1948 Speedway National League Division Three

British motorcycle speedway season

1948 Speedway National League Division ThreeLeague| National League Division Three

|

Season| 1948
Champions| Exeter Falcons
No. of competitors| 12
National Trophy (Div 3 final)| Southampton Saints
Highest average| Alf Bottoms
Division/s above| Division One
Division Two

* <- 1947
* 1949 ->

The 1948 National League Division Three was the second season of British speedway's National League Division Three[1][2]

The league had expanded from 8 teams to 12. Reigning champions Eastbourne Eagles were forced to close due to a petrol ban at their stadium, so their team moved a few miles along the Sussex coast to Hastings. The new entrants Coventry Bees, Hull Angels, Poole Pirates and Yarmouth Bloaters all struggled to make an impact and finished in the bottom five positions. Exeter Falcons won their first title.[3]

Alf Bottoms of Southampton topped the averages.[4]

Eric Dunn of Hastings Saxons was a third speedway rider (with Reg Craven and Bill Wilson) to be killed during the season. 34-year-old Dunn was riding in a meeting (on 13 June) at the Arlington track when he fell and was hit by a rider behind. He died two days later in hospital (15 June).[5]

## Final League table[edit]

Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Exeter Falcons | 44  | 32  | 1  | 11  | 65
2  | Cradley Heath Cubs | 44  | 29  | 2  | 13  | 60
3  | Southampton Saints | 44  | 29  | 0  | 15  | 58
4  | Tamworth Hounds | 44  | 23  | 4  | 17  | 50
5  | Hanley Potters | 44  | 24  | 1  | 19  | 49
6  | Hastings Saxons | 44  | 22  | 0  | 22  | 44
7  | Plymouth Devils | 44  | 21  | 2  | 22  | 43
8  | Coventry Bees | 44  | 19  | 1  | 24  | 39
9  | Hull Angels | 44  | 19  | 0  | 25  | 38
10  | Poole Pirates | 44  | 17  | 0  | 27  | 34
11  | Yarmouth Bloaters | 44  | 13  | 1  | 30  | 27
12  | Wombwell Colliers | 44  | 10  | 1  | 33  | 21

## Leading Averages[edit]

| Rider | Team | C.M.A.

|
|
|

1  | Alf Bottoms | Southampton  | 11.29
2  | Wally Green | Hastings  | 11.23
3  | Cyril Roger | Exeter  | 9.93
4  | Jock Grierson | Hastings  | 9.77
5  | Bert Roger | Exeter  | 9.72

## National Trophy[edit]

The 1948 Trophy was the 11th edition of the Knockout Cup.[6] 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.

### Qualifying Event First Round[edit]

Date  | Team One  | Score  | Team Two

|
|
|

08/04 | Plymouth | 56-50 | Cradley Heath
17/04 | Cradley Heath | 66-42 | Plymouth
13/04 | Southampton | 89-19 | Wombwell
23/04 | Wombwell | 31-77 | Southampton
07/04 | Tamworth | 82-26 | Exeter
12/04 | Exeter | 81-27 | Tamworth

### Qualifying Second Round[edit]

Date  | Team One  | Score  | Team Two

|
|
|

29/04 | Stoke Hanley | 64-43 | Coventry
01/05 | Coventry | 48-59 | Stoke Hanley
04/05 | Southampton | 77-31 | Tamworth
05/05 | Tamworth | 46-62 | Southampton
26/04 | Poole | 74-32 | Yarmouth
27/04 | Yarmouth | 47-67 | Poole
01/05 | Hull | 42-66 | Cradley Heath
07/05 | Cradley Heath | 78-29 | Hull

### Qualifying Third Round[edit]

Date  | Team One  | Score  | Team Two

|
|
|

10/05 | Poole | 49-57 | Stoke Hanley
13/05 | Stoke Hanley | 64-44 | Poole
11/05 | Southampton | 85-23 | Cradley Heath
21/05 | Cradley Heath | 54-50 | Southampton

### Qualifying Final Round[edit]

First leg

25 May 1948

Southampton Saints
Alf Bottoms 18
Bob Oakley 15
Jimmy Squibb 10
Alf Kaines 9
Bert Croucher 8.5
George Bason 8
Tom Oakley 2
Cecil Bailey 2| 74.5 – 33.5| Hanley Potters
Gil Blake 11
Les Jenkins 6
Ray Harris 5
Dave Anderson 4
Vic Pitcher 3.5
Dick Howard 2
Ken Adams 2
Frank Evans 0

|
|

| [7][8] |

Banister Court Stadium

Second leg

27 May 1948

Hanley Potters
Gil Blake 14
Ray Harris 9
Les Jenkins 6
Dick Howard 5
Dave Anderson 4
Vic Pitcher 3
Frank Evans 3
Ken Adams 1| 43 – 64| Southampton Saints
Alf Bottoms 17
Bob Oakley 14
Jimmy Squibb 9
Bert Croucher 8
Alf Kaines 7
Cecil Bailey 6
George Bason 3
Tom Oakley 0

|
|

| [9][8] |

Sun Street Stadium

## Riders & final averages[edit]

Coventry

* Vic Emms 7.92
* Lionel Levy 7.43
* Bob Fletcher 7.28
* Bert Lacey 6.19
* Ed Pye 6.18
* George Smith 6.13
* Ralph Horne 5.65
* Bernard Tennant 5.36
* John Yates 4.65
* Fred Yates 4.62
* Derrick Tailby 2.71

Cradley Heath

* Gil Craven 9.52
* Les Beaumont 8.82
* Eric Irons 8.81
* Alan Hunt 8.16
* Jimmy Wright 7.78
* Bill Kemp 7.52
* Ken Sharples 6.98
* Bill Clifton 5.64
* Phil Malpass 5.49
* Ray Beaumont 4.41
* Ray Moreton 4.32
* Jimmy Coy 4.22

Exeter

* Cyril Roger 10.00
* Bert Roger 9.98
* Norman Clay 8.73
* Arthur Pilgrim 8.26
* Don Hardy 8.19
* Stan Hodson 7.35
* Bronco Slade 7.19
* Hugh Geddes 6.49
* Johnny Myson 5.24
* Stan Lanfear 3.89

Hanley

* Gil Blake 8.92
* Les Jenkins 8.32
* Dave Anderson 7.95
* Ray Harris 7.17
* Ken Adams 7.05
* Dick Howard 5.61
* Stan Bradbury 5.71
* Vic Pitcher 5.62
* Lindsay Mitchell 5.52
* Frank Evans 5.14
* Jack Dawson 5.00
* Jock Gordon 4.00

Hastings

* Wally Green 11.23
* Jock Grierson 9.75
* Bill Osborne 8.97
* Frank Bettis 6.51
* Ken Middleditch 6.00
* Ken Tidbury 5.12
* Ron Clark 5.01
* Dan English 4.52
* John Hayles 4.29
* Peter Mold 4.13
* Ken Smith 4.05
* Eric Dunn 4.00
* Bill Weston 2.29

Hull

* Mick Mitchell 8.94
* Dick Shepherd 7.35
* George Craig 7.19
* Al Allison 6.67
* Johnny White 6.34
* Bob Baker 6.08
* Derek Glover 5.33
* Norman Johnson 4.89
* Alf Webster 3.25
* Brian Gorman 3.17

Plymouth

* Pete Lansdale 9.06
* Len Read 8.77
* Peter Robinson 8.59
* Alex Gray 6.86
* Ted Gibson 5.78
* Bonny Waddell 5.27
* Charlie Challis 5.14
* Ivan Kessell 5.10
* Billy Newell 4.63
* Vic Gent 4.38
* Wally Matthews 4.37

Poole

* Joe Bowkiss 8.53
* Allan Chambers 7.66
* Alf Elliott 7.31
* Sid Clarke 6.78
* Fred Pawson 6.13
* Charlie Hayden 5.90
* Ginger Nicholls 5.20
* George Butler 4.69
* Frank Holcombe 4.18
* Sid Hazzard 3.76

Southampton

* Alf Bottoms 11.25
* Jimmy Squibb 9.52
* Cecil Bailey 8.58
* Bob Oakley 8.05
* Bert Croucher 7.01
* Tom Oakley 6.41
* Alf Kaines 5.87
* George Bason 4.56
* Bill Griffiths 4.00

Tamworth

* Arthur Payne 8.67
* Cyril Page 8.45
* Harry Saunders 8.44
* Basil Harris 8.08
* Bill Dalton 7.53
* Bill Harris 7.05
* Steve Langton 6.79
* Jack Baxter 6.67
* Peter Orpwood 6.07
* Charlie Oates 5.57
* Cecil Hookham 5.00
* Lionel Watling 3.87
* Howard Chipman 2.67

Wombwell

* Stan Hodson 8.
* Harry Welch 7.38
* Jack Baxter 6.98
* Harry Saunders 6.76
* Harwood Pike 6.60
* Stan Beardsall 6.46
* Son Mitchell 5.26
* Len Tupling 4.80
* Red Hamley 4.69
* Charlie Oates 4.45
* Ken Allick 4.38
* Jeff Bishop 4.07
* Ernest Palmer 3.09
* Gerry Williams 2.46
* Bert Thomas 2.08
* Harry Modral 1.52

Yarmouth

* Reg Morgan 7.40
* Billy Bales 6.99
* Sid Hipperson 6.93
* Paddy Hammond 6.60
* Fred Rogers 5.64
* Bert Rawlinson 5.14
* Arthur Bush 5.10
* Roy Duke 5.05
* Bill Carruthers 4.81
* Ted Rawlinson 4.50
* Phil Day 2.67
* Bill Codling 2.55

## See also[edit]

* List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
* Knockout Cup (speedway)

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Home". speedwayresearcher.org.uk.
2. ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
3. ^ "Major League Competitions". Speedway Archive.
4. ^ "National League Division 3 1948" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
5. ^ "Speedway News". Eastbourne Gazette. 16 June 1948. Retrieved 11 August 2021 - via British Newspaper Archive.
6. ^ "1948 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
7. ^ "Speedway Defeat". Staffordshire Sentinel. 26 May 1948. Retrieved 30 October 2021 - via British Newspaper Archive.
8. ^ a b "Southampton 1948 results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
9. ^ "Cup final defeat". Staffordshire Sentinel. 28 May 1948. Retrieved 30 October 2021 - via British Newspaper Archive.

* v
* t
* e

Speedway National League Division Three seasons

* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951

Speedway Elite League

* v
* t
* e

Speedway in the United Kingdom

Current leagues|

* SGB Premiership
* SGB Championship
* National Development League
* List of champions

Former leagues|

* Elite League
* Premier League
* National League (1932–1964)
* Provincial League (1960–1964)
* British League
* British League Division Two/National League
* Conference League
* National League Division Two
* National League Division Three
* English Dirt Track League/Northern League
* Southern League (1929–1931)
* Southern League (1952–1953)
* Provincial League (1936–1937)
* Southern Area League

Current team competitions|

* Knockout Cup
* League Pairs champions
* League Fours champions

Former team competitions|

* London Cup
* Midland Cup
* Craven and Young Shields
* Premiership Shield

Current individual competitions|

* British Speedway Championship
* League Riders' champions
* British U-21
* British U-19
* Scottish Open

Former individual competitions|

* London Riders'
* Midland Riders'
* Northern Riders'
* Southern Riders'
* Olympique
* Internationale

See also|

* Speedway
* British Speedway Promoters' Association
* Speedway Control Bureau

* v
* t
* e

United Kingdom Speedway Seasons

Tier One League
Top division|

* 1929
* 1929
* 1930
* 1930
* 1931
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Tier Two League
Second division|

* 1934
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Tier Three League
Third division|

* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1994
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Champions|

* League champions
* Cup winners

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template