Summary
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.[1] The Northern teams also had their third season known as the 1931 Speedway Northern League.[2][3][4]
| League | Southern League |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 11 |
| Champions | Wembley Lions |
| National Trophy | Wembley Lions |
| London Cup | Crystal Palace Glaziers |
| Highest average | Tommy Croombs |
| Division/s other | 1931 Northern League |
Summary edit
Both Birmingham teams based at Perry Barr and Hall Green had left, as had Coventry but the latter returned mid-season to replace Leicester Stadium who were liquidated in late May.[5][6]
Harringay Canaries resigned in June to be replaced by a Belle Vue team, who then rode both in the Northern and Southern Leagues, the latter as Manchester. Nottingham closed in July but they were not replaced and their results stood. The league season was the longest in the short history of the competition as teams met each other four times instead of twice.[7]
The Wembley Lions won their second consecutive title[8] finishing three points clear of 1929 champions Stamford Bridge. The league suffered a fatality during the match between Belle Vue and Wembley at Hyde Road. James Allen (known as Indian Allen) was thrown from his bike and hit his head on a fence, trying to avoid a rider who had fallen in front of him. He died three days later in hospital on 12 September 1931.[9] Another rider Noel Johnson of Plymouth had been killed in a challenge match against Coventry reserves on 25 August. [10]
Final table edit
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Wembley Lions | 37 | 28 | 1 | 8 | 57 |
| 2 | Stamford Bridge Pensioners | 38 | 27 | 0 | 11 | 54 |
| 3 | West Ham Hammers | 38 | 23 | 0 | 15 | 46 |
| 4 | Crystal Palace Glaziers | 38 | 22 | 0 | 16 | 44 |
| 5 | Wimbledon Dons | 38 | 19 | 1 | 18 | 39 |
| 6 | High Beech | 38 | 19 | 1 | 18 | 39 |
| 7 | Southampton Saints | 38 | 18 | 0 | 20 | 36 |
| 8 | Harringay Canaries + Manchester (Belle Vue) | 38 | 14 | 0 | 24 | 28* |
| 9 | Lea Bridge | 38 | 11 | 0 | 27 | 22 |
| 10 | Leicester Stadium + Coventry | 37 | 8 | 1 | 28 | 17** |
| 11 | Nottingham | 20 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 16 |
* Harringay scored 12 points from 14 matches, Belle Vue scored 16 from 24 ** Leicester scored 1 point from 8 matches, Coventry scored 16 from 30
Top Five Riders edit
| Team | C.M.A. | ||
| 1 | Tommy Croombs | West Ham | 10.41 |
| 2 | Dicky Case | Wimbledon | 10.14 |
| 3 | Jack Parker | Southampton | 10.02 |
| 4 | Frank Arthur | Stamford Bridge | 9.97 |
| 5 | Vic Huxley | Harringay/Wimbledon | 9.87 |
National Trophy edit
The 1931 National Trophy was the first edition of the Knockout Cup. It was contested between teams from the Southern and Northern Leagues.[11]
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/05 | Wimbledon | 67-26 | Hall Green |
| 12/05 | West Ham | 51-45 | Southampton |
| 13/05 | Lea Bridge | 59-33 | Nottingham |
| 14/05 | Exeter | 34-59 | High Beech |
| 14/05 | Leicester Stadium | 39.5-54.5 | Stamford Bridge |
| 15/05 | Hall Green | 42.5-49.5 | Wimbledon |
| 16/05 | High Beech | 61-33 | Exeter |
| 16/05 | Southampton | 42-49 | West Ham |
| 16/05 | Stamford Bridge | 59-35 | Leicester Stadium |
| 21/05 | Nottingham | 46-47 | Lea Bridge |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25/05 | Belle Vue | 73-22 | Wombwell |
| 25/05 | York | 42-53 | Leicester Super |
| 26/05 | Glasgow White City | 43-52 | Preston |
| 28/05 | Sheffield | 54-40 | Leeds |
| 30/05 | Leeds | 39-52 | Sheffield |
| 30/05 | Leicester Super | 69-26 | York |
| 30/05 | Wombwell | 27-64 | Belle Vue |
| 04/06 | Preston | 70-26 | Glasgow White City |
| 08/06 | Wimbledon | 60-36 | Crystal Palace |
| 09/06 | Harringay | ? | Stamford Bridge |
| 09/06 | West Ham | 44-52 | Wembley |
| 10/06 | Lea Bridge | 52-38 | High Beech |
| 11/06 | Wembley | 56-37 | West Ham |
| 13/06 | Crystal Palace | 48-48 | Wimbledon |
| 13/06 | High Beech | 55-39 | Lea Bridge |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/07 | Preston | 65-31 | High Beech |
| 11/07 | Belle Vue | 50-46 | Wimbledon |
| 11/07 | Sheffield | 41-55 | Wembley |
| 16/07 | Leicester Super | 44-50 | Stamford Bridge |
| 18/07 | High Beech | 48-42 | Preston |
| 23/07 | Wembley | 70-25 | Sheffield |
| 27/07 | Wimbledon | 55-41 | Belle Vue |
| 19/08 | Stamford Bridge | 61-31 | Leicester Super |
Semifinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/09 | Preston | 43-51 | Stamford Bridge |
| 17/09 | Wembley | 48-47 | Wimbledon |
| 21/09 | Wimbledon | 46-49 | Wembley |
| 26/09 | Stamford Bridge | 66-30 | Preston |
Final edit
First leg
| Wembley Lionel Van Praag 12 George Greenwood 11 Colin Watson 9 Wally Kilmister 9 Harry Whitfield 9 Jack Ormston 8 Norman Evans 7 Jack Jackson 6 | 71 – 24 | Stamford Bridge Frank Arthur 10 Dick Smythe 5 Percy Dunn 3 Mick Murphy 3 Bill Stanley 2 Cliff Watson 1 Dick Wise 0 Frank Duckett 0 Hal Herbert 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [12] |
Second leg
| Stamford Bridge Frank Arthur 12 Arthur Warwick 11 Bill Stanley 8 Cliff Watson 3 Dick Smythe 2 Percy Dunn 2 Hal Herbert 2 Gus Kuhn 1 Mick Murphy 1 | 45 – 49 | Wembley Wally Kilmister 9 Lionel Van Praag 8 Colin Watson 8 Jack Ormston 6 George Greenwood 5 Harry Whitfield 5 Norman Evans 4 Charlie Shelton 3 Jack Jackson 1 Col Stewart 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [12] |
Wembley were declared National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 120-69.
London Cup edit
First round
| Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|
| Wimbledon | 46–50, 45–49 | Wembley |
| West Ham | 41.5–53.5, 36–58 | Stamford Bridge |
| Lea Bridge | 60–35, 48–46 | High Beech |
| Crystal Palace bye | ||
Semi final round
| Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|
| Lea Bridge | 41–55, 27–69 | Crystal Palace |
| Stamford Bridge | 50–46, 41.5–35.5 | Wembley |
Final edit
First leg
| Crystal Palace Ron Johnson 12 Tom Farndon 9 Joe Francis 9 Nobby Key 7 Roger Frogley 6 Triss Sharp 6 Harry Shepherd 5 Alf Sawford 5 | 59–36 | Wembley Colin Watson 7 Jack Ormston 7 Norman Evans 7 Lionel Van Praag 5 Wally Kilmister 4 Jack Jackson 3 Charlie Shelton 2 Col Stewart 1 Cliff Parkinson 0 |
|---|---|---|
Second leg
| Wembley Norman Evans 8 Colin Watson 7 Jack Ormston 6 Jack Jackson 5 George Greenwood 5 Wally Kilmister 3 Lionel Van Praag 2 Buster Frogley 2 Charlie Shelton 2 | 40–55 | Crystal Palace Tom Farndon 12 Ron Johnson 12 Joe Francis 11 Nobby Key 9 Roger Frogley 6 Triss Sharp 3 Alf Sawford 2 Harry Shepherd 0 |
|---|---|---|
Crystal Palace won on aggregate 114–76
Riders & final averages edit
Crystal Palace
-
Ron Johnson 7.75 - Nobby Key 8.32
- Joe Francis 7.51
- Harry Shepherd 6.79
- Tom Farndon 6.61
- Alf Sawford 6.55
- Roger Frogley 6.30
- Triss Sharp 4.20
- George Lovick 2.67
Harringay (withdrew)
-
Vic Huxley 10.56 - Don Durant 6.95
- Alf Sawford 5.94
- Bill Clibbett 5.65
- Clem Cort 5.41
- Eric Spencer 5.33
-
Ivor Hill 5.33
High Beech
- Phil Bishop 7.26
- Billy Dallison 6.76
- Syd Edmonds 6.69
- Jack Barnett 6.43
- George Bishop 6.37
- Reg Hutchins 6.09
- Bobby Blake 5.56
- Stan Baines 4.80
- Tiger Hart 4.79
- Art Fenn 4.57
- Tommy McDonald 4.23
- Henry Taft 4.00
- Frank Pearce 3.83
Lea Bridge
- Squib Burton 10.22
- Charlie Spinks 7.91
- Stew Fairbairn 6.97
- Don Durant 6.95
- Harold Hastings 6.80
- Roy Dook 6.39
- Alf Foulds 6.00
-
Alf Mattson 4.79 - Eric Collins 4.44
- Reg Stanley 4.32
- Jimmy Stevens 3.71
Leicester/Coventry
- Syd Jackson 6.86/9.22
- Squib Burton 8.20/x
- Arthur Tims 6.27/7.10
- Bunny Wilcox x/6.50
- Alby Taylor 5.36/6.67
- Stan Greatrex 2.40/5.16
- John Deeley 5.00/4.27
- Henry Taft x/4.98
- Lew Lancaster x/4.89
- Bill Pitcher 4.55/x
- Albert Wilkinson] x/4.55
-
Stan Mauger x/4.31 - Cyril Taft x/4.00
- Les Patrick 3.14/3.47
Manchester (Belle Vue)
- Max Grosskreutz 8.14
- Arthur Franklyn 6.39
- Frank Charles 6.20
- Clem Cort 6.06
- Reg West 6.00
- Bob Harrison 5.33
- Chun Moore 5.33
- Andy Nicholl 3.64
- James Indian Allen 3.56
- Eric Gregory 3.28
- Frank Burgess 3.20
- Len Blunt 3.20
- Charlie Hornby 2.57
Nottingham
- George Wigfield 8.93
- Fred Strecker 8.26
- Billy Ellmore 7.58
- Nobby Key 7.29
- Buster Brown 5.07
- George Dykes 5.03
- Nobby Kendrick 4.57
- Bert Fairweather 4.00
- Wally Humphry 4.00
- Joe Gooding 3.72
Southampton
- Jack Parker 9.87
- Ernie Rickman 7.42
- Vic Collins 6.98
- Norman Parker 6.44
- Frank Goulden 5.83
- Frank Bond 5.35
- Arnie Hansen 4.88
- Steve Langton 4.67
- Eric Lister 4.00
- Jimmy Hayes 3.14
Stamford Bridge
- Frank Arthur 10.09
- Wal Phillips 10.06
- Arthur Warwick 8.65
- Gus Kuhn 8.31
- Dick Smythe 6.85
- Hal Herbert 6.40
- Dick Wise 5.60
- Mick Murphy (John Glass) 5.33
- Bill Stanley 5.20
- Don Boswell 4.32
- Les Blakebrough 4.43
Keith Harvey 4.29- Charlie Blacklock 4.25
- Frank Duckett 3.60
Wembley
- Colin Watson 9.56
- Jack Ormston 9.09
- George Greenwood 8.75
- Harry Whitfield 7.96
- Norman Evans 7.50
- Lionel Van Praag 7.33
- Buster Frogley 7.09
- Wally Kilmister 6.59
- Jack Jackson 5.30
- Col Stewart 4.76
- Cliff Parkinson 4.00
- Charlie Shelton 2.09
West Ham
- Tommy Croombs 10.55
- Reg Bounds 9.32
-
Morian Hansen 9.00 - Bluey Wilkinson 8.79
- Tiger Stevenson 6.90
- Bloss Bromfield 4.13
- Allen Kilfoyle 4.10
- Arthur Atkinson 4.36
- Frank Randall 3.79
- Con Cantwell 3.25
- Cecil Bounds 3.09
- Tom Lougher 1.71
Wimbledon
- Dicky Case 10.19
- Vic Huxley 9.43
-
Ray Tauser 8.48 - Jim Kempster 6.90
- Len Parker 6.17
- Claude Rye 6.06
- Billy Lamont 5.91
- Ernie Evans 5.72
- Len Stewart 5.41
- Arthur Westwood 5.19
- Ivor Hill 3.24
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". British Speedway. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Speedway Teams UK 1929-1934". Cyber Motorcycle. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Coventry Take Over League Fixtures". Leicester Evening Mail. 26 May 1931. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Stadium team withdraws". Leicester Evening Mail. 25 May 1931. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ Speedway Researcher
- ^ "Indian Allen". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ "Speedway rider killed". Belfast Telegraph. 26 August 1931. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1931 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
- ^ a b "1931 National Trophy" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 4 August 2021.