The 1936 Provincial Speedway League was the first season of the Provincial League, introduced as a second tier to the National League. It was formed after Mr B. Southouse (the Cardiff speedway manager for the Greyhound Racing Association) proposed that a new league be formed and organised a syndicate, including Nottingham and Liverpool speedway.[1]
| League | Provincial League |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 5 |
| Champions | Southampton Saints |
| Provincial League Trophy | Southampton Saints |
| National Trophy (provincial final) | Southampton Saints |
| Highest average | George Greenwood |
| Division/s above | 1936 National League |
Six speedway teams started the season but Cardiff White City speedway withdrew after just nine matches and had their record expunged. Their star riders, Cliff Parkinson, George Greenwood, Tommy Price and Ted Bravery, all joined Nottingham.[2]
Southampton Saints were the champions on race points difference over Bristol Bulldogs.[3][4][5][6]
Due to the brevity of the season, teams also competed for the Provincial Trophy in a league format. Cardiff had only completed one fixture before folding and their record was expunged. West Ham Hawks which was West Ham Hammers' reserve side, also competed, but raced home meetings at Southampton. Southampton Saints won the Provincial trophy to complete the double.
Provincial League Final table
edit| Pos | Team | M | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton Saints | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
| 2 | Bristol Bulldogs | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
| 3 | Nottingham | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 18 |
| 4 | Liverpool Merseysiders | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 18 |
| 5 | Plymouth Panthers | 16 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 4 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Withdrawal (Record expunged) : Cardiff White City speedway
Provincial Trophy Final table
edit| Pos | Team | M | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton Saints | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| 2 | Bristol Bulldogs | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
| 3 | Liverpool Merseysiders | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| 4 | Plymouth Panthers | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| 5 | Nottingham | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 8 |
| 6 | West Ham Hawks | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
Withdrawal (Record expunged) : Cardiff White City speedway
National Trophy
editThe 1936 National Trophy was the sixth edition of the Knockout Cup.[7] Southampton Saints won the Provincial Final round and therefore qualified for the quarter finals proper (the round when the tier one sides entered the competition).
Provincial League First Round
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04/05 | Liverpool | 35-34 | Nottingham |
| 14/04 | Nottingham | 34-38 | Liverpool |
| 13/04 | Cardiff | 33-38 | Southampton |
| 10/04 | Southampton | 38-33 | Cardiff |
Final
editFirst leg
| Southampton Saints Frank Goulden 10 Billy Dallison 9 Alec Statham 7 Bert Jones 7 Fred Strecker 6 Tiger Lewis 3 | 42 – 28 | Liverpool Merseysiders Ernie Price 8 Eric Blain 6 Jack Hargreaves 5 Oliver Hart 4 Tom A Price 3 Stan Hart 2 |
|---|---|---|
| [8] |
Second leg
| Liverpool Merseysiders Eric Blain 10 Stan Hart 7 Tom A Price 6 Tommy Allott 4 Syd Plevin 4 Ernie Price 3 Oliver Hart 3 Jack Hargreaves 2 | 39 – 31 | Southampton Saints Billy Dallison 12 Fred Strecker 6 Bert Jones 4 Syd Griffiths 3 Tiger Lewis 3 Frank Goulden 2 Alec Statham 1 |
|---|---|---|
| [8] |
Southampton were the National Trophy Provincial Final winners, winning on aggregate 73-67.
Riders & final averages
editBristol
-
Eric Collins 9.12 -
Harry Shepherd 7.59 - Wal Morton 7.22
- Bill Rogers 7.02
- Roy Dook 6.93
- Mike Erskine 5.57
- Fred Leavis 5.51
- Ernie Evans 4.80
- Bert Spencer 3.67
Liverpool
- Eric Blain 7.79
- Syd Plevin 7.33
- Stan Hart 7.29
- Jack Hargreaves 7.17
- Thomas Arthur Price 7.03
- Oliver Hart 5.90
- Ernie Price 5.60
- Alan Butler 4.00
Nottingham
- George Greenwood 10.50
- Cliff Parkinson 9.37
- Ted Bravery 9.05
- Bill Stanley 8.57
- Tiger Hart 7.16
- Chun Moore 6.91
- Tommy Price 6.75
- George Dykes 6.41
- Arthur Tims 5.63
- Norman Trinmell 2.81
Plymouth
-
Jack Hobson 7.56 - Les Bowden 6.53
- Dick Wise 6.00
- Billy Lamont 6.00
- Jack Bibby 5.56
- Fred Tuck 5.23
- Les Gregory 4.13
- Don Hemingway 2.60
Southampton
- Fred Strecker 9.04
- Billy Dallison 8.50
- Frank Goulden 8.41
-
Syd Griffiths 8.13 - Harry Lewis 7.54
- Bert Jones 7.50
- Alec Statham 6.87
- Bob Lovell 6.22
- Art Fenn 4.52
- Cyril Anderson 3.08
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Dirt track racing in Nottingham again". Nottingham Journal. 15 January 1936. Retrieved 3 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway Shuts Up". Gloucestershire Echo. 5 June 1936. Retrieved 3 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "1936 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
- ^ a b "1936 National Trophy Provincial Final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 22 August 2021.