The 1956 National League Division One was the eleventh post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1]
Summary
The league consisted of seven teams after the West Ham Hammers ceased competitive speedway racing at the end of 1955. Poole Pirates came up from the second tier to replace them. Match line-ups were increased to eight riders after a single season with seven riders. Wimbledon won their third successive National League Championship.
Final table
| Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| Wimbledon Dons | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 35 |
| Wembley Lions | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 29 |
| Birmingham Brummies | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 25 |
| Norwich Stars | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 24 |
| Belle Vue Aces | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 23 |
| Poole Pirates | 24 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 20 |
| Bradford Tudors | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 12 |
Top Ten Riders (League only)
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Barry Briggs | 
|
Wimbledon Dons | 10.53 |
| 2 | Ove Fundin | 
|
Norwich Stars | 10.34 |
| 3 | Ronnie Moore |
|
Wimbledon Dons | 10.32 |
| 4 | Brian Crutcher | 
|
Wembley Lions | 10.16 |
| 5 | Alan Hunt |
|
Birmingham Brummies | 9.53 |
| 6 | 
|
Wimbledon Dons | 9.20 | |
| 7 | Peter Craven |
|
Belle Vue Aces | 9.07 |
| 8 |
|
Poole Pirates | 8.71 | |
| 9 |
|
Belle Vue Aces | 8.40 | |
| 10 | Ron Johnston |
|
Belle Vue Aces | 8.38 |
National Trophy Stage Two
The 1956 National Trophy was the 19th edition of the Knockout Cup. The Trophy consisted of two stages; stage one was for the second tier clubs, stage two was for the top tier clubs. Wimbledon won the second and final stage and were therefore declared the 1956 National Trophy champions.[2]
First Round
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26/07 | Wembley | 60-47 | Birmingham |
| 24/07 | Southampton | 64-44 | Norwich |
| 21/07 | Belle Vue | 72-36 | Poole |
| 21/07 | Birmingham | 61-47 | Wembley |
| 21/07 | Bradford Odsal | 38-70 | Wimbledon |
| 21/07 | Norwich | 77-31 | Southampton |
| 16/07 | Poole | 54-54 | Belle Vue |
| 16/07 | Wimbledon | 79-29 | Bradford Odsal |
Semi Finals
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/09 | Belle Vue | 83-25 | Birmingham |
| 17/08 | Birmingham | 64-44 | Belle Vue |
| 13/08 | Wimbledon | 68-40 | Norwich |
| 04/08 | Norwich | 56-52 | Wimbledon |
Final
| Date | Team One | Score | Team Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/09 | Belle Vue | 68-39 | Wimbledon |
| 10/09 | Wimbledon | 69-39 | Belle Vue |
- For Stage One - see Stage One
See also
List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
References
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "1956 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
United Kingdom Speedway Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tier One League Top division |
|  |
| Tier Two League Second division |
| |
| Tier Three League Third division | ||