1948 Speedway National League Division Two
The 1948 National League Division Two was the third post-war season of the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. Edinburgh Monarchs were new participants as the league was extended to 9 teams.[1]
| League | National League Division Two |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bristol Bulldogs |
| No. of competitors | 9 |
| National Trophy (Div 2 final) | Birmingham Brummies |
| Highest average | Fred Tuck |
| Division/s above | National League (Div 1) |
| Division/s below | National League (Div 3) |
Bristol Bulldogs were crowned champions, whilst Wigan Warriors were replaced by Fleetwood Flyers after just 3 away matches with their entire team transferring.[2]
32-year-old Bill Wilson of the Middlesbrough Bears was fatally injured, on 3 July at Norwich and died two days later in hospital.[3][4]
Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Bristol Bulldogs | 32 | 23 | 0 | 9 | 46 |
| 2 | Birmingham Brummies | 32 | 20 | 1 | 11 | 41 |
| 3 | Middlesbrough Bears | 32 | 18 | 2 | 12 | 38 |
| 4 | Sheffield Tigers | 32 | 17 | 1 | 14 | 35 |
| 5 | Norwich Stars | 32 | 17 | 0 | 15 | 34 |
| 6 | Glasgow White City Tigers | 32 | 14 | 3 | 15 | 31 |
| 7 | Newcastle Diamonds | 32 | 11 | 0 | 21 | 22 |
| 8 | Fleetwood Flyers | 32 | 10 | 1 | 21 | 21 |
| 9 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 32 | 10 | 0 | 22 | 20 |
- Wigan Warriors were replaced by Fleetwood Flyers after 3 away matches
The Anniversary Cup for Division Two was run in a league format. Birmingham Brummies came out on top.
Anniversary Cup (Div 2) Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Birmingham Brummies | 16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 24 |
| 2 | Sheffield Tigers | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
| 3 | Bristol Bulldogs | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 16 |
| 4 | Glasgow White City Tigers | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 16 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough Bears | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 16 |
| 6 | Norwich Stars | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 15 |
| 7 | Fleetwood Flyers | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 15 |
| 8 | Newcastle Diamonds | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 12 |
| 9 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 12 |
Top Five Riders (League only)
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Fred Tuck |  |
Bristol Bulldogs | 10.20 |
| 2 | Frank Hodgson | |
Middlesbrough Bears | 9.84 |
| 3 | Graham Warren | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} |
Birmingham Brummies | 9.84 |
| 4 | Wilf Plant | |
Middlesbrough Bears/Fleetwood Flyers | 9.24 |
| 5 | Jack Hunt |  |
Newcastle Diamonds | 9.22 |
National Trophy
The 1948 Trophy (sponsored by the Daily Mail) was the 11th edition of the Knockout Cup.[5] The Qualifying event for Division 3 teams saw Southampton Saints win the final and qualify for the Elimination event. The Elimination event for Division 2 teams saw Birmingham Brummies win the final and qualify for the Quarter Finals proper.
Elimination Event First Round
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19/06 | Birmingham | 79-29 | Southampton |
| 15/06 | Southampton | 41-66 | Birmingham |
| 16/06 | Glasgow White City | 70-38 | Edinburgh |
| 19/06 | Edinburgh | 62-46 | Glasgow White City |
Elimination Second Round
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17/06 | Sheffield | 55-53 | Norwich |
| 19/06 | Norwich | 76-32 | Sheffield |
| 03/07 | Birmingham | 80-28 | Glasgow White City |
| 23/06 | Glasgow White City | 45.5-61.5 | Birmingham |
| 18/06 | Bristol | 65-43 | Fleetwood |
| 22/06 | Fleetwood | 69-39 | Bristol |
| 14/06 | Newcastle | 41-65 | Middlesbrough |
| 17/06 | Middlesbrough | 67-40 | Newcastle |
Elimination Third Round
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26/07 | Birmingham | 75-33 | Fleetwood |
| 13/07 | Fleetwood | 49-59 | Birmingham |
| 03/07 | Norwich | 66-41 | Middlesbrough |
| 01/07 | Middlesbrough | 53-54 | Norwich |
Elimination Final
First leg
| Norwich Stars Aussie Powell 15 Paddy Mills 12 Ted Bravery 9 Geoff Revett 9 Sid Littlewood 9 Phil Clarke 7 Jack Freeman 3 Reg Morgan 0 | 64 – 43 | Birmingham Brummies Graham Warren 15 Charlie May 10 Doug McLachlan 6 Geoff Bennett 5 Buck Whitby 4 Arthur Payne 2 Stan Dell 1 Brian Wilson 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [6][7] |
Second leg
| Birmingham Brummies Graham Warren 15 Arthur Payne 14 Stan Dell 13 Doug McLachlan 9 Brian Wilson 9 Geoff Bennett 8 Charlie May 6 Buck Whitby 5 | 79 – 28 | Norwich Stars Paddy Mills 10 Ossie Powell 5 Phil Clarke 5 Geoff Revett 3 Ted Bravery 2 Sid Littlewood 2 Jack Freeman 1 Reg Morgan 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [8][7] |
References
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- "Norwich the Firs Stadium". National Speedway Museum. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- "Still unconscious". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 5 July 1948. Retrieved 11 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "1948 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
- "Norwich feat". Weekly Dispatch (London). 1 August 1948. Retrieved 28 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Norwich 1948 results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- "Speedway win for Blues". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 3 August 1948. Retrieved 28 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
United Kingdom Speedway Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tier One League Top division |
|  |
| Tier Two League Second division |
| |
| Tier Three League Third division | ||
| Champions | ||
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