1947 Speedway National League

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1947 Speedway National League
LeagueNational League Division One
ChampionsWembley Lions
No. of competitors7
National TrophyBelle Vue Aces
British Speedway CupWembley Lions
Highest averageVic Duggan
Division/s belowNational 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 Australia Harringay Racers 11.54
2 Bill Kitchen England Wembley Lions 10.74
3 Norman Parker England Wimbledon Dons 10.35
4 Alec Statham England Odsal Boomerangs 10.25
5 Tommy Price England Wembley Lions 10.00
6= Eric Chitty Canada West Ham Hammers 9.54
6= Malcolm Craven England New Cross Rangers 9.54
8 George Wilks England Wembley Lions 9.46
9 Eric Langton England Belle Vue Aces 9.44
10 Jack Parker England 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 – 53Belle Vue Aces
Eric Langton 13
Jack Parker 13
Louis Lawson 8
7
Wally Lloyd 6
3
Dent Oliver2
Bill Pitcher 1
[8]
Wembley Stadium

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 – 45Wembley Lions
Bill Kitchen 14
Tommy Price 13
Split Waterman 9
George Wilks 4
3
2
0
Bill Gilbert 0
[8]
Hyde Road Stadium

Belle Vue were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 116–100.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
  2. ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  3. ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
  4. ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Belle Vue Win". Daily Mirror. 13 October 1947. Retrieved 11 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Cricket for a Kiddies' Fund". Nottingham Evening Post. 16 August 1947. Retrieved 11 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Another Speedway rider killed". Weekly Dispatch (London). 17 August 1947. Retrieved 11 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ a b "1947 National Trophy". Speedway Archive. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
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