New Zealand and the World Team Cup 1982
By Tracy Holmes

Kings Lynn, Sunday May 16 saw the annual round for NEW ZEALAND, England, Australia and the USA. First and second to progress to the Intercontinental Final in Denmark the following month.

Could the KIWIS improve on their 8 points the year before? TREVOR REDMOND may have been hopeful, until LARRY ROSS became unavailable. That meant WAYNE BROWN moving up a place and the ever faithful BRUCE CRIBB coming in as reserve.

Heat 1. K Moran, Sanders, Carter, MAUGER.
2. Jessup, S Moran, Crump, SHIRRA.
3. Collins, Sigalos, Guglielmi, BROWN.
4. Lee, Penhall, BARGH, Titman.
5. K Moran, Lee, Crump, BROWN.
6. S Moran, Collins, Sanders, BARGH.
7. Jessup, Sigalos, MAUGER, Titman.
8. Penhall, Carter, SHIRRA, Guglielmi.
9. K Moran, Jessup, BARGH, Baker.
10. Carter, S Moran, Titman, CRIBB.
11. Lee, Sigalos, SHIRRA, Sanders.
12. Penhall, Crump, Collins, MAUGER.
13. Lee, S Moran, MAUGER, Guglielmi.
14. K Moran, Collins, SHIRRA, Titman.
15. Carter, Sigalos, Crump, BARGH.
16. Jessup, Penhall, BROWN, Sanders.
run-off for 1st: Collins, K Moran.

1st England. 39
Dave Jessup 3 3 2 3 11
Mike Lee 3 2 3 3 11
Kenny Carter 1 2 3 3 9
Peter Collins 3 2 1 2 8
res Malcolm Simmons dnr

2nd USA. 39
Kelly Moran 3 3 3 3 12
Bruce Penhall 2 3 3 2 10
Shawn Moran 2 3 2 2 9
Dennis Sigalos 2 2 2 2 8
res Scott Autrey dnr

3rd Australia. 10
Phil Crump 1 1 2 1 5
Billy Sanders 2 1 0 0 3
John Titman 0 0 1 0 1
Gary Guglielmi 1 0 - 0 1
res Steve Baker - - 0 - 0

4th NEW ZEALAND. 8
MITCH SHIRRA 0 1 1 1 3
IVAN MAUGER 0 1 0 1 2
DAVID BARGH 1 0 1 0 2
WAYNE BROWN 0 0 - 1 1
res BRUCE CRIBB - - 0 - 0

Well! At least they didn't score any less. What's the matter with NEW ZEALAND? What's the matter with the mill? "Done broke down!" Sad thing was, even with LARRY ROSS, could they have scored any more? Probably not.

There was never going to be any question of the first two. Even without Bobby Schwartz, the Yanks were going to rocknroll. Australia just putting on a shadow.

But if the Poms were on a high, they soon came crashing down when they were knocked out at the Intercontinental Final. The Yanks and Danes going through. And again, as in 1976 and 1979, the World Team Cup Final would be held at London's White City with no home team on parade! August 15 was the big day;

1982 World Team Cup Final. White City.
1st USA. 2nd Denmark. 3rd West Germany. 4th CZ.

Bruce Penhall having quit British League speedway, took his gold medal back to Los Angeles and two weeks later, won his second consecutive World Speedway Final. Then he confirmed Speedway's worst kept and darkest secret, he quit! Oh yes, the 80's were in full swing.

This article was first published on 5th February 2017