# 1931 Speedway Southern League

The 1931 Southern League was the third season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams, and its final season before amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Leagues. The Northern teams also had their third season known as the 1931 Speedway Northern League.

## Summary

Both Birmingham teams based at Perry Barr and Hall Green had left the league but the latter did ride in the National Trophy.
Coventry returned mid-season to replace Leicester Stadium who were liquidated in late May.
Harringay Canaries resigned in June to be replaced by a Belle Vue team, who then rode both in the Northern and Southern Leagues, the latter as Manchester. Nottingham closed in July but they were not replaced and their results stood. The league season was the longest in the short history of the competition as teams met each other four times instead of twice.
The Wembley Lions won their second consecutive title finishing three points clear of 1929 champions Stamford Bridge. The league suffered a fatality during the match between Belle Vue and Wembley at Hyde Road. James Allen (known as Indian Allen) was thrown from his bike and hit his head on a fence, trying to avoid a rider who had fallen in front of him. He died three days later in hospital on 12 September 1931. Another rider Noel Johnson of Plymouth had been killed in a challenge match against Coventry reserves on 25 August.

## Final table

| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Wembley Lions | 37 | 28 | 1 | 8 | 57 |
| 2 | Stamford Bridge Pensioners | 38 | 27 | 0 | 11 | 54 |
| 3 | West Ham Hammers | 38 | 23 | 0 | 15 | 46 |
| 4 | Crystal Palace Glaziers | 38 | 22 | 0 | 16 | 44 |
| 5 | Wimbledon Dons | 38 | 19 | 1 | 18 | 39 |
| 6 | High Beech | 38 | 19 | 1 | 18 | 39 |
| 7 | Southampton Saints | 38 | 18 | 0 | 20 | 36 |
| 8 | Harringay Canaries + Manchester (Belle Vue) | 38 | 14 | 0 | 24 | 28* |
| 9 | Lea Bridge | 38 | 11 | 0 | 27 | 22 |
| 10 | Leicester Stadium + Coventry | 37 | 8 | 1 | 28 | 17** |
| 11 | Nottingham | 20 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 16 |

## Fixtures & results
### A fixtures

| Home \ Away | COV | CP | HAR | HB | LB | NOT | SOT | SB | WEM | WH | WIM |
| Coventry/Leicester | | 29–25 | 18–36 | 24–24 | 24–30 | + | 24–30 | 26–27 | 22–31 | 23–28 | 30–24 |
| Crystal Palace | 32–20 | | 27–26 | 33–20 | 31–21 | 29–24 | 30–245 | 26–24 | 16–36 | 25–27 | 32–22 |
| Harringay/Belle Vue | 26–25 | 30–21 | | 29–25 | 32–22 | 32–22 | 29–24 | 24–29 | 28–26 | 24–30 | 25–27 |
| High Beech | 35–18 | 27–23 | 29–24 | | 32–20 | 29–21 | 29–23 | 27–26 | 30–24 | 27–26 | 41–12 |
| Lea Bridge | 33–21 | 23–25 | 25–28 | 22–31 | | 37–16 | 32–22 | 22–31 | 18–36 | 18–32 | 20–34 |
| Nottingham | 30–23 | 29–25 | 28–25 | 32–22 | 33–21 | | 29–25 | 26–23 | 26–28 | 24.5–29.5 | 34–17 |
| Southampton | 36–18 | 36–18 | 36–17 | 29–24 | 26–27 | 38–15 | | 26–28 | 31–23 | 23–31 | 31.5–21.5 |
| Stamford Bridge | 33–20 | 32–21 | 35–19 | 32–20 | 37–16 | 33–20 | 38–13 | | 23–30 | 35–15 | 31–22 |
| Wembley | 37–17 | 42–12 | 37–16 | 43–11 | 34–20 | 37–16 | 31–23 | 31–22 | | 32–22 | 31–22 |
| West Ham | 34–19 | 33–19 | 28–25 | 31–23 | 35–17 | 28–23 | 33.5–20.5 | 23–30 | 24–29 | | 25–28 |
| Wimbledon | 33–20 | 40–13 | 28–24 | 36–17 | 22–31 | 35–19 | 26–24 | 26–27 | 22–30 | 21–32 | |
+ Awarded to Coventry

### B fixtures

| Home \ Away | COV | CP | HAR | HB | LB | SOT | SB | WEM | WH | WIM |
| Coventry/Leicester | | 19–35 | 28–24 | 26–27 | 25–29 | 32–22 | 24–28 | 29–25 | 29–25 | 28–26 |
| Crystal Palace | 36–18 | | 45–9 | 39–15 | 38–15 | 38–15 | 31–23 | 30–23 | 32–22 | 30–22 |
| Harringay/Belle Vue | 31–22 | 28–26 | | 28–22 | 28–26 | 29–24 | 23–31 | 16–36 | 24–28 | 20–34 |
| High Beech | 31–22 | 32–20 | 38–16 | | 34–20 | 19–31 | 30–23 | 20–33 | 21–33 | 28–23 |
| Lea Bridge | 35–19 | 22–32 | 32–20 | 8–15 | | 24–30 | 23–31 | 22–32 | 21–33 | 28–26 |
| Southampton | 32–22 | 21–31 | 34–19 | 37–14 | 32–21 | | 33–20 | 30–24 | 22–31 | 35–16 |
| Stamford Bridge | 39–15 | 28–25 | 41–11 | 23–29 | 34–20 | 31–22 | | 32–21 | 29–24 | 32–22 |
| Wembley | n/a | 34–19 | 30–22 | 31–23 | 34–18 | 32–22 | 34–19 | | 29.5–24.5 | 27–27 |
| West Ham | 33–21 | 23–28 | 30–24 | 30–21 | 34–19 | 26–27 | 21.5–32.5 | 20–32 | | 235–17 |
| Wimbledon | 29–25 | 31–22 | 29–25 | 35–15 | 36–18 | 37–17 | 29–23 | 28–25 | 29–25 | |

## Top Five Riders

| | | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Tommy Croombs | West Ham | 10.41 |
| 2 | Dicky Case | Wimbledon | 10.14 |
| 3 | Jack Parker | Southampton | 10.02 |
| 4 | Frank Arthur | Stamford Bridge | 9.97 |
| 5 | Vic Huxley | Harringay/Wimbledon | 9.87 |

## National Trophy

The 1931 National Trophy was the first edition of the Knockout Cup. It was contested between teams from the Southern and Northern Leagues.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 11/05 | Wimbledon | 67-26 | Birmingham Hall Green |
| 12/05 | West Ham | 51-45 | Southampton |
| 13/05 | Lea Bridge | 59-33 | Nottingham |
| 14/05 | Exeter | 34-59 | High Beech |
| 14/05 | Leicester Stadium | 39.5-54.5 | Stamford Bridge |
| 15/05 | Hall Green | 42.5-49.5 | Wimbledon |
| 16/05 | High Beech | 61-33 | Exeter |
| 16/05 | Southampton | 42-49 | West Ham |
| 16/05 | Stamford Bridge | 59-35 | Leicester Stadium |
| 21/05 | Nottingham | 46-47 | Lea Bridge |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 25/05 | Belle Vue | 73-22 | Wombwell |
| 25/05 | York | 42-53 | Leicester Super |
| 26/05 | Glasgow White City | 43-52 | Preston |
| 28/05 | Sheffield | 54-40 | Leeds |
| 30/05 | Leeds | 39-52 | Sheffield |
| 30/05 | Leicester Super | 69-26 | York |
| 30/05 | Wombwell | 27-64 | Belle Vue |
| 04/06 | Preston | 70-26 | Glasgow White City |
| 08/06 | Wimbledon | 60-36 | Crystal Palace |
| 09/06 | Harringay | ? | Stamford Bridge |
| 09/06 | West Ham | 44-52 | Wembley |
| 10/06 | Lea Bridge | 52-38 | High Beech |
| 11/06 | Wembley | 56-37 | West Ham |
| 13/06 | Crystal Palace | 48-48 | Wimbledon |
| 13/06 | High Beech | 55-39 | Lea Bridge |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 02/07 | Preston | 65-31 | High Beech |
| 11/07 | Belle Vue | 50-46 | Wimbledon |
| 11/07 | Sheffield | 41-55 | Wembley |
| 16/07 | Leicester Super | 44-50 | Stamford Bridge |
| 18/07 | High Beech | 48-42 | Preston |
| 23/07 | Wembley | 70-25 | Sheffield |
| 27/07 | Wimbledon | 55-41 | Belle Vue |
| 19/08 | Stamford Bridge | 61-31 | Leicester Super |
Semifinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 10/09 | Preston | 43-51 | Stamford Bridge |
| 17/09 | Wembley | 48-47 | Wimbledon |
| 21/09 | Wimbledon | 46-49 | Wembley |
| 26/09 | Stamford Bridge | 66-30 | Preston |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Wembley were declared National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 120-69.

## London Cup

First round
| Team one | Score | Team two |
| Wimbledon | 46–50, 45–49 | Wembley |
| West Ham | 41.5–53.5, 36–58 | Stamford Bridge |
| Lea Bridge | 60–35, 48–46 | High Beech |
| Crystal Palace bye |||
Semi final round
| Team one | Score | Team two |
| Lea Bridge | 41–55, 27–69 | Crystal Palace |
| Stamford Bridge | 50–46, 41.5–35.5 | Wembley |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Crystal Palace won on aggregate 114–76

## Riders & final averages

Crystal Palace
* Nobby Key 8.32
* Ron Johnson 7.75
* Joe Francis 7.51
* Harry Shepherd 6.79
* Tom Farndon 6.61
* Alf Sawford 6.55
* Roger Frogley 6.30
* Triss Sharp 4.20
* George Lovick 2.67
Harringay (withdrew)
* Vic Huxley 10.56
* Don Durant 6.95
* Alf Sawford 5.94
* Bill Clibbett 5.65
* Clem Cort 5.41
* Eric Spencer 5.33
* Ivor Hill 5.33
High Beech
* Phil Bishop 7.26
* Billy Dallison 6.76
* Syd Edmonds 6.69
* Jack Barnett 6.43
* George Bishop 6.37
* Reg Hutchins 6.09
* Bobby Blake 5.56
* Stan Baines 4.80
* Tiger Hart 4.79
* Art Fenn 4.57
* Tommy McDonald 4.23
* Henry Taft 4.00
* Frank Pearce 3.83
Lea Bridge
* Squib Burton 10.22
* Charlie Spinks 7.91
* Stew Fairbairn 6.97
* Don Durant 6.95
* Harold Hastings 6.80
* Roy Dook 6.39
* Alf Foulds 6.00
* Alf Mattson 4.79
* Eric Collins 4.44
* Reg Stanley 4.32
* Jimmy Stevens 3.71
Leicester/Coventry
* Syd Jackson 6.86/9.22
* Squib Burton 8.20/x
* Arthur Tims 6.27/7.10
* Bunny Wilcox x/6.50
* Alby Taylor 5.36/6.67
* Stan Greatrex 2.40/5.16
* John Deeley 5.00/4.27
* Henry Taft x/4.98
* Lew Lancaster x/4.89
* Bill Pitcher 4.55/x
* Albert Wilkinson x/4.55
* Stan Mauger x/4.31
* Cyril Taft x/4.00
* Les Patrick 3.14/3.47
Manchester (Belle Vue)
* Max Grosskreutz 8.14
* Arthur Franklyn 6.39
* Frank Charles 6.20
* Clem Cort 6.06
* Reg West 6.00
* Bob Harrison 5.33
* Chun Moore 5.33
* Andy Nicholl 3.64
* James Indian Allen 3.56
* Eric Gregory 3.28
* Frank Burgess 3.20
* Len Blunt 3.20
* Charlie Hornby 2.57
Nottingham
* George Wigfield 8.93
* Fred Strecker 8.26
* Billy Ellmore 7.58
* Nobby Key 7.29
* Buster Brown 5.07
* George Dykes 5.03
* Nobby Kendrick 4.57
* Bert Fairweather 4.00
* Wally Humphry 4.00
* Joe Gooding 3.72
Southampton
* Jack Parker 9.87
* Ernie Rickman 7.42
* Vic Collins 6.98
* Norman Parker 6.44
* Frank Goulden 5.83
* Frank Bond 5.35
* Arnie Hansen 4.88
* Steve Langton 4.67
* Eric Lister 4.00
* Jimmy Hayes 3.14
Stamford Bridge
* Frank Arthur 10.09
* Wal Phillips 10.06
* Arthur Warwick 8.65
* Gus Kuhn 8.31
* Dick Smythe 6.85
* Hal Herbert 6.40
* Dick Wise 5.60
* Mick Murphy (John Glass) 5.33
* Bill Stanley 5.20
* Don Boswell 4.32
* Les Blakebrough 4.43
* Keith Harvey 4.29
* Charlie Blacklock 4.25
* Frank Duckett 3.60
Wembley
* Colin Watson 9.56
* Jack Ormston 9.09
* George Greenwood 8.75
* Harry Whitfield 7.96
* Norman Evans 7.50
* Lionel Van Praag 7.33
* Buster Frogley 7.09
* Wally Kilmister 6.59
* Jack Jackson 5.30
* Col Stewart 4.76
* Cliff Parkinson 4.00
* Charlie Shelton 2.09
West Ham
* Tommy Croombs 10.55
* Reg Bounds 9.32
* Morian Hansen 9.00
* Bluey Wilkinson 8.79
* Tiger Stevenson 6.90
* Bloss Bromfield 4.13
* Allen Kilfoyle 4.10
* Arthur Atkinson 4.36
* Frank Randall 3.79
* Con Cantwell 3.25
* Cecil Bounds 3.09
* Tom Lougher 1.71
Wimbledon
* Dicky Case 10.19
* Vic Huxley 9.43
* Ray Tauser 8.48
* Jim Kempster 6.90
* Len Parker 6.17
* Claude Rye 6.06
* Billy Lamont 5.91
* Ernie Evans 5.72
* Len Stewart 5.41
* Arthur Westwood 5.19
* Ivor Hill 3.24