League | National League Division One |
---|---|
No. of competitors | 7 |
Champions | New Cross Rangers |
National Trophy | Wembley Lions |
Anniversary Cup | Harringay Racers |
Riders' champion | Vic Duggan |
London Cup | Wembley Lions |
Highest average | Vic Duggan |
Division/s below | National League (Div 2) National League (Div 3) |
The 1948 National League Division One was the 14th season of speedway in the United Kingdom and the third post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. [1] [2]
The entrant list was the same as the previous season. New Cross Rangers won the National League for the second time. [3] [4]
1948 proved to be the worst season so far in regard to fatalities. During the 1947 season two riders had died on the same day but 1948 saw three riders killed during the season. It started with 37-year-old Reg Craven, on his debut for Yarmouth Bloaters. Craven crashed with two Poole Pirates riders at Poole (on 26 April) during a National Trophy match and died eight days later (4 May) from a fractured skull in hospital. [5] Billy Wilson of Norwich Stars and Eric Dunn of Hastings Saxons from the lower divisions were also killed.
Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
1 | New Cross Rangers | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 34 |
2 | Harringay Racers | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 32 |
3 | West Ham Hammers | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 29 |
4 | Wembley Lions | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 25 |
5 | Belle Vue Aces | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 25 |
6 | Wimbledon Dons | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 12 |
7 | Odsal Boomerangs | 24 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 11 |
Matches 1–12
Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
Matches 13–24
Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
On account of the small number of teams in the league the Anniversary Cup was run in a league format. Harringay Racers finished on top.
Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
1 | Harringay Racers | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 18 |
2 | Belle Vue Aces | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 14 |
3 | Odsal Boomerangs | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 14 |
4 | New Cross Rangers | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
5 | West Ham Hammers | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
6 | Wembley Lions | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
7 | Wimbledon Dons | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 |
Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
1 | Vic Duggan | ![]() | Harringay Racers | 11.42 |
2 | Ron Johnson | ![]() | New Cross | 10.33 |
3 | Wilbur Lamoreaux | ![]() | Wembley Lions | 9.71 |
4 | George Wilks | ![]() | Wembley Lions | 9.65 |
5 | Max Grosskreutz | ![]() | Odsal | 9.63 |
6 | Aub Lawson | ![]() | West Ham | 9.59 |
7 | Alec Statham | ![]() | Wimbledon | 9.48 |
8 | Jack Parker | ![]() | Belle Vue | 9.35 |
9 | Eric Chitty | ![]() | West Ham | 9.21 |
10 | Norman Parker | ![]() | Wimbledon | 9.09 |
The 1948 Trophy was the 11th edition of the Knockout Cup. [6]
Qualifying Competition Round 1
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
23/04 | Wombwell | 31 77 | Southampton |
17/04 | Cradley Heath | 66 42 | Plymouth |
13/04 | Southampton | 89 19 | Wombwell |
12/04 | Exeter | 81 27 | Tamworth |
08/04 | Plymouth | 56 50 | Cradley Heath |
07/04 | Tamworth | 82 26 | Exeter |
Qualifying Competition Round 2
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
29/04 | Stoke Hanley | 64 43 | Coventry |
27/04 | Yarmouth | 47 67 | Poole |
26/04 | Poole | 74 32 | Yarmouth |
07/05 | Cradley Heath | 78 29 | Hull |
05/05 | Tamworth | 46 62 | Southampton |
04/05 | Southampton | 77 31 | Tamworth |
01/05 | Coventry | 48 59 | Stoke Hanley |
01/05 | Hull | 42 66 | Cradley Heath |
Qualifying Competition semifinal
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
21/05 | Cradley Heath | 54 50 | Southampton |
13/05 | Stoke Hanley | 64 44 | Poole |
11/05 | Southampton | 85 23 | Cradley Heath |
10/05 | Poole | 49 57 | Stoke Hanley |
Qualifying Competition final
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
27/05 | Stoke Hanley | 43 64 | Southampton |
25/05 | Southampton | 74½ 33½ | Stoke Hanley |
Eliminating Competition First round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
19/06 | Birmingham | 79 29 | Southampton |
19/06 | Edinburgh | 62 46 | Glasgow White City |
16/06 | Glasgow White City | 70 38 | Edinburgh |
15/06 | Southampton | 41 66 | Birmingham |
Eliminating Competition Second round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
23/06 | Glasgow White City | 45½ 61½ | Birmingham |
22/06 | Fleetwood | 69 39 | Bristol |
19/06 | Norwich | 76 32 | Sheffield |
18/06 | Bristol | 65 43 | Fleetwood |
17/06 | Middlesbrough | 67 40 | Newcastle |
17/06 | Sheffield | 55 53 | Norwich |
14/06 | Newcastle | 41 65 | Middlesbrough |
03/07 | Birmingham | 80 28 | Glasgow White City |
Eliminating Competition semifinal
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
26/07 | Birmingham | 75 33 | Fleetwood |
13/07 | Fleetwood | 49 59 | Birmingham |
03/07 | Norwich | 66 41 | Middlesbrough |
01/07 | Middlesbrough | 53 54 | Norwich |
Eliminating Competition final
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
02/08 | Birmingham | 79 28 | Norwich |
31/07 | Norwich | 64 43 | Birmingham |
First round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
04/09 | Belle Vue | 64 44 | Wembley |
27/08 | Harringay | 67 40 | Wimbledon |
26/08 | Wembley | 64 42 | Belle Vue |
21/08 | Birmingham | 85 23 | West Ham |
21/08 | Bradford | 62 46 | New Cross |
19/08 | New Cross | 77 30 | Bradford |
17/08 | West Ham | 67 41 | Birmingham |
16/08 | Wimbledon | 53 55 | Harringay |
04/09 | Belle Vue | 64 44 | Wembley |
Quarterfinals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
27/08 | Harringay | 67-40 | Wimbledon |
26/08 | Wembley | 64-42 | Belle Vue |
21/08 | Birmingham | 85-23 | West Ham |
21/08 | Bradford | 62-46 | New Cross |
19/08 | New Cross | 77-30 | Bradford |
17/08 | West Ham | 67-41 | Birmingham |
16/08 | Wimbledon | 53-55 | Harringay |
04/09 | Belle Vue | 64-44 | Wembley |
Semifinals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
18/09 | Birmingham | 69-39 | New Cross |
10/09 | Harringay | 52-56 | Wembley |
09/09 | Wembley | 73-35 | Harringay |
09/09 | New Cross | 83-25 | Birmingham |
First leg
Wembley Lions Tommy Price 13 Bill Gilbert 13 Bill Kitchen 11 Wilbur Lamoreaux 7 Split Waterman 7 Bob Wells 6 Freddie Williams 5 Roy Craighead 2 | 64 – 44 | New Cross Rangers Ron Johnson 12 Jeff Lloyd 11 Eric French 6 Geoff Pymar 5 Ray Moore 4 Bill Longley 3 Frank Lawrence 3 Lindsay Mitchell 0 |
---|---|---|
[7] |
Second leg
New Cross Rangers Ron Johnson 18 Jeff Lloyd 10 Frank Lawrence 7 Eric French 5 Ray Moore 5 Geoff Pymar 4 Bill Longley 2 Lindsay Mitchell 1 | 52 – 56 | Wembley Lions Bill Gilbert 15 Wilbur Lamoreaux 9 Bill Kitchen 7 Split Waterman 7 Bob Wells 6 Tommy Price 5 Freddie Williams 4 Roy Craighead 3 |
---|---|---|
[7] |
Wembley were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 120–96.
Vic Duggan won the British Riders' Championship final held at Empire Stadium on 16 September, in front of nearly 90,000 spectators. [8] [9]
Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 2 3 3 3 3 | 14 |
2 | ![]() | 3 2 3 2 3 | 13 |
3 | ![]() | 3 3 3 3 1 | 13 |
4 | ![]() | 3 2 2 1 2 | 10 |
5 | ![]() | 2 1 3 3 1 | 10 |
6 | ![]() | 2 E 3 1 3 | 9 |
7 | ![]() | 3 2 2 2 | 9 |
8 | ![]() | 0 1 2 2 3 | 8 |
9 | ![]() | 2 2 0 0 2 | 6 |
10 | ![]() | f 3 2 1 0 | 6 |
11 | ![]() | 1 3 0 0 1 | 5 |
12 | ![]() | 1 0 1 2 1 | 5 |
13 | ![]() | 0 1 1 1 2 | 5 |
14 | ![]() | 1 2 0 1 F | 4 |
15 | ![]() | 0 1 0 1 0 | 2 |
16 | ![]() | 1 0 0 0 0 | 1 |
16 | ![]() | 0 - - - - | 0 |
First round
Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|
New Cross | 65–43, 43–64 | Harringay |
Semi final round
Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|
Wimbledon | 57–51, 27–80 | New Cross |
West Ham | 61–46, 40–67 | Wembley |
First leg
Wembley Wilbur Lamoreaux 15 Bill Gilbert 14 Bill Kitchen 10 Tommy Price 10 Split Waterman 7 Freddie Williams 4 George Saunders 3 Bob Wells 2 | 65–40 | New Cross Ron Johnson 16 Frank Lawrence 5 Ray Moore 4 Bill Longley 4 Cyril Roger 3 Eric French 3 Jeff Lloyd 3 Geoff Pymar 2 |
---|---|---|
Second leg
New Cross Cyril Roger 15 Ron Johnson 14, Geoff Pymar 10 Jeff Lloyd 5 Ray Moore 5 Eric French 4 Frank Lawrence 4 Bill Longley 1 | 58–50 | Wembley Bill Gilbert 14 Bill Kitchen 13 Freddie Williams 8 Tommy Price 5 Split Waterman 5 Wilbur Lamoreaux 3 Bob Wells 1 George Saunders 1 |
---|---|---|
[10] |
Wembley won on aggregate 115–98
Belle Vue
Harringay
New Cross
Odsal
Wembley
West Ham
Wimbledon
The Harringay Racers were a motorcycle speedway team who raced at the Harringay Stadium from 1947 until 1954 in the National League Division One.
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.
The 1949 National League Division One was the 15th season of speedway in the United Kingdom and the fourth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1950 National League Division One was the 16th season of speedway in the United Kingdom and the fifth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1951 National League Division One was the 17th season of speedway in the United Kingdom and the sixth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
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.
The 1953 National League Division One was the 19th season of speedway in the United Kingdom and the eighth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1954 National League Division One was the 20th season of speedway in the United Kingdom and the ninth post-war season of the highest tier of speedway.
The 1955 Speedway National League was the 21st season and tenth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1933 National League was the fifth season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom.
The 1934 National League Division One was the sixth season of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. It was also the first time that a second division/tier of racing was introduced following the creation of a reserves league.
The 1935 National League Division One was the seventh season of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1936 National League Division One was the eighth season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1946 National League was the 12th season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain and the first post-war season.
The 1937 National League Division One was the ninth season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1938 National League Division One was the tenth season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1939 National League Division One was an eleventh and unfinished season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
The 1948 National League Division Three was the second season of British speedway's National League Division Three
The 1931 Southern League was the third season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams, and its final season before amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Leagues. The Northern teams also had their third season known as the 1931 Speedway Northern League.
The 1937 Provincial Speedway League was the second season of the Provincial League. Seven speedway teams started the season. From the previous season's finishers, Plymouth Panthers had dropped out but Leicester, Birmingham and Norwich Stars joined up. Leicester withdrew mid-season and their record was expunged. Liverpool Merseysiders also withdrew mid-season but their entry was taken over by Belle Vue. Bristol Bulldogs were the champions and moved up to the National League for the following season.