Newport Wasps failed to make an impact in 1968 in a highly competitive British League where Coventry edged out Hackney for the title
The league season started on April 5 with a 43-34 defeat at Monmore Green against Wolverhampton. Toby Harryson was dominant winning four races but falling in his other outing. After another defeat at Sheffield both the Swede and Cyril Francis picked up maximums against Crawley in a 47-31 home win. Without Toby Newport managed to beat Coventry at home 42-36 before going down narrowly away at Kings Lynn 40-38. The pattern of good home performances and poor away results continued throughout the season with a number of heavy defeats, the only point dropped at home in a 39-all draw with West Ham. Harryson missed a large number of fixtures due to injury and international commitments.
Newport hosted a World Championship qualifier in May won by Cyril Francis. They also hosted an International between England and Russia in June with the former winning 68-40, Exeter’s Martin Ashby scored an eighteen point maximum breaking the track record with a time of 66.6 seconds in his heat 1 won over Igor Plechanov. Norman Hunter won the Newport Trophy individual event in July and Coventry’s Nigel Boocock ran out the victor in the Welsh Open
