League | National League |
---|---|
No. of competitors | 10 |
Champions | Wimbledon Dons |
National Trophy | Southampton Saints |
Highest average | Ove Fundin |
Division/s below | 1961 Provincial League |
The 1961 National League was the 27th season and the sixteenth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1]
The entry list was identical to the previous year and although Wimbledon Dons won their seventh title in eight years, it would be their last.[2][3][4]
Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wimbledon Dons | 18 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 30 |
2 | Southampton Saints | 18 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 28 |
3 | Coventry Bees | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 21 |
4 | Belle Vue Aces | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 20 |
5 | Swindon Robins | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
6 | Ipswich Witches | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 15 |
7 | Norwich Stars | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 14 |
8 | New Cross Rangers | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 14 |
9 | Oxford Cheetahs | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 13 |
10 | Leicester Hunters | 18 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 9 |
Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ove Fundin | Norwich | 11.51 | |
2 | Ronnie Moore | Wimbledon | 11.17 | |
3 | Peter Craven | Belle Vue | 10.95 | |
4 | Björn Knutson | Southampton | 10.79 | |
5 | Arne Pander | Oxford | 10.60 | |
6 | Barry Briggs | Southampton | 10.13 | |
7 | Ron How | Wimbledon | 10.05 | |
8 | Ron Johnston | Belle Vue | 10.00 | |
9 | Ken McKinlay | Leicester | 9.57 | |
10 | Bob Duckworth | Belle Vue | 9.48 |
The 1961 National Trophy was the 23rd edition of the Knockout Cup. Southampton were the winners.[5]
First round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
15/06 | Oxford | 43-40 | Southampton |
13/06 | Southampton | 58-26 | Oxford |
10/06 | Belle Vue | 55-28 | New Cross |
07/06 | New Cross | 46-37 | Belle Vue |
Second round
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
17/08 | Ipswich | 44-40 | Coventry |
09/08 | Norwich | 43-40 | Swindon |
08/08 | Southampton | 52-32 | Belle Vue |
29/07 | Belle Vue | 47-37 | Southampton |
24/07 | Wimbledon | 46-38 | Norwich |
22/07 | Norwich | 52-32 | Wimbledon |
22/07 | Swindon | 66-18 | Leicester |
21/07 | Leicester | 38-45 | Swindon |
Semifinals
Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
---|---|---|---|
09/09 | Swindon | 56-28 | Norwich |
29/08 | Southampton | 57-27 | Coventry |
26/08 | Coventry | 49-35 | Southampton |
09/08 | Norwich | 43-40 | Swindon |
First leg
Southampton Saints Björn Knutson 15 Barry Briggs 14 Dick Bradley 9 Alby Golden 6 Peter Vandenberg 4 Cyril Roger 4 Chum Taylor 3 | 55 – 29 | Swindon Robins Tadeusz Teodorowicz 7 Neil Street 6 Ian Williams 5 Brian Brett 4 George White 4 Mike Broadbank 2 Brian Meredith 1 |
---|---|---|
[6] |
Second leg
Swindon Robins Tadeusz Teodorowicz 9 Mike Broadbank 8 George White 8 Brian Meredith 5 Ian Williams 4 Brian Brett 4 Neil Street 3 | 41 – 43 | Southampton Saints Björn Knutson 15 Barry Briggs 13 Chum Taylor 8 Peter Vandenberg 4 Dick Bradley 3 Cyril Roger 0 Alby Golden 0 |
---|---|---|
[6] |
Southampton were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 98–70.
Belle Vue
Coventry
Ipswich
Leicester
New Cross
Norwich
Oxford
Southampton
Swindon
Wimbledon