1956 Speedway National League Division Two

1956 was the final season of the Speedway National League Division Two.[1]

1956 Speedway National League Division Two
LeagueNational League Division Two
ChampionsSwindon Robins
No. of competitors7
National Trophy
(Div 2 final)		Southampton Saints
Highest averagePer Olof Söderman
Division/s aboveNational League (Div 1)
Division/s belowSouthern League

Summary

With the number of sides competing at national level diminishing from 37 at the start of 1951 to just 14 in 1956, only a single national division would be in existence by 1957. Poole Pirates had been promoted to Division One and Exeter Falcons had closed leaving seven entrants.[2][3]

Swindon Robins captured the title by a single point.[4][5]

Southampton's 34-year-old captain Ernie Rawlins died in Southampton Hospital on 22 September 1956, following an accident in the match against Birmingham on 18 September.[6]

Final table
Pos Team M W D L Pts
1 Swindon Robins 24 16 0 8 32
2 Southampton Saints 24 15 1 8 31
3 Rayleigh Rockets 24 14 1 9 29
4 Ipswich Witches 24 13 0 11 26
5 Coventry Bees 24 12 0 12 24
6 Leicester Hunters 24 6 1 17 13
7 Oxford Cheetahs 24 6 1 17 13

Top Five Riders (League only)
Rider Nat Team C.M.A.
1 Per Olof Söderman Coventry Bees 11.74
2 Ken McKinlay Leicester Hunters 10.25
3 Dick Bradley Southampton Saints 10.22
4 Bob Roger Swindon Robins 9.53
5 Ian Williams Swindon Robins 9.52

National Trophy Stage One

The 1956 National Trophy was the 19th edition of the Knockout Cup. The Trophy consisted of two stages; stage one was for the second tier clubs, stage two was for the top tier clubs. Southampton won stage one and qualified for second and final stage.[7]

Division Two First Round
Date Team One Score Team Two
21/04Coventry55-53Ipswich
21/04Rayleigh74-34Oxford
21/04Swindon65-43Leicester
20/04Leicester65-43Swindon
19/04Ipswich68-40Coventry
19/04Oxford40-68Rayleigh
05/05
replay		Swindon51-56Leicester
04/05
replay		Leicester76-32Swindon

Division Two Semi Finals
Date Team One Score Team Two
26/05Rayleigh68-39Southampton
25/05Leicester67-40Ipswich
22/05Southampton69-39Rayleigh
21/05Ipswich46-62Leicester

Division Two Final
Date Team One Score Team Two
22/06Leicester54-54Southampton
19/06Southampton64-43Leicester

See also

References
  1. http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk
  2. "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
  3. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  4. "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  5. Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
  6. "Speedway Star Dies". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 23 September 1956. Retrieved 13 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "1956 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
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