg 8,
 John Hart 6, Bob Andrews 6, Jimmy Squibb 2, 
Barry Duke 1.

Semi-Final - Cradley 50 Wolves 28
Roy Trigg 11, Bob Andrews 10, Pete Jarman 9,
 Bernt Persson 8, Mick Handley 5, Jimmy Squibb 4, 
John Hart 3.
Final - 1st leg Cradley 41 Hackney 37
Bernt Persson 11, Bob Andrews 9, Mick Handley 7, Pete Jarman 6, John Hart 5, Roy Trigg 3, 
Cyril Francis 0.
Final - 2nd leg Hackney 51 Cradley 27
(G)Howard Cole 13, John Hart 6, Bob Andrews 5,
 Roy Trigg 3, Pete Jarman 2, Mick Handley 1, 
Ralph Waller 0

Hackney win 88-68 on aggregate

Midland Cup
Round 1 - 1st leg Oxford 38 Cradley 40
Bernt Persson 16, Bob Andrews 11, 
(G)Dave Younghusband 7, Jimmy Squibb 4, 
John Hart 1, Bengt Andersson 1.
Round 1 - 2nd leg Cradley 45 Oxford 33
Bernt Persson 13, (G)Bert Harkins 13, 
Jimmy Squibb 9, Bob Andrews 7, Bengt Andersson 2, 
John Hart 1.

Cradley win 85-71 on aggregate

Semi-Final 1st leg Cradley 33 Coventry 45
Bernt Persson 13, Pete Jarman 6, Bob Andrews 6, 
Barry Duke 3, John Hart 3, Jimmy Squibb 1, 
Roy Trigg 1.
Semi-Final 2nd leg Coventry 51 Cradley 27
Roy Trigg 9, Bernt Persson 8, Bob Andrews 4, 
Barry Duke 3, Jimmy Squibb 2, Pete Jarman 1,
John Hart 0.

Coventry win 96-60 on aggregate and again went on to beat Leicester in the Final 82-74

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