1951 Speedway National League

British speedway season

1951 Speedway National LeagueLeague| National League Division One

|

No. of competitors| 9
Champions| Wembley Lions
National Trophy| Wimbledon Dons
London Cup| Wembley Lions
Highest average| Aub Lawson
Division/s below| National League (Div 2)
National League (Div 3)

* <- 1950
* 1952 ->

The 1951 National League Division One was the 17th season of speedway in the United Kingdom and the sixth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. [1]

## Summary

[edit]

The entrants were the same as the previous season as were the top three positions at the end of the season. Wembley Lions won the National League for the sixth time.[2][3][4]

## Final table

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Wembley Lions | 32  | 25  | 0  | 7  | 50
2  | Belle Vue Aces | 32  | 19  | 1  | 12  | 39
3  | Wimbledon Dons | 32  | 17  | 1  | 14  | 35
4  | West Ham Hammers | 32  | 16  | 1  | 15  | 33
5  | Birmingham Brummies | 32  | 16  | 0  | 16  | 32
6  | Bristol Bulldogs | 32  | 15  | 1  | 16  | 31
7  | Harringay Racers | 32  | 15  | 1  | 16  | 31
8  | New Cross Rangers | 32  | 9  | 1  | 22  | 19
9  | Bradford Tudors | 32  | 9  | 0  | 23  | 18

## Top Ten Riders (League only)

[edit]

| Rider  | Nat  | Team  | C.M.A.

|
|
|
|

1  | Aub Lawson |  | West Ham  | 10.31
2  | Ronnie Moore |  | Wimbledon  | 9.91
3  | Freddie Williams |  | Wembley  | 9.76
4  | Alan Hunt |  | Birmingham  | 9.75
5  | Norman Parker |  | Wimbledon  | 9.56
6  | Eddie Rigg |  | Bradford  | 9.29
7  | Malcolm Craven |  | West Ham  | 9.25
8  | Split Waterman |  | Harringay  | 9.07
9  | Jack Parker |  | Belle Vue  | 9.03
10  | Geoff Pymar |  | Bristol  | 8.95

## National Trophy Stage Three

[edit]

The 1951 National Trophy was the 14th edition of the Knockout Cup. The Trophy consisted of three stages; stage one was for the third division clubs, stage two was for the second division clubs and stage three was for the top tier clubs. The winner of stage one would qualify for stage two and the winner of stage two would qualify for the third and final stage. Wimbledon won the third and final stage and were therefore declared the 1951 National Trophy champions.[5]

* For Stage One - see Stage One
* For Stage Two - see Stage Two

First round

Date  | Team one  | Score  | Team two

|
|
|

10/08 | Bristol | 74-34 | Norwich
20/08 | Norwich | 75-33 | Bristol
07/08 | West Ham | 72-35 | Bradford Odsal
25/08 | Bradford Odsal | 43-65 | West Ham

Second round

Date  | Team one  | Score  | Team two

|
|
|

05/09 | Belle Vue | 46-62 | Wembley
09/08 | Wembley | 52-55 | Belle Vue
11/08 | Birmingham | 55-53 | Wimbledon
20/08 | Wimbledon | 64-44 | Birmingham
25/08 | Norwich | 63-45 | Harringay
24/08 | Harringay | 65-42 | Norwich
04/09 | West Ham | 62-46 | New Cross
29/08 | New Cross | 65-43 | West Ham

Semifinals

Date  | Team one  | Score  | Team two

|
|
|

04/10 | Wembley | 78-29 | New Cross
26/09 | New Cross | 53-55 | Wembley
03/09 | Wimbledon | 65-43 | Harringay
07/09 | Harringay | 40-68 | Wimbledon

### Final

[edit]

First leg

8 October 1951

Wimbledon Dons
Ronnie Moore 15
Dennis Gray 15
Norman Parker 9
Cyril Brine 6
Ernie Roccio 3
Mike Erskine 3
Reg Trott 3
Jimmy Gibb 1| 58 – 50| Wembley Lions
Eric Williams 11
Tommy Price 8
Bob Oakley 7
Freddie Williams 7
Bruce Abernethy 5
George Wilks 6
Bill Kitchen 3
Jimmy Gooch 3

|
|

| [6] |

Wimbledon Stadium

Second leg

11 October 1951

Wembley Lions
Eric Williams 8
Bill Kitchen 6
Bob Oakley 6
Freddie Williams 5
George Wilks 5
Jimmy Gooch 5
Bruce Abernethy 4
Tommy Price 2| 41 – 67| Wimbledon Dons
Dennis Gray 18
Ronnie Moore 14
Ernie Roccio 13
Cyril Brine 11
Norman Parker 7
Jimmy Gibb 2
Reg Trott 1
Mike Erskine 1

|
|

| [6] |

Wembley Stadium

Wimbledon were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 125–91.

## London Cup

[edit]

First round

Team one  | Score  | Team two

|
|

Wimbledon | 55–51, 44–64 | Wembley
Walthamstow | 53–55, 29–78 | West Ham

Semi final round

Team one  | Score  | Team two

|
|

West Ham | 57–51, 42–65 | Harringay
New Cross | 45–63, 38–70 | Wembley

### Final

[edit]

First leg

13 September 1951

Wembley
Eric Williams 12
Bruce Abernethy 9
Tommy Price 9
Bob Oakley 8
Freddie Williams 6
George Wilks 6
Bill Kitchen 5
Jimmy Gooch 3| 59–49| Harringay
Olle Nygren 17
Jack Biggs 15
Jeff Lloyd 6
Ron How 4
Maurice McDermott 2
Jimmy Squibb 2
Danny Dunton 2
Nobby Stock 1

|
|

|  |

Wembley Stadium

Second leg

14 September 1951

Harringay
Olle Nygren 16
Split Waterman 15
Jack Biggs 6
Ron How 4
Nobby Stock 3
Cliff Watson 3
Jeff Lloyd 2
Jimmy Squibb 0| 49–59| Wembley
Eric Williams 11
Bruce Abernethy 10
Freddie Williams 9
Tommy Price 8
Bob Oakley 7
Jimmy Gooch 6
George Wilks 4
Bill Kitchen 4

|
|

| [7] |

Harringay Stadium

Wembley won on aggregate 118–98

## Riders & final averages

[edit]

Belle Vue

*   * Jack Parker 9.03
*   * Ken Sharples 7.84
*   * Louis Lawson 7.66
*   * Ron Johnston 7.46
* Henry Long 7.23
*   * George Smith 6.03
*   * Dennis Parker 5.61
*   * Ron Mason 4.54
*   * Angus McKenzie 3.48
*   * Val Morton 2.89
* Bob Serrurier 1.60

Birmingham

*   * Alan Hunt 9.75
*   * Ron Mountford 8.17
*   * Graham Warren 7.92
*   * Arthur Payne 7.33
*   * Eric Boothroyd 6.20
*   * Cyril Page 6.00
*   * Jim Tolley 4.95
*   * Ivor Davies 4.52
*   * Lionel Watling (James Goldingay) 4.04
*   * Fred Perkins 4.50
*   * Bill Jemison 2.12
*   * Geoff Bennett inj

Bradford

*   * Eddie Rigg 9.29
*   * Dent Oliver 7.04
*   * Oliver Hart 6.00
*   * Arthur Bush 4.88
*   * Arthur Wright 4.74
*   * Lloyd Goffe 4.59
*   * Ron Peace 4.15
*   * Eric Smith 3.92
*   * Ken Brown 3.69
*   * Alec Burrows 3.65

Bristol

*   * Geoff Pymar 8.94
*   * Dick Bradley 8.80
*   * Jack Mountford 7.05
*   * Billy Hole 6.80
*   * Johnny Hole 5.90
*   * Chris Boss 5.28
*   * Eric Salmon 5.51
*   * Mike Beddoe 5.07
*   * Jack Summers 2.22

Harringay

*   * Split Waterman 9.07
*   * Olle Nygren 8.31
*   * Jeff Lloyd 8.13
*   * Jack Biggs 8.29
*   * Nobby Stock 6.39
*   * Danny Dunton 5.91
*   * Cliff Watson 5.45
*   * Maury McDermott 5.09
*   * Ron How 4.75
*   * Jimmy Squibb 4.10
*   * Ron Barrett 4.00

New Cross

*   * Cyril Roger 8.82
*   * Eric French 8.38
*   * Bert Roger 8.05
*   * Frank Lawrence 6.45
*   * Tom Oakley 6.27
*   * Bill Longley 4.90
*   * Ron Johnson 3.76
*   * Don Gray 3.73
*   * Ray Moore 3.64
*   * Harold McNaughton 3.62
*   * Ronnie Genz 2.18
*   * Dick Shepherd 1.67
*   * Bernie Aldridge 1.50
*   * Eric Minall 0.67

Wembley

*   * Freddie Williams 9.76
*   * Bob Oakley 8.36
*   * Bruce Abernethy 8.27
*   * Tommy Price 8.11
*   * Eric Williams 7.62
*   * George Wilks 7.53
*   * Bill Kitchen 7.06
*   * Jimmy Gooch 5.74
*   * Bob Wells 2.94
*   * Den Cosby 2.67

West Ham

*   * Aub Lawson 10.31
*   * Malcolm Craven 9.25
*   * Wally Green 7.92
* Eric Chitty 7.05
*   * Arthur Atkinson 5.30
*   * Howdy Byford 5.27
*   * Kid Curtis 5.00
*   * Reg Fearman 3.41
*   * Lloyd Goffe 2.86
*   * Geoff Woodger 1.43
*   * Johnny Guilfoyle 1.40

Wimbledon

*   * Ronnie Moore 9.95
*   * Norman Parker 9.56
*   * Cyril Brine 8.31
*   * Dennis Gray 6.97
*   * Ernie Roccio 6.74
* Jimmie Gibb 5.18
*   * Jim Gregory 3.79
*   * Reg Trott 3.65
*   * Mike Erskine 3.00
*   * Craig Jones 1.44

## See also

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
2. ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
3. ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129\. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
4. ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
5. ^ "1951 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
6. ^ a b "1951 National Trophy". Speedway Archive. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
7. ^ "Wembley's Cup Final Win". Daily Herald. 15 September 1951. Retrieved 26 September 2023 - via British Newspaper Archive.

* 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
* t
* e

National League seasons 1932–1964

* 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

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