1938 Speedway National League Division Two

The 1938 National League Division Two was the inaugural season of British speedway's National League Division Two albeit a continuation of the Provincial League from the previous season in all but name.[1][2][3][4]

1938 Speedway National League Division Two
LeagueNational League Division Two
ChampionsHackney Wick Wolves
No. of competitors9
Provincial TrophyNorwich Stars
National Trophy
(Div 2 final)		Norwich Stars
Highest averageMax Grosskreutz
Division/s above1938 National League
(Division One)

The list of teams had several changes. Bristol Bulldogs had moved up to the National League and Hackney Wick Wolves had moved down to take their place. They also swapped licences and riders as well as divisions. Other new entrants were Lea Bridge Cubs, Newcastle, Sheffield and West Ham Hawks (West Ham's reserve team). Belle Vue Merseysiders who had replaced Liverpool in the previous season were also absent.[5]

Nottingham withdrew just after the start of the league season and were replaced by Leeds Lions.[6]

Hackney Wick Wolves won the title.

Final Table Division Two
Pos Team PL W D L Pts
1 Hackney Wick Wolves 16 12 0 4 24
2 Norwich Stars 16 12 0 4 24
3 Southampton Saints 16 9 0 7 18
4 West Ham Hawks 16 8 2 6 18
5 Lea Bridge Cubs 16 8 0 8 16
6 Newcastle Diamonds 16 7 1 8 15
7 Sheffield 16 6 1 9 13
8 Birmingham Bulldogs 16 6 0 10 12
9 Leeds Lions 16 2 0 14 4

Leading averages (league only)
Rider Team Average
Max GrosskreutzNorwich10.89
George GreenwoodLeeds10.77
Frank GouldenSouthampton10.19
Charlie SpinksWest Ham10.11
Frank HodgsonHackney10.06

Provincial Trophy

The 1938 Provincial Trophy was the third edition of the Trophy, which was won by Norwich Stars.[7]

First round
Team one Team two scores
NorwichHackney75–33, 44–62 (119–95 agg)
BirminghamLeeds61–46, 58–48 (119–94 agg)
SheffieldNewcastle68–38, 47–60 (115–98 agg)
SouthamptonWest Ham Hawks82–26, 43–63 (125–89 agg)

Semifinals
Team one Team two scores
NorwichBirmingham72–34, 59–47 (131–81 agg)
SheffieldSouthampton58–49, 53–53 (111–102 agg)

Final
Team one Team two scores
NorwichSheffield74–32, 53–54 (127–86 agg)

National Trophy

The 1938 National Trophy was the eighth edition of the Knockout Cup.[8] Norwich Stars won the Division 2 Final round and therefore qualified for the quarter finals proper (the round when the tier one sides entered the competition).

First qualifying round
Date Team one Score Team two
17/05Nottingham+60-48Hackney Wick+
21/05Hackney Wick+59-49Nottingham+
18/05Birmingham77-26Sheffield
19/05Sheffield51-56Birmingham
23/05Newcastle53-55Norwich
28/05Norwich75-33Newcastle
04/06Hackney Wick72-36Leeds
06/06Leeds36-72Hackney Wick

+ Nottingham withdrew from league replaced by Leeds resulting in Hackney's result becoming void.

Second qualifying round
Date Team one Score Team two
15/06Birmingham57.5-49.5Hackney Wick
18/06Hackney Wick66-42Birmingham
15/06Southampton76-30Norwich
18/06Norwich77-31Southampton

First leg
Norwich Stars
Max Grosskreutz 14
Bert Spencer 14
Wal Morton 14
Bill Bertwell 9
Jock Sweet 8
Dick Wise 7
Wilf Jay 5
Paul Goodchild 1		72 – 36Hackney Wick Wolves
Doug Wells 8
George Saunders 8
Frank Hodgson 7
Arch Windmill 4
Tommy Bateman 3
Jim Baylais 3
Ken Brett 3
Jack Tidbury 0
[9]

Second leg
Hackney Wick Wolves
Doug Wells 16
Frank Hodgson 10
Arch Windmill 10
George Saunders 9
Tommy Bateman 9
Jack Tidbury 3
Jim Baylais 1
Ken Brett 0		58 – 49Norwich Stars
Wal Morton 12
Bert Spencer 9
Bill Bertwell 8
Max Grosskreutz 6
Alan Smith 6
Jock Sweet 3
Wilf Jay 3
Dick Wise 2
[9]

Norwich were the National Trophy Div 2 winners, winning on aggregate 121-94.

See also

References
  1. "Home". speedwayresearcher.org.uk.
  2. "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 6 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 - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  5. "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
  6. Bamford, Robert & Jarvis, John (2001) Homes of British Speedway, Tempus, ISBN 0-7524-2210-3, p. 193-4
  7. "1938 Provincial Trophy" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  8. "1938 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
  9. "1938 National Trophy Provincial Final" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
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