The 1937 National League Division One was the ninth season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
Summary The entrants were the same seven teams as the previous season.
West Ham Hammers won their first national title despite finishing bottom the previous season. In the process they stopped Belle Vue Aces from claiming a fifth consecutive title win. Belle Vue did however go on to win the cup double winning the Knockout Cup for the fifth successive year and the A.C.U Cup for the fourth successive year.
Roy Clarence Vigor (Reg Vigor) was fatally injured during a match at Wimbledon Stadium on 27 September. He hit a safety fence and his bike landed on top of him. He died in Nelson Hospital, Merton, three days later. His death came just one month after the death of Stan Hart in the 1937 Provincial Speedway League.
Final table Pos Team PL W D L Pts1 West Ham Hammers 24 18 0 6 362 Wembley Lions 24 16 0 8 323 New Cross Rangers 24 16 0 8 324 Belle Vue Aces 24 13 0 11 265 Hackney Wick Wolves 24 10 0 14 206 Harringay Tigers 24 9 0 15 187 Wimbledon Dons 24 2 0 22 4
Fixtures & results A fixtures
B fixtures
Top ten riders Rider Nat Team C.M.A. 1 Jack Milne New Cross 11.09 2 Lionel van Praag Wembley 10.53 3 Eric Langton Belle Vue 10.18 4 Bluey Wilkinson West Ham 10.14 5 Bill Kitchen Belle Vue 9.88 6 Jack Parker Harringay 9.71 7 Cordy Milne Hackney 9.38 8 Eric Chitty West Ham 9.32 9 Joe Abbott Belle Vue 8.98 10 Frank Charles Wembley 8.96
National Trophy The 1937 National Trophy was the seventh edition of the Knockout Cup.
Qualifying rounds Southampton Saints won the Provincial final and therefore secured a place in the quarter-finals.
Quarterfinals Date Team one Score Team two05/06 Harringay 41-65 New Cross09/06 New Cross 76-31 Harringay07/06 Wimbledon 39-68 Belle Vue12/06 Belle Vue 80-28 Wimbledon08/06 West Ham 58-46 Hackney Wick11/06 Hackney Wick 60-48 West Ham 25/06replay Hackney Wick 65-43 West Ham29/06 Southampton 40-44 Wembley29/06replay West Ham 55-53 Hackney Wick
Semifinals Date Team one Score Team two15/07 Wembley 50-58 New Cross14/07 New Cross 59-48 Wembley16/07 Hackney Wick 56-52 Belle Vue17/07 Belle Vue 69-39 Hackney Wick
Final
First leg
Second leg
Belle Vue were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 115-110.
A.C.U Cup The 1937 Auto-Cycle Union Cup was the fourth edition of the Cup and was won by Belle Vue for the fourth time. The groups were decided on the number of heat points scored within matches, rather than match wins.
First round
Group 1 Team PL W D L Race Pts Wembley Lions 6 6 0 0 319.5New Cross Rangers 6 3 0 3 311.5 Harringay Tigers 6 3 0 3 269 Wimbledon Dons 6 0 0 6 240
Group 2 Team PL W D L Race Pts Belle Vue Aces 4 1 0 3 202 West Ham Hammers 4 3 0 1 190 Hackney Wick Wolves 4 2 0 2 181
Group 1
Group 2
Final Date Team one Team two Score07/10Wembley Belle Vue 49–4509/10Belle Vue Wembley 61–35
London Cup First round Team one Score Team twoNew Cross 65–43, 65–42 WimbledonWembley58–49, 61–46 Harringay
Semi final round Team one Score Team twoHackney Wick49–59, 21–87 West HamNew Cross 62–46, 56–50 Wembley
Final
First leg
Second leg
New Cross won on aggregate 117–97
Riders & final averages Belle Vue
10.18 9.88 9.49 8.07 6.71 5.33 4.39 4.21 3.25 2.46 2.77
Hackney
9.38 8.30 7.63 5.54 5.40 5.20 4.76 4.14 3.58 3.40 2.48 1.71
Harringay
9.81 8.29 6.46 6.33 6.21 5.49 5.48 5.31 3.50 3.22 3.10
New Cross
11.09 8.91 8.50 6.29 5.88 5.83 5.80 4.03 (John Glass) 3.56 3.38 2.35 2.00
Wembley
10.42 8.96 8.24 6.22 5.60 5.37 5.37 5.00 5.00 2.00
West Ham
10.23 Eric Chitty 9.37 8.92 8.54 7.18 6.03 5.83 5.60 4.63 3.50
Wimbledon
8.14 6.92 5.88 5.23 5.06 5.02 5.00 4.93 4.89 4.00 3.73 3.08 2.86 2.48 Alfred Rumrich 1.09 0.29
See also List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions Knockout Cup (speedway)
References