1947 Speedway National League

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]

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)

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
07/08Wembley61–45Harringay
07/08Middlesbrough40–68Wimbledon
09/08Belle Vue67–41New Cross
11/08Wimbledon77–31Middlesbrough
12/08West Ham54–54Bradford Odsal
13/08New Cross61–46Belle Vue
15/08Harringay47–58Wembley
16/08Bradford Odsal53–55West Ham

Semi Finals
Date Team One Score Team Two
25/08Wimbledon59–49Belle Vue
02/09West Ham55–51Wembley
04/09Wembley68–40West Ham
06/09Belle Vue82–25Wimbledon

First leg
Wembley Lions
Tommy Price 14
Bill Kitchen 13
George Wilks 10
Split Waterman 6
Bill Gilbert 6
Bob Wells 5
Charlie May 1
Roy Craighead 0		55 – 53Belle Vue Aces
Eric Langton 13
Jack Parker 13
Louis Lawson 8
Jim Boyd 7
Wally Lloyd 6
Wally Hull 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
Jim Boyd 6
Wally Hull 4
Bill Pitcher 1		63 – 45Wembley Lions
Bill Kitchen 14
Tommy Price 13
Split Waterman 9
George Wilks 4
Roy Craighead 3
Bob Wells 2
Charlie May 0
Bill Gilbert 0
[8]

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. "1947 National Trophy". Speedway Archive. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
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