1949 Speedway National League Division Two

The 1949 National League Division Two was the fourth post-war season of the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1][2]

1949 Speedway National League Division Two
LeagueNational League Division Two
ChampionsBristol Bulldogs
No. of competitors12
National Trophy
(Div 3 final)		Bristol Bulldogs
Highest averageBruce Semmens
Division/s aboveNational League (Div 1)
Division/s belowNational League (Div 3)

Summary

The League was extended to 12 teams with the addition of new entrants Walthamstow Wolves and Ashfield Giants. Coventry Bees, Southampton Saints and Cradley Heath moved up from Division Three, with Cradley changing their nickname from Cubs to Heathens in the process. Two sides were missing from those that finished the previous season. Birmingham Brummies moved up to Division One and Middlesbrough Bears dropped out, although the promotion and most of their riders moved to the renamed Newcastle Magpies whose riders and promotion in turn had moved to Ashfield[3]

The Division Two Anniversary (League) Cup was discontinued as the expanded league programme gave the teams 44 league fixtures. Bristol Bulldogs retained their title.[4]

Final table
Pos Team PL W D L Pts
1 Bristol Bulldogs 44 34 1 9 69
2 Sheffield Tigers 44 29 1 14 59
3 Norwich Stars 44 27 0 17 54
4 Cradley Heath Heathens 44 25 0 19 50
5 Edinburgh Monarchs 44 24 0 20 48
6 Walthamstow Wolves 44 21 3 20 45
7 Southampton Saints 44 21 3 20 45
8 Glasgow Tigers 44 20 0 24 40
9 Fleetwood Flyers 44 18 1 25 37
10 Newcastle Magpies 44 17 1 26 35
11 Ashfield Giants 44 12 1 31 25
12 Coventry Bees 44 10 1 33 21

Top Five Riders (League only)
Rider Nat Team C.M.A.
1 Bruce Semmens England Sheffield Tigers 10.47
2 Billy Hole England Bristol Bulldogs 10.11
3 Jack Mountford England Bristol Bulldogs 9.75
4 Roger Wise England Bristol Bulldogs 9.56
5 Alan Hunt England Cradley Heath Heathens 9.45

National Trophy Stage Two

The 1949 National Trophy was the 12th 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. Bristol won stage two and therefore qualified for stage three.[5]

Second Division qualifying first round
Date Team one Score Team two
07/06Glasgow Ashfield53-55Cradley Heath
03/06Cradley Heath56-52Glasgow Ashfield
15/06Glasgow White City67-41Norwich
18/06Norwich71-36Glasgow White City
22/06Fleetwood69-38Stoke Hanley
18/06Stoke Hanley56-52Fleetwood
17/06Bristol73-35Sheffield
16/06Sheffield53-55Bristol
31/05Southampton52-56Walthamstow
30/05Walthamstow63-44Southampton

Second Division Qualifying Second round
Date Team one Score Team two
25/06Coventry42-66Bristol
24/06Bristol80-28Coventry
02/07Edinburgh57-51Fleetwood
29/06Fleetwood61-44Edinburgh
02/07Norwich78-30Newcastle
27/06Newcastle64-41Norwich
24/06Cradley Heath66-41Walthamstow
20/06Walthamstow64-39Cradley Heath
08/07
replay		Cradley Heath71-37Walthamstow
04/07
replay		Walthamstow62-44Cradley Heath

Second Division Qualifying semifinals
Date Team one Score Team two
23/07Norwich70.5-37.5Cradley Heath
22/07Cradley Heath67-41Norwich
13/07Fleetwood46-60Bristol
08/07Bristol73-35Fleetwood

Second Division Qualifying final

First leg

Bristol Bulldogs
Jack Mountford 18
Billy Hole 16
Eric Salmon 12
Roger Wise 11
Johnny Hole 10
Mike Beddoe 7
Dick Bradley 5
Chris Boss 0		79 – 29Norwich Stars
Phil Clarke 8
Bob Leverenz 6
Jack Freeman 5
Fred Rogers 4
Bert Spencer 3
Ted Bravery 2
Alec Hunter 1
Syd Littlewood 0
[6][7]

Second leg

Norwich Stars
Phil Clarke 18
Bob Leverenz 14
Ted Bravery 12
Bert Spencer 11
Fred Rogers 8
Syd Littlewood 8
Jack Freeman 4
Johnny Davies 1		76 – 32Bristol Bulldogs
Roger Wise 7
Jack Mountford 6
Billy Hole 6
Mike Beddoe 4
Dick Bradley 3
Eric Salmon 3
Johnny Hole 3
Graham Hole 0
[8][7]

See also

References
  1. "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
  2. Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
  3. "Home". speedwayresearcher.org.uk.
  4. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  5. "1949 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
  6. "Harringay win one leg, but lose in National Speedway Trophy". Daily Herald. 30 July 1949. Retrieved 30 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "Norwich 1949 results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  8. "Brilliant Norwich Rally in National Speedway Trophy". Daily Herald. 1 August 1949. Retrieved 30 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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