1947 Speedway National League
League | National League Division One |
---|---|
Champions | Wembley Lions |
No. of competitors | 7 |
National Trophy | Belle Vue Aces |
British Speedway Cup | Wembley Lions |
Highest average | Vic Duggan |
Division/s below | National League (Div 2) National League (Div 3) |
The 1947 National League Division One was the 13th season of speedway in the United Kingdom and the second post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1]
Summary[]
Harringay Racers rejoined the league. Wembley Lions retained the title. Belle Vue retained the National Trophy.[2][3][4]
Final Table Division One[]
Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
1 | Wembley Lions | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 38 |
2 | Belle Vue Aces | 24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 31 |
3 | Wimbledon Dons | 24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 27 |
4 | Odsal Boomerangs | 24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 21 |
5 | New Cross Rangers | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
6 | West Ham Hammers | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 16 |
7 | Harringay Racers | 24 | 7 | 1 | 16 | 15 |
On account of the small number of teams in the league the British Speedway Cup was run in a league format. Wembley Lions won all their matches home and away to complete a double.
British Speedway Cup table[]
Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
1 | Wembley Lions | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
2 | New Cross Rangers | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 16 |
3 | Wimbledon Dons | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
4 | Belle Vue Aces | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
5 | Harringay Racers | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
6 | West Ham Hammers | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
7 | Odsal Boomerangs | 12 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
Top Ten Riders (League only)[]
Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
1 | Vic Duggan | Harringay Racers | 11.54 | |
2 | Bill Kitchen | Wembley Lions | 10.74 | |
3 | Norman Parker | Wimbledon Dons | 10.35 | |
4 | Alec Statham | Odsal Boomerangs | 10.25 | |
5 | Tommy Price | Wembley Lions | 10.00 | |
6= | Eric Chitty | West Ham Hammers | 9.54 | |
6= | Malcolm Craven | New Cross Rangers | 9.54 | |
8 | George Wilks | Wembley Lions | 9.46 | |
9 | Eric Langton | Belle Vue Aces | 9.44 | |
10 | Jack Parker | Belle Vue Aces | 9.32 |
National Trophy[]
The 1947 National Trophy was the tenth edition of the Knockout Cup.[5]
During the National Trophy quarter final match between Wembley and Harringay (on 15 August) the 27-year-old Wembley rider Nelson 'Bronco' Wilson received fatal injuries in the fourth heat. He died in the Prince of Wales Hospital, Tottenham, the following day from a fractured skull.[6] Remarkably another rider Cyril Anderson of the Norwich Stars was killed instantly on the same evening, during the Division Two Best Pairs.[7]
Qualifying[]
Middlesbrough and Norwich qualified for the quarter finals by virtue of finishing 1st & 2nd in the Second Division Cup.
Quarter Finals[]
Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
---|---|---|---|
07/08 | Wembley | 61–45 | Harringay |
07/08 | Middlesbrough | 40–68 | Wimbledon |
09/08 | Belle Vue | 67–41 | New Cross |
11/08 | Wimbledon | 77–31 | Middlesbrough |
12/08 | West Ham | 54–54 | Bradford Odsal |
13/08 | New Cross | 61–46 | Belle Vue |
15/08 | Harringay | 47–58 | Wembley |
16/08 | Bradford Odsal | 53–55 | West Ham |
Semi Finals[]
Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
---|---|---|---|
25/08 | Wimbledon | 59–49 | Belle Vue |
02/09 | West Ham | 55–51 | Wembley |
04/09 | Wembley | 68–40 | West Ham |
06/09 | Belle Vue | 82–25 | Wimbledon |
Final[]
First leg[]
Wembley Lions Tommy Price 14 Bill Kitchen 13 George Wilks 10 Split Waterman 6 Bill Gilbert 6 5 1 0 | 55 – 53 | Belle Vue Aces Eric Langton 13 Jack Parker 13 Louis Lawson 8 7 Wally Lloyd 6 3 Dent Oliver2 Bill Pitcher 1 |
---|---|---|
[8] |
Second leg[]
Belle Vue Aces Jack Parker 16 Louis Lawson 12 Eric Langton 11 Wally Lloyd 6 Dent Oliver 7 6 4 Bill Pitcher 1 | 63 – 45 | Wembley Lions Bill Kitchen 14 Tommy Price 13 Split Waterman 9 George Wilks 4 3 2 0 Bill Gilbert 0 |
---|---|---|
[8] |
Belle Vue were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 116–100.
See also[]
- List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
- Knockout Cup (speedway)
References[]
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Belle Vue Win". Daily Mirror. 13 October 1947. Retrieved 11 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Cricket for a Kiddies' Fund". Nottingham Evening Post. 16 August 1947. Retrieved 11 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Another Speedway rider killed". Weekly Dispatch (London). 17 August 1947. Retrieved 11 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "1947 National Trophy". Speedway Archive. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- Speedway National League
- 1947 in speedway
- 1947 in British motorsport