Cradley Heath Heathens Season 1978 Compiled by Dave Allan First published March 2016 Last updated October 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This file was made possible thanks to the invaluable contributions of the following: Steve Wilkes & Gary Done (Ellesmere Port & 1978 Speedway Mails) Arnie Gibbons (Reading) Stuart Staite-Aris & associates (Coventry) Mark Fellows (Wolverhampton) Mike Hunter (Edinburgh) Matt Jackson (Sheffield) Brian Collins (Internationals) Neil Fife (Newcastle) Mark Aspinell (Rye House) David Housely (Various) Gary Weldon (Boston) Keith Corns (Various) Steve Ashley (Boston & Leicester) Phil Hood (Newcastle) John (Hull) Paul Dunn (Cradley Heath) Colin Jewes & Phil Johnson (Cradley Heath) Steve Andrews (Barrow) The knowledgable members of the British Speedway Forum and the Easy, Tiger! Forum RACECARDS The following notation is in use throughout this file: R/R Rider replacement N Rider replaced by reserve TS Rider replaced by tactical substitute R Rider did not finish for reason other than fall or exclusion EF Rider suffered engine failure and failed to finish F Rider fell and did not remount FX Rider fell and was excluded from race or rerun FN Rider fell and was unable to take his place in rerun E Rider excluded for starting offence (including tape touching & breaking, delaying start, etc.) M Rider excluded under two minute rule X Rider excluded for any other reason not E or M. Reason for exclusion noted where known. NS Rider failed to start but was not excluded or replaced NTR New track record ETR Equals track record (guest) Rider is making a ‘full and proper’ guest appearance (loanee) Rider has been borrowed from home track to make up the team Some reserve replacement rides (N) may in fact have been tactical substitute (TS) rides. Due to the difficulty in ascertaining this information, only proven tactical substitute rides are recorded. Reruns are not assumed, they are only recorded where reported. 1978 Season File - Revisions in October 2016 update # Revised on Meeting Revision 1 18/10/2016 23/10/1978 Reading v Cradley Heath Ht 11: added heat time Cradley Heath Heathens 1978 Date Home Away Event Result Notes 18/03/1978 Cradley Heath Wolverhampton Sandwell Mail Trophy 47-31 20/03/1978 Birmingham Cradley Heath Sandwell Mail Trophy Rained Off 22/03/1978 Birmingham Cradley Heath Sandwell Mail Trophy 29-49 25/03/1978 Cradley Heath King's Lynn Gulf British League 34.5-43.5 27/03/1978 Cradley Heath Birmingham Sandwell Mail Trophy 47-31 31/03/1978 Wolverhampton Cradley Heath Sandwell Mail Trophy 39-38 01/04/1978 Cradley Heath Sheffield Champagne Challenge Rained Off 03/04/1978 Cradley Heath Sheffield Champagne Challenge 41-37 08/04/1978 Cradley Heath Wimbledon Gulf British League 43-35 15/04/1978 Cradley Heath Ipswich Gulf British League 41-37 19/04/1978 Cradley Heath Midland Riders Championship Semi-Final Individual Steve Bastable & Mitch Shirra 20/04/1978 Swindon Cradley Heath Gulf British League 40-37 22/04/1978 Coventry Cradley Heath Gulf British League 40-37 29/04/1978 Cradley Heath Leicester Gulf British League 50-28 01/05/1978 White City Cradley Heath Gulf British League Rained Off 06/05/1978 Cradley Heath Wolverhampton Gulf British League 44-34 08/05/1978 Exeter Cradley Heath Gulf British League Rained Off 09/05/1978 Hull Cradley Heath Gulf British League 46-32 12/05/1978 Ellesmere Port Cradley Heath Inter-Divisional KOC R1 33-44 13/05/1978 Cradley Heath White City Gulf British League 45.5-32.5 19/05/1978 Hackney Cradley Heath Gulf British League 38-40 20/05/1978 Cradley Heath VW Grand Prix/World Championship Qualifying Round Individual Alan Grahame 22/05/1978 Exeter Cradley Heath Gulf British League 47-31 24/05/1978 Poole Cradley Heath Gulf British League 44-34 27/05/1978 Cradley Heath Sheffield Gulf British League 50-28 29/05/1978 Halifax Cradley Heath Gulf British League 43-35 02/06/1978 Bristol Cradley Heath Inter-Divisional KOC R2 40-38 03/06/1978 Cradley Heath Bristol Gulf British League 50-28 04/06/1978 Cradley Heath Steve Bastable Select v Bruce Penhall Select Trustee Savings Bank Trophy 22-38 Charity event 05/06/1978 Reading Cradley Heath Speedway Star KOC R2 L1 37-41 10/06/1978 Cradley Heath Reading Speedway Star KOC R2 L2 38-40 15/06/1978 Wimbledon Cradley Heath Gulf British League 44-33 17/06/1978 Cradley Heath Poole Gulf British League 42-36 22/06/1978 Oxford Cradley Heath Inter-League Challenge 28-49 24/06/1978 Cradley Heath Hackney Gulf British League 45-33 28/06/1978 Coventry Coventry v Birmingham v Cradley Heath v Leicester Four Team (pairs) 28 v 28 v 23 v 16 Coventry win after run-off Cradley Heath Heathens 1978 Date Home Away Event Result Notes 01/07/1978 Cradley Heath Coventry Challenge 43-35 06/07/1978 Wimbledon Wimbledon v Belle Vue v Bristol v Cradley Heath Four Team (pairs) 31 v 22 v 19 v 24 08/07/1978 Cradley Heath Black Country Best Pairs Best Pairs Aban Ht 11 - rain Dave Morton & Jim McMillan 11/07/1978 Leicester Cradley Heath Speedway Star KOC R3 L1 39-39 14/07/1978 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton v Birmingham v Coventry v Cradley Heath Four Team (pairs) 35 v 13 v 17 v 31 15/07/1978 Cradley Heath Belle Vue Gulf British League 43-35 22/07/1978 Cradley Heath Exeter Gulf British League 51-27 26/07/1978 Cradley Heath Daily Mirror Golden Hammer Individual Scott Autrey 29/07/1978 Cradley Heath Leicester Speedway Star KOC R3 L2 48-30 31/07/1978 Birmingham Birmingham V Cradley Heath V Wolverhampton Express & Star 3TT L1 Rained Off 04/08/1978 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton v Birmingham v Cradley Heath Express & Star 3TT L1 35 v 27 v 46 05/08/1978 Cradley Heath Cradley Heath v Wolverhampton v Birmingham Express & Star 3TT L2 Rained Off 07/08/1978 Reading Cradley Heath Gulf British League Rained Off 09/08/1978 Birmingham Birmingham V Cradley Heath V Wolverhampton Express & Star 3TT L2 Rained Off 11/08/1978 Bristol Cradley Heath Gulf British League 46-31 12/08/1978 Cradley Heath Reading Gulf British League 40-38 15/08/1978 Leicester Cradley Heath Midland Cup SF L1 52-26 16/08/1978 Cradley Heath Cradley Heath v Birmingham v Wolverhampton Express & Star 3TT L2 Cancelled Due to British Final 18/08/1978 Wolverhampton Cradley Heath Dudley-Wolves Trophy L1 42-36 19/08/1978 Cradley Heath Wolverhampton Dudley-Wolves Trophy L2 45-33 20/08/1978 King's Lynn Cradley Heath Gulf British League 42-36 23/08/1978 Cradley Heath Halifax Gulf British League 48-30 26/08/1978 Cradley Heath Hull Gulf British League 53-25 28/08/1978 Cradley Heath Swindon Gulf British League 52-26 30/08/1978 White City Cradley Heath Gulf British League 39-39 05/09/1978 Leicester Cradley Heath Gulf British League Rained Off 09/09/1978 Cradley Heath Leicester Midland Cup SF L2 44-34 13/09/1978 Cradley Heath Ipswich Speedway Star KOC SF L1 40-38 14/09/1978 Ipswich Cradley Heath Speedway Star KOC SF L2 44-34 16/09/1978 Belle Vue Cradley Heath Gulf British League 40-38 22/09/1978 Hull Cradley Heath v Hull v Leicester v Halifax Four Team 13 v 42 v 25 v 16 23/09/1978 Cradley Heath Birmingham Gulf British League 57-20 25/09/1978 Birmingham Cradley Heath Gulf British League 38-40 29/09/1978 Wolverhampton Cradley Heath Gulf British League 40-38 30/09/1978 Cradley Heath Cradley Heath v Wimbledon v Leicester v Wolverhampton Four Team Rained Off 07/10/1978 Cradley Heath Coventry Gulf British League 40-37 Cradley Heath Heathens 1978 Date Home Away Event Result Notes 10/10/1978 Leicester Cradley Heath Gulf British League 37-41 11/10/1978 Cradley Heath Cradley Heath v Wimbledon v Leicester v Wolverhampton Four Team 39 v 20 v 16 v 21 12/10/1978 Sheffield Cradley Heath Gulf British League 43-35 14/10/1978 Cradley Heath Cradley Heath v Birmingham v Wolverhampton Express & Star 3TT L2 54 v 27 v 27 18/10/1978 Cradley Heath Dudley Rotary Club International Pairs Best Pairs Steve Bastable & Alan Grahame 20/10/1978 Birmingham Birmingham v Cradley Heath v Wolverhampton Express & Star 3TT L3 35 v 46 v 26 23/10/1978 Reading Cradley Heath Gulf British League 38-40 25/10/1978 Cradley Heath Daily Mirror Midlands Jubilee Classic Final Individual Steve Bastable 26/10/1978 Ipswich Cradley Heath Gulf British League 44-31 28/10/1978 Cradley Heath Supporters Select Challenge 44-34 29/10/1978 Ellesmere Port Ellesmere Port v Belle Vue v Cradley Heath v Hull Four Team 19 v 28 v 25 v 24 Cradley Heath Heathens v Wolverhampton Wolves Saturday 18th March 1978 (Sandwell Mail Trophy) Cradley Heath Heathens 47 TOT BP 1. Bruce Cribb 3 3 3 3 12 0 2. Dave Perks 2* 0 1* 2* 5 3 3. Steve Bastable 3 3 3 3 12 0 4. Pekka Hautamaki 1* 0 0 F 1 1 5. Alan Grahame 2 3 3 1 9 0 6. Kristian Praestbro 0 2* 1 3 1 7. Arthur Price 3 2 0 5 0 Wolverhampton Wolves 31 TOT BP 1. Hans Nielsen 1 2 2 1* 2 8 1 2. Rob Hollingworth 0 1* 0 TS 1 1 3. Jim McMillan 1 1* 2 2 1* 7 2 4. Jerzy Kowalski R N 0 0 0 0 5. Dave Morton 3 2 3 1 2 11 0 6. Steve Lomas 2 TS 0 1* 3 1 7.