Summary
The 1954 National League Division Two was the ninth post-war season of the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1]
| League | National League Division Two |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 11 |
| Champions | Bristol Bulldogs |
| Riders' Championship | Ken Middleditch |
| Highest average | Ken McKinlay |
| Division/s above | National League (Div 1) |
| Division/s below | Southern League |
Summary edit
The Southern League was replaced by the Southern Area League which resulted in Division Two taking in teams from the defunct Southern League. Only St Austell Gulls declined to step up to the national level, whilst from the previous season Yarmouth Bloaters were not issued a racing licence and Stoke Potters withdrew. Bristol Bulldogs moved down from Division One to make 15 teams starting the season.[2] However, Glasgow White City Tigers[3] and Wolverhampton Wasps both suffered a series of poor results in the Northern Shield and both withdrew before the league campaign started.[4]
Bristol Bulldogs won the title
Plymouth Devils withdrew after one league fixture and Edinburgh Monarchs withdrew mid-way through the 1954 season citing financial losses and their Managing Director Frank Varey also resigned.[5]
Final table edit
| Pos | Team | M | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Bristol Bulldogs | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 28 |
| 2 | Poole Pirates | 20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 24 |
| 3 | Swindon Robins | 20 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 22 |
| 4 | Leicester Hunters | 20 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 22 |
| 5 | Ipswich Witches | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| 6 | Exeter Falcons | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| 7 | Oxford Cheetahs | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| 8 | Coventry Bees | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| 9 | Southampton Saints | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 18 |
| 10 | Lanarkshire Eagles | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 18 |
| 11 | Rayleigh Rockets | 20 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 8 |
- Glasgow White City Tigers, Wolverhampton Wasps withdrew before league racing
- Plymouth Devils, Edinburgh Monarchs withdrew, record expunged.
Top Five Riders (League only) edit
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Ken McKinlay | 
|
Leicester Hunters | 10.88 |
| 2 | Dick Bradley | 
|
Bristol Bulldogs | 10.58 |
| 3 | Ken Middleditch |
|
Poole Pirates | 10.03 |
| 5 | Tommy Miller |
|
Coventry Bees | 9.90 |
| 4 | Bob Roger |
|
Swindon Robins | 9.58 |
Riders' Championship edit
Ken Middleditch won the National League Division Two Rider's Championship. The final was held at Hyde Road on 16 October.[6][7]
| Pos. | Rider | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ken Middleditch |
14 |
| 2 |  Ian Williams |
13 |
| =3 | Bob Roger |
11 |
| =3 | Terry Small |
11 |
| =3 | Peter Robinson |
11 |
National Trophy edit
For the National Trophy see the 1954 Speedway National League.
Midland Cup edit
For the Midland Cup see the 1954 Speedway National League.
Riders & final averages edit
Bristol
-
Dick Bradley 10.58 - Jack Unstead 8.71
- Billy Hole 8.28
-
Chum Taylor 7.25 -
Tom Oakley 7.14 - Johnny Hole 6.03
- Roy Taylor 5.60
- Geoff Pymar 5.31
- Chris Boss 4.35
Harry Serrurier 3.20- Cliff Cox 2.86
Coventry
-
Tommy Miller 9.90 -
Charlie New 9.45 - Peter Reason 6.86
- Jim Lightfoot 6.61
- Johnny Reason 6.56
- Vic Emms 5.58
- Reg Duval 5.60
- Jack Hughes 5.38
- Les Tolley 5.20
- Derrick Tailby 4.30
- Bob Mark 4.92
- Peter Brough 3.00
- Jack Wright 2.33
Edinburgh (withdrew)
- Dick Campbell 9.87
- Don Cuppleditch 8.53
- Roy Bester 8.00
- Bert Clark 5.43
- Alf McIntosh 4.80
- Jimmy Cox 4.50
- Bob Mark 4.00
- Eddie Lack 4.00
- Bob Fletcher 3.73
Exeter
- Jack Geran 8.57
- Goog Hoskin 8.20
- Hugh Geddes 7.67
- John Hart 6.86
- Neil Street 6.55
- Alf Webster 5.94
- Vic Gent 5.93
- Don Hardy 5.13
- Johnny Sargeant 5.03
- Kevin Bock 3.33
Ipswich
- Junior Bainbridge 9.32
- Bert Edwards 8.85
- Dick Campbell 8.45
- Bob Sharp 6.38
- Tich Read (George Snailum) 6.31
- Reg Reeves 6.08
- Johnny Chamberlain 5.89
- Nobby Stock 5.44
- Dennis Day 5.33
- Len Silver 5.04
- Sid Clark 5.03
- Doug Papworth 3.68
Lanarkshire
- Derick Close 9.30
- Tommy Miller 7.70
- Ron Phillips 7.59
- Gordon McGregor 6.29
- Larry Lazarus 6.07
- Scott Hall 6.00
- Bluey Scott 5.96
- Johnny Green 5.46
- Cyril Cooper 4.95
- Doug Templeton 3.20
Leicester
- Ken McKinlay 10.88
- Roy Bester 8.25
- Jock Grierson 7.61
- Dennis Gray 6.53
- Reg Fearman 6.38
- Don Potter 6.26
- Bill Griffiths 5.93
- Len Williams 5.33
- Alf Parker 5.09
- Charlie Barsby 4.94
- Lionel Watling (James Goldingay) 3.05
Oxford
- Peter Robinson 8.85
- Ronnie Genz 8.10
- Bob Baker 6.34
- Bill Thatcher 6.30
- Kid Curtis 5.73
- Bill Osborne 5.71
- Bob Wells 5.45
- Frank Johnson 5.24
- Jim Gregory 4.87
- Bob McFarlane 4.86
- Dennis Newton 4.44
Plymouth (withdrew)
- Pete Lansdale 9.00
- Alan Smith 8.50
- Vic Gent 7.33
- Bill Thatcher 7.00
- Ken Holmes 7.00
- George Wall 5.14
- Harold Bull 4.79
- Kevin Hayden 4.26
- Jack Gates 4.00
- Hec Mayhead 4.00
- Kevin Bock 3.80
Poole
- Ken Middleditch 10.03
- Bill Holden 9.26
- Jimmy Squibb 7.76
- Terry Small 6.92
- Tony Lewis 6.55
- Johnny Thomson 6.78
- Allan Kidd 6.05
- Norman Strachan 5.50
- Vern McWilliams 3.20
- Fred Perkins 0.57
Rayleigh
- Gerry Jackson 8.43
- Peter Clark 8.20
- Les McGillivray 7.37
- Maury McDermott 5.81
- Pete Lansdale 5.46
- Tom O'Connor 4.73
- Frank Bettis 4.49
- Jules Benson 3.78
- George Wall 3.53
- Alby Smith 2.93
- Norman Street 2.00
Southampton
- Charlie May 7.33
- Brian Hanham 6.92
- Brian McKeown 6.82
-
Johnny Fitzparick 6.62 - Ken Adams 6.46
- Ernie Rawlins 6.22
- Maury Mattingley 5.59
- Ernie Brecknell (Ernest Blight) 5.41
- Gerald Pugh 1.33
Swindon
- Bob Roger 9.58
- Mick Holland 8.00
- George White 6.79
- Ron Swaine 6.63
- Danny Malone 6.32
- Ian Williams 6.26
- Bob Jones 5.49
- Ray Harris 5.28
- Gordon Leigh 4.15
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "1954 fixtures" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "Speedway promoters receive another blow". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 24 April 1954. Retrieved 25 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway Club out of League". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 24 May 1954. Retrieved 25 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Meadowbank closing down". Edinburgh Evening News. 5 July 1954. Retrieved 21 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Last Night's Speedway". The People. 17 October 1954. Retrieved 13 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "CLUB HISTORY: 1950S". Swindon Speedway. Retrieved 13 June 2023.