It was a bold move by Exeter to move back up to the B.L after a few seasons in the lower League, but before even the first meeting was raced, it became apparent that the switch was doomed to failure.

To get back to British League, they had bought the Leicester licence and, they thought, some of the stars that went with it. The licence they certainly did have, and they would have had some welcome, top class rider too but for one thing.

The Leicester top pairing of Les and Neil Collins simply did not want to uproot and make the journey to the County Ground every week, a problem that was soon to become apparent for every class rider that Exeter tried to sign. The fact was, they were left with what they'd already got. Former Falcon Andy Campbell, gratefully wooed back from Poole, Sean Willmott signed from Hackney, Keith Millard, golden boy from the previous National season, Rob Maxfield who was heat leader alongside Millard that year, Danish lad Kent Noer and another foreign newcomer in Frank Andersen. Even Neil street joined, no not as a rider but as team manager.

Amazingly, it was reported that Peter Oakes had once stated he tried to sign no less than thirty top riders, none of whom were prepared to make the long haul down to the County Ground. Exeter made moves to sign Bobby Schwartz and an attempt was made to bring Scott Autrey and Vaclav Verner back into the team. But Schwartz joined Eastbourne after a £25,000 sum was offered. Theyb tried to buy Larry Ross but B.Vue scuppered those plans.

They looked like having to start with just six men until Ivan Mauger made an astonishing offer which, even more astonishingly, the BSPA went along with. To help out, he agreed to come out of his British League retirement and ride in home matches only. His business commitments apparently would not allow him to go further. At least, at home, they would have another heat leader. They figured with Ivan. Keith and Andy they'd get by at the County Ground and hope that their allowed guest would do the trick away from home.

But things did not work even that way. Andy took a while to get into his stride, Ivan hit reasonable enough heat leader scores, but poor Keith could do nothing. As good as he was the year before, how bad he was this time. The points would not come as the noughts stacked up higher on his pay sheet than any other score. Halfway through the League Cup campaign he was given a rest. He came back for a few odd outings and was then loaned to Peterborough to start out all over again.

Noer didn't click and went off to try his luck at Wolverhampton and Anderersen was also finding life tough. Willmott ran through a bad patch before he started to pick up in May/June. And the guests,who seemed to figure in droves, came in all types - good, bad and indifferent.

The lack of strength could not be offset by the normal home track advantage. An opening defeat 35-43 to King's Lynn was followed by 38-40 loss to Ipswich and then a unique League Cup event for them, their first point, 39-39 against Eastbourne, unique because they did not get another point in that competition and to be brutally honest they seldom ever looked as like coming near to take one. Whilst they couldn't win at home, their away form was nothing short of diabolical.

Before the League Cup was over they had made two more signings. Louis Carr moved in from the opposite direction to Kent Noer, namely Wolverhampton. He struggled badly and then came a tremendous paid nine which almost brought them a point against Oxford. Unfortunately it did not and Louis then went on the sick list with a busted ankle. And there be stayed for some 10 weeks before returning to his early struggles before finally beginning to bring in reasonable points towards the end of the season.

The second signing was to be tragic. Leif Wahiman came to them from Poole where his scoring had seldom set the place alight. But with Exeter he looked a different class. In a short while he was looking a possible heat leader and then, competing in the Under-21 Championship at King's Lynn Leif was killed. West german Stefan Deser was given a trial but never impressed

It was July 6th before the Falcons finally tasted victory, pitched against fellow promotion pals Newcastle they pulled out the stops with what was to be their second highest score of the year, 47-31. It was a real red letter day. Not only did they collect a win but Sean Willmott collected a paid dozen. And, what was even more important, they actually managed to introduce a man who had signed for them, an unknown American dubbed the Flyin' Hawaiian, Buddy Robinson. Unknown he might have been at the start, but he was a firm favourite in in no time at all.

His scores were mostly of the second string variety, although he always looked likely to produce a hatful. His effect on the crowd was electric. He was a showman who brightened up the proceedings wherever he went. That, with any team having a tough time, was invaluable. Less than a month after this gift from the gods had descended on the West Country he was way out West in his own homeland again, having meetings their to fulfil. He returned at the start of August even better than before but his season was blighted when he was suspended for a technical offence in his own country and missed out Exeter's last couple of matches.

His arrival either coincided with Exeter's better fortunes, or caused it. His first match was their first win in British League 1984. They won their next three at home with him around, drew their next two and won one other without him, and carried on winning once he got back. All at home, of course. Away they didn't take a point any place. Ironically it was the night of Buddy's best, an effervescent eleven against King's Lynn, that the run came to an end.

As the season went on and Andy, Sean, Louis and Frank all got better and better, Falcons began to hold their own and even put together enough points to keep off the bottom of the table. Certainly they got no help from their fellow promoters to put together a reasonably strong team or to become an attraction of any kind on their away trips. Doubtless they recouped some of their outlaid cash with the sale of the Collins boys but it was star riders that Exeter so desperately lacked.

Exeter introduce the first ever Frenchman to ride in the B.L when they used the 28 year old French Champion Patrice Blondy for their final match of the season - but he failed to score as Ivan mauger finally waved farewell to B.L racing.

Peter Oakes reflected on an unhappy return to the the B.L and as the season closed, he put Exeter up for sale after 5 years at the reins. Colin Hill, a local business man stepped in and embarked on a role as promoter that would see Exeter through right up until Exeter's final days at the County Ground, ... and beyond ?

Elsewhere in 1984

Exeter, Newcastle and Oxford returned to the B.L in this year whilst Birmingham closed down and Hackney dropped down into the National League.

Marvyn Cox won the British Junior Championship after a run off with Simon Cross that ended in a spill, and Cross being excluded for having caused the stoppage and then went on to win the Eurpean U21 Championship Final, which was marred by the tragic death of Exeter's Leif Wahlmann. Runner up was Neil Evitts with Steve Lucero third.

Denmark win the World Team Cup in a one sided affair that saw the Danes score 44pts to beat England 24pts, USA 20pts and Poland 8pts. Chris Morton and Petter Collins (Pictured Left) won world Best Pairs staged in Lonigo to give British Speedway a much needed boost. They scored 27pts (C.Morton 14, P.Collins 13) to edge out Denmark (25), N.Zealand (25), USA (19), Australia (14), Czechoslovakia (10) and Italy (6) They also won the British Open Pairs Championship beating Reading's Mitch Shirra and T.Hunt.

Erik Gundersewn was crowned World Champion in Ullevi, he drpped just one pont from his five rides to beat Hans Nielsen (13), Lance King (13) and Kelly Moran (11) and went on to make it a double by winning the World Longtrack Championship in Herxheim where he scored 23pts to beat E.Muller (19) and K.Maier (17).

Kenny Carter won the British Final amidst much contraversy as several riders stage a protest over track conditions. The referee insisted it continued as Kenny scored 13pts to beat Andy Grahame (12) and Dave Jessup (11).

Chris Morton scores 13pts to win the B.L Riders Championship ahead of Hans Nielsen on 13pts and Erik Gundersen third with 13pts. Ian Barney won the N.L Riders Championship in dramatic fashion. After both he and Dave Perks had tied on 14 points, Perks was well clear in the run off and in sight of the chequred flag when he shed his chain and stopped yards from the line. Martin Yeates was third after he won a run off with A. Buck, both riders having scored 12 points.

American Lance King stormed to an unbeaten maximum to win the Overseas Final ahead of Phil Cump (12) and Shawn Moran (11) whilst Shawn Moran (USA) won the Inter Continental Final scoring 13pts to beat Simon Wigg (England) 12pts and Lance King (USA) 11.

Ipswich won the B.L Title on 52pts beating Belle Vue 49pts and Cradley Heath on 44pts, whilst Long Eaton won the N.L Title scoring 43 points, just one point ahead of runners up Mildenhall and third placed Stoke who scored 37pts.

The Stoke Pairing of Tom Owen and Nigel Crabtree won the N.L Pairs Final beating Berwick's Bruce Cribb and Steve McDermott, Hackney are crowned N.L K.O Cup Champions as they beat Berwick 83-72, Cradley beat B.Vue 80-76 to win the League Cup Final, with the "Aces" suffering a double blow when they lose the Speedway Star Cup 92-64 on aggregate to Ipswich.

Hans Nielsen (Oxford) topped the 1984 B.L Averages on 10.69 ahead of Chris Morton (B.Vue) 10.65 and Jan Andersen (Reading) 10.30.