The 1955 Southern Area League was the second season of the regional third tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams. The season started with the same five teams that finished the previous season.[1]
| League | Southern Area League |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 4 |
| Champions | Rye House Roosters |
| Riders' Champion | Mike Broadbank |
| Highest average | Vic Hall |
| Division/s above | National League Div 1 National League Div 2 |
Rye House Roosters were the champions. Vic Hall of Brafield topped the averages.[2]
Ringwood Turfs withdrew mid-season.[3]
Final table
edit| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rye House Roosters | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| 2 | California Poppies | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 14 |
| 3 | Brafield Flying Foxes | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| 4 | Eastbourne Eagles | 12 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
Withdrawal (Record expunged) : Ringwood Turfs
Leading Averages
edit| Rider | Team | C.M.A. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vic Hall | Brafield | 9.90 |
| 2 | Mike Broadbank | Rye House | 9.67 |
| 3 | Brian Meredith | Brafield | 9.36 |
| 4 | Vic Ridgeon | Rye House | 9.17 |
| 5 | Al Sparrey | Rye House | 8.95 |
Riders' Championship
editMike Broadbank won the Riders' Championship. The final was held at Rye House Stadium on 25 September.[4][5]
| Pos. | Rider | Club | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Broadbank | Rye House | 15 |
| 2 | Vic Ridgeon | Rye House | 12 |
| 3 | Ron Sharp | California | 11 |
| 4 | Merv Hannam | Eastbourne | 10 |
| 5 | Dave Slater | Rye House | 10 |
| 6 | Gil Goldfinch | California | 9 |
| 7 | Tom Reader | Eastbourne | 9 |
| 8 | Eric Hockaday | California | 7 |
| 9 | Bryan Meredith | Brafield | 6 |
| 10 | Jimmy Heard | Rye House | 6 |
| 11 | Tommy Sweetman | California | 5 |
| 12 | Colin Gooddy | Brafield | 5 |
| 13 | Pete Mould | California | 5 |
| 14 | Stan Bedford | Rye House | 3 |
| 15 | Ross Gilbertson | California | 2 |
| 16 | Bob Anderson | California | 0 |
Riders & final averages
editBrafield
- Vic Hall 9.89
- Brian Meredith 9.33
- Frank Greasley 8.20
- Alan Pearce 7.60
- Dave Hankins 5.89
- Colin Gooddy 5.87
- Brian Miller 5.60
- Hank Bird 5.60
- Neil Roberts 5.18
California
- Bob Andrews 7.76
- Jimmy Gleed 7.73
- Pete Mold 7.65
- Gil Goldfinch 7.43
- Tommy Sweetman 7.00
- Eric Hockaday 6.97
- Ross Gilbertson 6.75
- Ron Sharp 6.19
- Bob Anderson 2.00
Eastbourne
- Merv Hannam 8.92
- Wally Wilson 5.88
- Jim Preddy 4.42
- Bert Little 4.42
- Gerry Bridson 4.00
- Bob Bunney 3.66
- George Smithson 3.56
- Dave Collett 3.43
- Dave Freeborn 2.00
Ringwood (withdrew)
- Merv Hannam 7.20
- Gerry Bridson 5.26
- Tom Reader 5.17
- Glyn Chandler 4.91
- Gordon Richards 4.31
- Mike Tamms 4.00
- George Hutchinson 2.55
Rye House
- Mike Broadbank 9.75
- Vic Ridgeon 9.25
- Al Sparrey 9.05
- Jimmy Heard 8.25
- Dave Slater 7.41
- Stan Bedford 7.35
- Geoff Woodger 6.89
- Bill Simpson 6.55
- Vernon Brown 4.24
- Gerry King 2.93
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Major League Competitions". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "Southern Area League 1955" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Trophy ends the Speedway season". Eastbourne Gazette. 5 October 1955. Retrieved 10 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Southern Area League Riders Championship". Edinburgh Speedway. Retrieved 10 June 2023.