| League | National League Division One |
|---|---|
| Champions | None |
| No. of competitors | 7 |
| National Trophy | Belle Vue Aces & Wembley Lions |
| Highest average | Cordy Milne |
| Division/s below | National League (Div 2) |
The 1939 National League Division One was an eleventh and unfinished season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1][2][3][4]
Summary
Southampton Saints had moved up from Division Two and Bristol Bulldogs moved back down after just one season.
Belle Vue Aces were leading the championship ahead of Wimbledon Dons when the league was abandoned due to the outbreak of World War II .
Table at the outbreak of war
| Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| Belle Vue Aces | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 25 |
| Wimbledon Dons | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 24 |
| Wembley Lions | 19 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 23 |
| West Ham Hammers | 19 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 18 |
| Harringay Tigers | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 15 |
| Southampton Saints | 17 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 10 |
| New Cross Rangers | 19 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 9 |
Top Ten Riders at the outbreak of war
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Cordy Milne | 
|
Southampton Saints | 11.29 |
| 2 | Wilbur Lamoreaux |
|
Wimbledon Dons | 11.06 |
| 3 | Bill Kitchen | 
|
Belle Vue Aces | 10.88 |
| 4 | Vic Duggan | 
|
Wimbledon Dons | 10.67 |
| 5 | Arthur Atkinson |
|
West Ham Hammers | 10.62 |
| 6 | Lionel van Praag |
|
Wembley Lions | 10.62 |
| 7 | Jack Milne |
|
New Cross Rangers | 10.00 |
| 8 | Jack Parker |
|
Harringay Tigers | 9.6 |
| 9 | Eric Langton |
|
Belle Vue Aces | 9.5 |
| 10 | Jimmy Gibb | 
|
West Ham Hammers | 8.58 |
National Trophy
The 1939 National Trophy was the ninth edition of the Knockout Cup. Wembley and Belle Vue were declared joint winners following the abandonment of the final fixture due to the outbreak of the war.[5][6]
Qualifying rounds
Sheffield Tigers won the Division Two final and therefore secured a place in the quarter finals.
Quarterfinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22/07 | Belle Vue | 67-40 | Wimbledon |
| 17/07 | Wimbledon | 51-56 | Belle Vue |
| 26/07 | New Cross | 57-51 | Harringay |
| 22/07 | Harringay | 52-54 | New Cross |
| 13/07 | Wembley | 64-45 | West Ham |
| 11/07 | West Ham | 62-46 | Wembley |
| 20/07 | Sheffield | 61-46 | Southampton |
| 26/07 | Southampton | 68-36 | Sheffield |
Semifinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26/08 | Belle Vue | 80-28 | New Cross |
| 16/08 | New Cross | 44-64 | Belle Vue |
| 31/08 | Wembley | 74-33 | Southampton |
| 30/08 | Southampton | 62-46 | Wembley |
Final
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16/09 | Wembley | not held | Belle Vue |
| 21/09 | Belle Vue | not held | Wembley |
References
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "1939 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
- ^ "1939 Cup". Speedway GB.
United Kingdom Speedway Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tier One League Top division |
|  |
| Tier Two League Second division |
| |
| Tier Three League Third division | ||
| Champions | ||
National League seasons 1932–1964 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 21:38