1947 Speedway National League Division Three Explained

The 1947 National League Division Three was the inaugural season of British speedway's National League Division Three^[1] Speedway in 1947 was restricted in terms of fixtures and attendances following the fallout from World War II.^[2]

With several new teams joining British Speedway in 1947, a third league tier was created for the first time.^[3] The new teams included the Cradley Heath Cubs, racing at Dudley Wood Stadium,^[4] Hanley Potters following an eight year absence from British speedway^[5] and Exeter Falcons after a lease was signed by Motor Sports (Exeter) Ltd (led by Frank Buckland) with the landlords County Athletic Ground Company.^[6]

Eastbourne Eagles won the title in their first season of league speedway.^{[7] [8]}

Peter Robinson of Southampton topped the averages.^[9]

Final table

width=50	Pos	width=200	Team	width=20	P	width=20	W	width=20	D	width=20	L	width=50	F	width=50	A	width=30	Pts	width=50	Diff
1	Eastbourne Eagles	28	18	0	10	1260	1057	36	+203
2	Cradley Heath Cubs	28	18	0	10	1215	1116	36	+99
3	Southampton Saints	28	17	1	10	1113	1197	35	-84
4	Exeter Falcons	28	15	0	13	1193.5	1131.5	30	+62
5	Tamworth Hounds	28	12	0	16	1159	1179	24	-20
6	Hanley Potters	28	12	0	16	1113	1197	24	-84
7	Wombwell Colliers	28	12	0	16	1100	1225	24	-125
8	Plymouth Devils	28	7	1	20	995	1330	15	align="center"	-335

Leading averages

	Rider	Team	C.M.A.
1	Peter Robinson	Southampton	10.57
2	Cyril Roger	Exeter	10.34
3	Wally Green	Eastbourne	10.20
4	Basil Harris	Eastbourne	9.54
5	Bob Oakley	Southampton	9.37

Riders & final averages

Cradley Heath

• Geoff Bennett 9.36
• Les Beaumont 8.40
• Eric Irons 7.44
• Jimmy Wright 7.04
• Bob Fletcher 6.90
• Alan Hunt 6.10
• Ray Beaumont 5.88
• Phil Malpass 5.03
• Frank Evans 4.34

Eastbourne

• Wally Green 10.20
• Basil Harris 9.46
• Jock Grierson 8.46
• Jimmy Coy 7.25
• Ken Tidbury 6.29
• Harry Saunders 5.71
• Ron Clarke 4.49
• Alan Briggs 3.71
• Bob Sivyer 3.20
• Eric Dunn 3.20
• Dennis Gray 3.00

Exeter

• Cyril Roger 10.31
• Don Hardy 7.86
• Stan Hodson 6.92
• Les Trim 6.62
• Allan Chambers 6.36
• Arthur Pilgrim 6.20
• Johnny Myson 6.18
• Sid Hazzard 6.08
• Bronco Slade 5.90
• Tom Crutcher 5.66
• Bill Williams 3.80

Hanley

• Dave Anderson 8.52
• Vic Pitcher 8.44
• Dick Howard 7.43
• Ray Harris 6.79
• Reg Gregory 6.15
• Les Jenkins 6.04
• Cyril Page 5.89
• Gil Blake 5.30
• George Fisher 5.23
• Bert Danner 3.89

Plymouth

• Ivan Kessell 7.81
• Stan Lanfear 7.55
• Alex Gray 6.84
• Charlie Challis 6.56
• Billy Newell 6.47
• Les Covell 5.71
• Len Read 5.10
• Doug Bell 4.26
• Jim Cashmore 4.20
• Bill Deegan 4.16
• Vic Gent 3.74
• Jack Milross 3.71
• Harold Sharpe 3.41
• Bill Sale 3.14

Southampton

• Peter Robinson 10.57
• Bob Oakley 9.37
• Jimmy Squibb 8.09
• George Bason 6.99
• Alf Kaines 6.47
• Pete Lansdale 6.22
• Bert Croucher 5.81
• Vic Collins 5.67
• Tony Buxey 3.73
• Matthew Hall 2.93
• Ron Lemon 2.80
• Bill Griffiths 2.40

Tamworth

• Steve Langton 8.00
• Arthur Payne 7.79
• Bill Harris 7.74
• Vic Pitcher 7.33
• Bill Dalton 6.67
• Ted Gibson 6.50
• Jack Baxter 6.64
• Cyril Page 6.27
• Charlie Oates 5.35
• Jack Ladd 5.18
• Fred Yates 4.89
• Jack Kidd 4.00
• Reg Challenger 2.29

Wombwell

• Harwood Pike 8.78
• Stan Hodson 8.15
• Len Tupling 7.88
• Bernard Tennant 7.11
• Bert Lacey 6.50
• Stan Beardsall 6.24
• Alf Elliott 6.12
• Red Hamley 6.03
• Bert Thomas 5.72
• Harry Modral 5.45
• Sam Marsland 5.38
• Ken Allick 5.33
• Jeff Bishop 4.79
• Gerry Williams 4.65
• Reg Challenger 4.00

See also

• List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
• Knockout Cup (speedway)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Speedway Researcher. www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk.
2. News: Speedway must limit crowds . Daily Mirror . 27 March 1947 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription . 2 November 2024 .
3. Book: Rogers, Martin. The Illustrated History of Speedway. 1978. 129. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. 0-904584-45-3.
4. News: Speedway racing . Evening Despatch . 19 June 1947 . 15 June 2024. British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
5. News: Hanley Speedway Thrills and Spills . Staffordshire Sentinel . 9 May 1947 . 15 June 2024. British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
6. News: Speedway Racing . Western Morning News . 15 January 1947 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription . 23 September 2024.
7. Web site: Major League Competitions. Speedway Archive.
8. Web site: BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964). Official British Speedway website. 11 August 2021.
9. Web site: National League Division 3 1947. Speedway Researcher. 11 November 2021.