The 1952 Southern League was the first season of the newly created regional third tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams. From the defunct National League Division Three of the previous season, only Poole Pirates did not join the new league. Ipswich Witches and Southampton Saints were new entrants.[1]
| League | Southern League |
|---|---|
| Season | 1952 |
| No. of competitors | 10 |
| Champions | Rayleigh Rockets |
| National Trophy (Southern final) | Plymouth Devils |
| Highest average | George Wall |
| Division/s above | National League Div 1 National League Div 2 |
Rayleigh Rockets were champions whilst.[2] George Wall of Plymouth topped the averages.[3][4]
Long Eaton Archers withdrew mid-season after experiencing financial difficulties. They closed down after their 31 July fixture.[5][6]
Final table
edit| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rayleigh Rockets | 36 | 28 | 0 | 8 | 56 |
| 2 | Cardiff Dragons | 36 | 23 | 0 | 13 | 46 |
| 3 | Plymouth Devils | 36 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 41 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wasps | 36 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 41 |
| 5 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 41 |
| 6 | Swindon Robins | 36 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 36 |
| 7 | Aldershot Shots | 36 | 15 | 1 | 20 | 31 |
| 8 | Ipswich Witches | 36 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 24 |
| 9 | Southampton Saints | 36 | 11 | 0 | 25 | 22 |
| 10 | St Austell Gulls | 36 | 11 | 0 | 25 | 22 |
Withdrawal (Record expunged) : Long Eaton Archers
Leading Averages
edit| Rider | Team | C.M.A. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Wall | Plymouth | 10.26 |
| 2 | Alan Smith | Plymouth | 9.93 |
| 3 | Pete Lansdale | Plymouth | 9.46 |
| 4 | Goog Hoskin | Exeter | 9.45 |
| 5 | Jack Unstead | Rayleigh | 9.33 |
National Trophy Stage Three
edit- For Stage Two - see Stage Two
- For Stage Three - see 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. Plymouth won stage one and therefore qualified for stage two.[7]
Third Division qualifying first round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22/04 | Southampton | 49-58 | Cardiff |
| 18/04 | Wolverhampton | 74-33 | Long Eaton |
| 17/04 | Cardiff | 75-33 | Southampton |
| 17/04 | Long Eaton | 58-50 | Wolverhampton |
Third Division qualifying second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26/04 | Swindon | 52-56 | Cardiff |
| 25/04 | Wolverhampton | 49-59 | Exeter |
| 24/04 | Cardiff | 74-32 | Swindon |
| 24/04 | Ipswich | 50-57 | Rayleigh |
| 21/04 | Exeter | 73-34 | Wolverhampton |
| 19/04 | Rayleigh | 60-48 | Ipswich |
| 19/04 | Aldershot | 48-60 | Plymouth |
| 17/04 | Plymouth | 76-31 | Aldershot |
Third Division qualifying semifinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/05 | Cardiff | 59-48 | Rayleigh |
| 03/05 | Rayleigh | 70-38 | Cardiff |
| 01/05 | Plymouth | 67-41 | Exeter |
| 28/04 | Exeter | 57-51 | Plymouth |
Qualifying final
editFirst leg
| Plymouth Devils Pete Lansdale 17 George Wall 16 Bill Tatcher 14 Alan Smith 11 Brian Hitchcock 5 Denis Hayles 3 Doug Fursey 3 Frank Wheeler 0 | 69 – 38 | Rayleigh Rockets Jack Unstead 10 Peter Clark 8 Julie Benson 6 Ron Howes 5 Tom O'Connor 3 Gerald Jackson 3 Les McGillivray 2 Maurice McDermott 1 |
|---|---|---|
| [8] |
Second leg
| Rayleigh Rockets Jack Unstead 16 Les McGillivray 13 Gerald Jackson 10 Julie Benson 10 Ron Howes 8 Tom O'Connor 5 Peter Clark 5 Maurice McDermott 0 | 67 – 41 | Plymouth Devils George Wall 14 Alan Smith 10 Pete Lansdale 8 Bill Tatcher 4 Brian Hitchcock 3 Johnny Bradford 2 Denis Hayles 1 Frank Wheeler 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [9][8] |
Riders & final averages
editAldershot
- Ivor Powell 7.90
- Bert Edwards 7.83
- Basil Harris 7.05
- Doug Papworth 6.71
- Vic Gooden 6.60
- Arch Windmill 5.91
- Ron Burnett 5.37
- Bill Grimes 5.18
- Charles Frenzel 4.75
- Jack Taylor 2.24
- John Dore 1.28
Cardiff
- Gerald Pugh 8.55
- Mick Holland 8.34
- Hugh Geddes 8.27
- Chum Taylor 8.15
- Bert Edwards 7.85
- Paul Best 7.00
- Frank Johnson 6.56
- Charlie May 6.43
- Kevin Hayden 6.42
- Jimmy Wright 6.21
Exeter
- Goog Hoskin 9.20
- Don Hardy 7.53
- Vic Gent 7.66
- Ron Barrett 7.38
- Jack Geran 6.79
- Johnny Sargeant 5.39
- Colin Selley 4.67
- Maurice Barnett 4.45
- Neil Street 4.18
- Ron Swaine 4.06
- Eric Minall 3.83
Ipswich
- Sid Clarke 9.08
- Harold McNaughton 7.43
- Dick Shepherd 7.04
- Charlie Mugford 5.42
- Tich Read (George Snailum) 4.92
- Geoff Woodger 4.44
- Dennis Day 4.27
- Rod Laudrum 4.27
- Vic Sage 4.27
- Alby Smith 4.17
- Arthur Pigrim 3.86
Long Eaton (withdrew)
- Lionel Watling 8.30
- Peter Moore 7.01
- Wilf Plant 6.83
- Bill Harris 6.73
- Cyril Page 6.08
- Johnny Jones 5.81
- Jack Winstanley 5.57
- Roy Browning 4.83
- Frank Malouf 4.65
- Fred Siggins 3.29
Plymouth
- George Wall 10.78
- Alan Smith 10.14
- Pete Lansdale 9.77
- Bill Thatcher 8.09
- Johnnie Bradford 5.43
- Brian Hitchcock 4.90
- Ray Moreton 4.63
- Ted Stevens 4.49
- Doug Fursey 4.41
- Dennis Hoyle 3.43
- Frank Wheeler 4.00
- Bill Rundle 2.63
Rayleigh
- Jack Unstead 9.62
- Gerry Jackson 9.54
- Peter Clark 9.26
- Maury McDermott 8.64
- Tom O'Connor 8.40
- Les McGillivray 6.71
- Alby Smith 6.50
- Ron Howes 5.80
- Jules Benson 5.51
- Johnny Applegate 2.43
St Austell
- Norman Street 8.05
- Allan Quinn 7.77
- Ken Monk 6.13
- Max Rech 6.06
- Harold Bull 5.98
- George Newton 5.86
- Johnny Bradford 4.96
- Dick Harris 4.67
- Aston Quinn 4.62
- Ken James 4.46
- Charlie Hayden 4.33
- Derek Timms 4.32
- Don Prettijohn 3.65
- Gordon Leigh 2.50
Southampton
- Brian McKeown 8.10
- Bert Croucher 7.50
- Ernie Brecknell 6.73
- Mike Tamms 6.34
- Dudley Smith 5.90
- Maury Mattingley 4.86
- Jack Vallis 4.30
- Ted Moore 4.27
- Dennis Cross 4.16
- Dennis Hayles 3.78
Swindon
- Frank Evans 8.09
- Danny Malone 7.37
- Bob Jones 7.32
- Bob Wells 7.04
- Buster Brown 6.82
- Reg Lambourne 6.36
- Ian Williams 6.11
- Ray Ellis 5.77
- Ken Wiggins 4.21
Wolverhampton
- Benny King 8.97
- Cyril Quick 8.28
- Jimmy Grant 7.75
- Eric Irons 7.62
- Jack Cunningham 6.24
- Ken Brown 6.24
- Bill Jemison 5.90
- Dick Howard 5.89
- Charlie Hayden 5.19
- Roy Moreton 4.75
- Stan Bradbury 4.44
- Derek Timms 4.00
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Major League Competitions". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "1952 results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Southern League 1952" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "About - Exeter Speedway 1952". myweb.tiscali.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "Long Eaton speedway's £10,000 loss". Leicester Evening Mail. 18 July 1952. Retrieved 22 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Long Eaton Speedway to close". Nottingham Evening Post. 1 August 1952. Retrieved 22 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1952 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
- ^ a b "Rayleigh 1952 results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ "Lightfoot the Phantom". Sunday Mirror. 18 May 1952. Retrieved 4 November 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.