1952 Speedway National League

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1952 Speedway National League
LeagueNational League Division One
ChampionsWembley Lions
No. of competitors10
National TrophyHarringay Racers
Highest averageRonnie Moore
Division/s belowNational League (Div 2)
1952 Southern League

The 1952 National League Division One was the 18th season of speedway in the United Kingdom and the seventh post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1]

Summary[]

Norwich Stars joined the league. Wembley Lions won their fourth consecutive title and their seventh overall. Birmingham recorded their highest league finish to date by taking the runner-up spot.[2][3][4]

While riding for Wimbledon, on 22 July 1952 the American Ernie Roccio was killed after crashing into the fence at high speed at West Ham Stadium, it has been reported that he died instantly but the newspaper report states he died in hospital.[5]

Final table[]

Pos Team PL W D L Pts
1 Wembley Lions 36 28 1 7 57
2 Birmingham Brummies 36 23 0 13 46
3 Harringay Racers 36 21 3 12 45
4 West Ham Hammers 36 18 2 16 38
5 Wimbledon Dons 36 17 2 17 36
6 Belle Vue Aces 36 18 0 18 36
7 New Cross Rangers 36 15 1 20 31
8 Bristol Bulldogs 36 13 0 23 26
9 Bradford Tudors 36 11 1 24 23
10 Norwich Stars 36 10 2 24 22

Top Ten Riders (League only)[]

Rider Nat Team C.M.A.
1 Ronnie Moore New Zealand Wimbledon Dons 11.27
2 Jack Young Australia West Ham Hammers 10.88
3 Bob Leverenz Australia Norwich Stars 10.29
4 Alan Hunt England Birmingham Brummies 10.00
5 Split Waterman England Harringay Racers 9.96
6 Freddie Williams Wales Wembley Lions 9.76
7 Tommy Price England Wembley Lions 9.31
8 Cyril Brine England Wimbledon Dons 9.00
9 Eddie Rigg England Bradford Tudors 8.82
10 Bert Roger England New Cross Rangers 8.79

National Trophy Stage Three[]

The 1952 National Trophy was the 15th edition of the Knockout Cup. The Trophy consisted of three stages; stage one was for the third tier clubs, stage two was for the second tier clubs and stage three was for the top tier clubs. The winner of stage one would qualify for stage two and the winner of stage two would qualify for the third and final stage. Harringay won the third and final stage and were therefore declared the 1952 National Trophy champions.[6]

  • For Stage One - see Stage One
  • For Stage Two - see Stage Two

First Round[]

Date Team One Score Team Two
19/07 Norwich 74-34 Poole
12/07 Birmingham 79-29 Bristol
04/07 Bristol 46-62 Birmingham
05/07 Bradford Odsal 67-40 West Ham
01/07 West Ham 66-42 Bradford Odsal

Second Round[]

Date Team One Score Team Two
11/08 Birmingham 69-39 Belle Vue
26/07 Belle Vue 59-49 Birmingham
26/07 Bradford Odsal 58-50 Wembley
26/07 Poole 72-36 New Cross
23/07 New Cross 75-33 Poole
21/07 Wimbledon 57-51 Harringay
18/07 Harringay 57-50 Wimbledon
17/07 Wembley 66-41 Bradford Odsal

Semi Finals[]

Date Team One Score Team Two
21/08 Wembley 59-49 Birmingham
16/08 Birmingham 69-39 Wembley
15/08 Harringay 57-51 New Cross
13/08 New Cross 43-64 Harringay

Final[]

First leg[]

Birmingham Brummies
Arthur Payne 17
Graham Warren 11
Eric Boothroyd 9
Ron Mountford 7
7
5
1
0		57 – 51Harringay Racers
11
Jack Biggs 10
Ron How 8
Arthur Atkinson 7
5
Danny Dunton 4
Split Waterman 3
3
[7]

Second leg[]

Harringay Racers
Jack Biggs 17
Ron How 12
11
10
Arthur Atkinson 10
6
Danny Dunton 5
Split Waterman 3		72 – 35Birmingham Brummies
Arthur Payne 15
Eric Boothroyd 6
6
2
2
1
1
0
[7]

Harringay were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 123–92.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
  2. ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 12 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 12 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Speed Track Star Dies". Western Daily Press. 23 July 1952. Retrieved 13 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "1952 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
  7. ^ a b "1952 National Trophy". Speedway Archive. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
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