1950 Speedway National League Division Two

The 1950 National League Division Two was the fifth post-war season of the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1]

1950 Speedway National League Division Two
LeagueNational League Division Two
ChampionsNorwich Stars
No. of competitors15
National Trophy
(Div 2 final)		Halifax Dukes
Highest averageJack Young
Division/s aboveNational League (Div 1)
Division/s belowNational League (Div 3)

Summary

The League was extended again to 15 teams with the promotion from Division Three of Halifax Dukes, Plymouth, Yarmouth and Hanley. Bristol Bulldogs, champions for the previous two seasons, moved up to Division One.[2]

Norwich Stars claimed the title by a single point.

On 1 July 1950, two riders were killed on the same night. Jock Shead riding for Halifax Dukes was killed at The Firs Stadium, (the third rider in four years to be killed at the track) during the semi-final of the National Trophy. Shead's bike collided with another bike and he somersaulted before landing, he was take to hospital but died shortly afterwards. A second rider was killed on the same night in a division 1 fixture.[3]

Final table
Pos Team PL W D L Pts
1 Norwich Stars 28 18 1 9 37
2 Glasgow Tigers 28 18 0 10 36
3 Cradley Heath Heathens 28 18 0 10 36
4 Coventry Bees 28 16 0 12 32
5 Walthamstow Wolves 28 16 0 12 32
6 Halifax Dukes 28 16 0 12 32
7 Southampton Saints 28 14 1 13 29
8 Edinburgh Monarchs 28 14 1 13 29
9 Plymouth Devils 28 13 0 15 26
10 Sheffield Tars 28 13 0 15 26
11 Ashfield Giants 28 12 0 16 24
12 Yarmouth Bloaters 28 12 0 16 24
13 Newcastle Diamonds 28 10 0 18 20
14 Hanley Potters 28 9 2 17 20
15 Fleetwood Flyers 28 8 1 19 17

Top Five Riders (League only)
Rider Nat Team C.M.A.
1 Jack Young Australia Edinburgh Monarchs 11.24
2 Arthur Forrest England Halifax Dukes 11.00
3 Alan Hunt England Cradley Heath Heathens 10.44
4 Bob Oakley England Southampton Saints 10.43
5 Phil Clarke England Norwich Stars 9.91

National Trophy Stage Two

The 1950 National Trophy was the 13th 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. Halifax won stage two and therefore qualified for stage three.[4]

Second Division Qualifying First round
Date Team one Score Team two
26/05Halifax71-37Oxford
25/05Oxford68-40Halifax
27/05Coventry64-44Newcastle
29/05Newcastle62-45Coventry
27/05Norwich63-44Fleetwood
31/05Fleetwood48-59Norwich
31/05Glasgow White City70-38Stoke Hanley
27/05Stoke Hanley65-43Glasgow White City
30/05Ashfield Giants61-47Cradley Heath
29/05Cradley Heath60-47Ashfield Giants
26/05Sheffield77-31Plymouth
25/05Plymouth56-51Sheffield
30/05Yarmouth57-50Walthamstow
29/05Walthamstow66-42Yarmouth
30/05Southampton62-46Edinburgh
27/05Edinburgh48-60Southampton

Second Division Qualifying Second round
Date Team one Score Team two
10/06Coventry53-53Halifax
09/06Halifax68-40Coventry
10/06Norwich78-30Glasgow White City
07/06Glasgow White City70-38Norwich
20/06Ashfield Giants63-44Sheffield
09/06Sheffield57-51Ashfield Giants
20/06Southampton59-49Walthamstow
19/06Walthamstow67-41Southampton

Second Division Qualifying semifinals
Date Team one Score Team two
01/07Norwich58-50Halifax
30/06Halifax69-39Norwich
04/07Ashfield Giants67-41Walthamstow
26/06Walthamstow66-41Ashfield Giants

Second Division Qualifying final
Date Team one Score Team two
11/07Ashfield Giants58-50Halifax
14/07Halifax64-43Ashfield Giants

First leg

Ashfield Giants
Ken Le Breton 16
Merv Harding 12
Bruce Semmens 9
Willie Wilson 7
Keith Gurtner 7
Ron Hart 4
Bill Baird 3
Bob Lovell 0		58 – 50Halifax Dukes
Arthur Forrest 12
Vic Emms 12
Al Allison 8
Dyson Harper 8
Jack Hughes 6
Ray Johnson 3
Jack Dawson 1
Bill Crosland 0
[5]

Second leg

Halifax Dukes
Arthur Forrest 15
Vic Emms 11
Al Allison 11
Jack Hughes 9
Dyson Harper 7
Bill Crosland 6
Jack Dawson 4
Ray Johnson 1		64 – 43Ashfield Giants
Ken Le Breton 17
Merv Harding 9
Bruce Semmens 7
Keith Gurtner 5
Willie Wilson 3
Ron Hart 2
Bill Baird 0
Bob Lovell 0
[6]

See also

References
  1. "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
  2. "Speedway Researcher". Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  3. "Two Riders Killed". Weekly Dispatch (London). 2 July 1950. Retrieved 12 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "1950 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
  5. "Thrills, spills and a record as Giants beat Dukes". Daily Record. 12 July 1950. Retrieved 30 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "Halifax Win". Daily Record. 15 July 1950. Retrieved 30 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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