# 1948 Speedway National League

The 1948 National League Division One was the 14th season of speedway in the United Kingdom and the third post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.

## Summary

The entrant list was the same as the previous season. New Cross Rangers won the National League for the second time.

## Fatalities

1948 proved to be the worst season so far in regard to fatalities. During the 1947 season two riders had died on the same day but 1948 saw three riders killed during the season. It started with 37-year-old Reg Craven, on his debut for Yarmouth Bloaters. Craven crashed with two Poole Pirates riders at Poole (on 26 April) during a National Trophy match and died eight days later (4 May) from a fractured skull in hospital. Billy Wilson of Norwich Stars and Eric Dunn of Hastings Saxons from the lower divisions were also killed.

## Final League table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | New Cross Rangers | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 34 |
| 2 | Harringay Racers | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 32 |
| 3 | West Ham Hammers | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 29 |
| 4 | Wembley Lions | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 25 |
| 5 | Belle Vue Aces | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 25 |
| 6 | Wimbledon Dons | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 12 |
| 7 | Odsal Boomerangs | 24 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 11 |

## National League results

Matches 1–12
Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
| Home \ Away | BEL | HAR | NEW | ODS | WEM | WES | WIM |
| Belle Vue Aces | — | 48–36 | 53–31 | 43–41 | 42–42 | 43–41 | 59–25 |
| Harringay Racers | 47–37 | — | 37–47 | 54–29 | 39–45 | 44–40 | 49–35 |
| New Cross Rangers | 61–23 | 41–43 | — | 55–28 | 56–27 | 58–26 | 49–35 |
| Odsal Boomerangs | 46–35 | 41–43 | 40–42 | — | 38–46 | 43–40 | 41–41 |
| Wembley Lions | 52–31 | 31–50 | 40.5–43.5 | 51–33 | — | 40–44 | 44–39 |
| West Ham Hammers | 61–23 | 58–26 | 49–35 | 60–22 | 54–30 | — | 47–37 |
| Wimbledon Dons | 50–33 | 45–38 | 40–44 | 56–27 | 27–57 | 40–43 | — |
Matches 13–24
Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
| Home \ Away | BEL | HAR | NEW | ODS | WEM | WES | WIM |
| Belle Vue Aces | — | 50–34 | 33–51 | 47–37 | 48–36 | 52–31 | 52–32 |
| Harringay Racers | 45–37 | — | 44–40 | 58–26 | 53–28 | 59–24 | 54–30 |
| New Cross Rangers | 38–45 | 40–44 | — | 53–29 | 37–47 | 51–32 | 54–30 |
| Odsal Boomerangs | 38–45 | 40–44 | 53–29 | — | 37–47 | 51–32 | 54–30 |
| Wembley Lions | 59–25 | 35–49 | 41–43 | 57–27 | — | 39–45 | 60–24 |
| West Ham Hammers | 49–35 | 48–36 | 49–35 | 48–36 | 38–46 | — | 64–20 |
| Wimbledon Dons | 35–47 | 35–49 | 46–38 | 58–26 | 35–49 | 41–41 | — |

## Anniversary Cup

On account of the small number of teams in the league the Anniversary Cup was run in a league format. Harringay Racers finished on top.
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Harringay Racers | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 18 |
| 2 | Belle Vue Aces | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 14 |
| 3 | Odsal Boomerangs | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 14 |
| 4 | New Cross Rangers | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| 5 | West Ham Hammers | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| 6 | Wembley Lions | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| 7 | Wimbledon Dons | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 |
Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
| Home \ Away | BEL | HAR | NEW | ODS | WEM | WES | WIM |
| Belle Vue Aces | — | 46.5–49.5 | 50–42 | 65–29 | 53–43 | 54–42 | 65–30 |
| Harringay Racers | 52–43 | — | 49–47 | 59–37 | 59–36 | 59–37 | 59–37 |
| New Cross Rangers | 57–39 | 49–47 | — | 51–44 | 49–46 | 58–38 | 42–54 |
| Odsal Boomerangs | 53–43 | 52–44 | 48–47 | — | 66–30 | 51–45 | 61–35 |
| Wembley Lions | 45–51 | 47–49 | 49–47 | 61–35 | — | 60–36 | 60–35 |
| West Ham Hammers | 58–38 | 50–45 | 62–34 | 48–47 | 49–47 | — | 60–34 |
| Wimbledon Dons | 47–48 | 46–50 | 42–53 | 46–49 | 40–56 | 53–42 | — |

## Top Ten Riders (League only)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Vic Duggan | Harringay Racers | 11.42 |
| 2 | Ron Johnson | New Cross | 10.33 |
| 3 | Wilbur Lamoreaux | Wembley Lions | 9.71 |
| 4 | George Wilks | Wembley Lions | 9.65 |
| 5 | Max Grosskreutz | Odsal | 9.63 |
| 6 | Aub Lawson | West Ham | 9.59 |
| 7 | Alec Statham | Wimbledon | 9.48 |
| 8 | Jack Parker | Belle Vue | 9.35 |
| 9 | Eric Chitty | West Ham | 9.21 |
| 10 | Norman Parker | Wimbledon | 9.09 |

## National Trophy

The 1948 Trophy was the 11th edition of the Knockout Cup.
Qualifying Competition Round 1
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 23/04 | Wombwell | 31 77 | Southampton |
| 17/04 | Cradley Heath | 66 42 | Plymouth |
| 13/04 | Southampton | 89 19 | Wombwell |
| 12/04 | Exeter | 81 27 | Tamworth |
| 08/04 | Plymouth | 56 50 | Cradley Heath |
| 07/04 | Tamworth | 82 26 | Exeter |
Qualifying Competition Round 2
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 29/04 | Stoke Hanley | 64 43 | Coventry |
| 27/04 | Yarmouth | 47 67 | Poole |
| 26/04 | Poole | 74 32 | Yarmouth |
| 07/05 | Cradley Heath | 78 29 | Hull |
| 05/05 | Tamworth | 46 62 | Southampton |
| 04/05 | Southampton | 77 31 | Tamworth |
| 01/05 | Coventry | 48 59 | Stoke Hanley |
| 01/05 | Hull | 42 66 | Cradley Heath |
Qualifying Competition semifinal
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 21/05 | Cradley Heath | 54 50 | Southampton |
| 13/05 | Stoke Hanley | 64 44 | Poole |
| 11/05 | Southampton | 85 23 | Cradley Heath |
| 10/05 | Poole | 49 57 | Stoke Hanley |
Qualifying Competition final
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 27/05 | Stoke Hanley | 43 64 | Southampton |
| 25/05 | Southampton | 74½ 33½ | Stoke Hanley |
Eliminating Competition First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 19/06 | Birmingham | 79 29 | Southampton |
| 19/06 | Edinburgh | 62 46 | Glasgow White City |
| 16/06 | Glasgow White City | 70 38 | Edinburgh |
| 15/06 | Southampton | 41 66 | Birmingham |
Eliminating Competition Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 23/06 | Glasgow White City | 45½ 61½ | Birmingham |
| 22/06 | Fleetwood | 69 39 | Bristol |
| 19/06 | Norwich | 76 32 | Sheffield |
| 18/06 | Bristol | 65 43 | Fleetwood |
| 17/06 | Middlesbrough | 67 40 | Newcastle |
| 17/06 | Sheffield | 55 53 | Norwich |
| 14/06 | Newcastle | 41 65 | Middlesbrough |
| 03/07 | Birmingham | 80 28 | Glasgow White City |
Eliminating Competition semifinal
| 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 |
Eliminating Competition final
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 02/08 | Birmingham | 79 28 | Norwich |
| 31/07 | Norwich | 64 43 | Birmingham |
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 04/09 | Belle Vue | 64 44 | Wembley |
| 27/08 | Harringay | 67 40 | Wimbledon |
| 26/08 | Wembley | 64 42 | Belle Vue |
| 21/08 | Birmingham | 85 23 | West Ham |
| 21/08 | Bradford | 62 46 | New Cross |
| 19/08 | New Cross | 77 30 | Bradford |
| 17/08 | West Ham | 67 41 | Birmingham |
| 16/08 | Wimbledon | 53 55 | Harringay |
| 04/09 | Belle Vue | 64 44 | Wembley |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 27/08 | Harringay | 67-40 | Wimbledon |
| 26/08 | Wembley | 64-42 | Belle Vue |
| 21/08 | Birmingham | 85-23 | West Ham |
| 21/08 | Bradford | 62-46 | New Cross |
| 19/08 | New Cross | 77-30 | Bradford |
| 17/08 | West Ham | 67-41 | Birmingham |
| 16/08 | Wimbledon | 53-55 | Harringay |
| 04/09 | Belle Vue | 64-44 | Wembley |
Semifinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 18/09 | Birmingham | 69-39 | New Cross |
| 10/09 | Harringay | 52-56 | Wembley |
| 09/09 | Wembley | 73-35 | Harringay |
| 09/09 | New Cross | 83-25 | Birmingham |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Wembley were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 120–96.

## Riders' Championship

Vic Duggan won the British Riders' Championship final held at Empire Stadium on 16 September, in front of nearly 90,000 spectators.
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Vic Duggan | 2 3 3 3 3 | 14 |
| 2 | Ron Johnson | 3 2 3 2 3 | 13 |
| 3 | Alec Statham | 3 3 3 3 1 | 13 |
| 4 | Split Waterman | 3 2 2 1 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Bill Gilbert | 2 1 3 3 1 | 10 |
| 6 | Jack Parker | 2 E 3 1 3 | 9 |
| 7 | Oliver Hart | 3 2 2 2 | 9 |
| 8 | Bill Longley | 0 1 2 2 3 | 8 |
| 9 | Wilbur Lamoreaux | 2 2 0 0 2 | 6 |
| 10 | Malcolm Craven | f 3 2 1 0 | 6 |
| 11 | Jeff Lloyd | 1 3 0 0 1 | 5 |
| 12 | Eric Chitty | 1 0 1 2 1 | 5 |
| 13 | Lloyd Goffe | 0 1 1 1 2 | 5 |
| 14 | Tommy Price | 1 2 0 1 F | 4 |
| 15 | Norman Parker | 0 1 0 1 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Dent Oliver | 1 0 0 0 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Jack Hodgson (res) | 0 - - - - | 0 |
* f=fell

## London Cup

First round
| Team one | Score | Team two |
| New Cross | 65–43, 43–64 | Harringay |
Semi final round
| Team one | Score | Team two |
| Wimbledon | 57–51, 27–80 | New Cross |
| West Ham | 61–46, 40–67 | Wembley |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Wembley won on aggregate 115–98

## Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
* Jack Parker 9.35
* Louis Lawson 7.46
* Dent Oliver 6.92
* Wally Hull 6.00
* Bill Pitcher 5.76
* Wally Lloyd 5.60
* Jim Boyd 4.96
* Jack Chignell 4.27
* Bill Rogers 3.75
* Brian Wilson 2.00
Harringay
* Vic Duggan 11.42
* Frank Dolan 8.53
* Lloyd Goffe 7.23
* Ray Duggan 7.23
* Wal Morton 6.67
* Jack Biggs 6.56
* Steve Ison 5.37
* Jack Arnfield 4.96
* Jimmy Grant 4.68
* Nobby Stock 3.84
New Cross
* Ron Johnson 10.33
* Jeff Lloyd 8.17
* Bill Longley 7.96
* Geoff Pymar 7.39
* Cyril Roger 7.27
* Ray Moore 7.15
* Eric French 7.12
* George Newton 5.48
* Frank Lawrence 5.79
* Mick Mitchell 2.00
* Lindsay Mitchell 0.67
Odsal
* Max Grosskreutz 9.63
* Oliver Hart 8.57
* Ernie Price 7.72
* Ron Clarke 7.34
* Eddie Rigg 6.15
* Joe Abbott 5.60
* Eric Mason 4.00
* Bob Lovell 3.33
* Andy Menzies 3.71
* Bill Osborne 3.20
* Jock Shead 2.78
* Norman Price 2.40
* Vic Emms 1.50
Wembley
* Wilbur Lamoreaux 9.71
* George Wilks 9.65
* Tommy Price 8.81
* Split Waterman 8.27
* Bill Gilbert 7.63
* Bill Kitchen 7.17
* Freddie Williams 6.43
* Bob Wells 5.40
* George Saunders 4.26
* Roy Craighead 3.37
* Bill Kemp 2.50
West Ham
* Aub Lawson 9.59
* Eric Chitty 9.21
* Malcolm Craven 8.13
* Cliff Watson 7.01
* Kid Curtis 5.89
* Tommy Croombs 5.64
* Howdy Byford 5.30
* Bob Harrison 3.58
* Frank Bettis 0.67
Wimbledon
* Norman Parker 9.09
* Alec Statham 9.48
* Cyril Brine 7.19
* Les Wotton 5.37
* Mike Erskine 4.87
* Arch Windmill 3.80
* Ron Mason 3.59
* Dick Harris 3.43
* Jimmy Coy 2.35
* Lionel Levy 2.29