The 1937 Provincial Speedway League was the second season of the Provincial League. Seven speedway teams started the season. From the previous season's finishers, Plymouth Panthers had dropped out but Leicester, Birmingham (Hall Green) and Norwich Stars joined up. Leicester withdrew mid-season and their record was expunged. Liverpool Merseysiders also withdrew mid-season but their entry was taken over by Belle Vue. Bristol Bulldogs were the champions and moved up to the National League for the following season.
Due to the brevity of the season, teams also competed for the Provincial Trophy in a league format. Leicester had already folded before the competition started and as with the league, Belle Vue replaced Liverpool Merseysiders. Nottingham won the Provincial Trophy and completed a double by winning the Provincial League Coronation Cup.
Stan Hart was killed during a match at Hall Green Stadium between Birmingham and Belle Vue on 25 August. He fell during a heat and was hit by a rider behind.
Final table Pos Team M W D L Pts1 Bristol Bulldogs 20 15 0 5 302 Southampton Saints 20 13 0 7 263 Nottingham 20 11 0 9 224 Liverpool Merseysiders+Belle Vue Merseysiders+ 20 8 0 12 16*5 Norwich Stars 20 8 0 12 166 Birmingham Bulldogs 20 5 0 15 10 M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
+ Liverpool scored 10 points from 11 matches, Belle Vue scored 6 from 9
Withdrawal (Record expunged) : Leicester Hounds
Fixtures & results A fixtures
B fixtures
Leading averages (league only) Rider Team Average Frank GouldenSouthampton10.46 George GreenwoodNottingham9.55 Bert JonesSouthampton9.21 Bill Rogers Bristol9.15 Billy DallisonSouthampton9.15
Provincial Trophy final table Pos Team M W D L Pts1 Nottingham 10 7 0 3 142 Bristol Bulldogs 10 6 1 3 133 Southampton Saints 10 6 0 4 124 Liverpool Merseysiders+ Belle Vue Merseysiders+ 10 4 0 6 85 Birmingham (Hall Green) 10 3 1 6 76 Norwich Stars 10 3 0 7 6 M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points
+ Liverpool scored 2 points from 6 matches, Belle Vue scored 6 from 4
National Trophy The 1937 National Trophy was the seventh edition of the Knockout Cup. Southampton Saints won the Provincial Final round and therefore qualified for the quarter finals proper (the round when the tier one sides entered the competition).
Provincial League first qualifying round Date Team one Score Team two03/05 Liverpool 57-26 Norwich01/05 Norwich 30-51 Liverpool Provincial League second qualifying round Date Team one Score Team two23/04 Bristol 48-36 Nottingham20/04 Nottingham rain Bristol04/05 Nottingham 46-37 Bristol31/05 Liverpool 39-45 Southampton25/05 Southampton 55-28 Liverpool Final
First leg
Second leg
Southampton were the National Trophy Provincial Final winners, winning on aggregate 93-73.
Coronation Cup The 1937 Coronation Cup was a one-off competition to mark the Coronation of George VI and Elizabeth. Nottingham won the Cup.
First round Team one Team two scoresBristol Norwich 53–29, 47–35 (100–64 agg)Southampton Liverpool 41–42, 48–35 (89–77 agg) Semifinals Team one Team two scoresNottingham Bristol55–29, 37–47 (92–76 agg)SouthamptonBirmingham 80–28, 40–41 (120–69 agg) Final Team one Team two scoresNottingham Southampton 61–23, 37–46 (98–69 agg)
Riders & final averages Birmingham
8.00 7.88 7.41 7.42 7.38 6.17 5.33 5.00 4.77 Keith Harvey 4.15 3.00 2.20
Bristol
9.15 9.01 9.00 8.73 8.67 7.25 6.75 5.92 6.40 5.50 5.42
Liverpool/Belle Vue
8.88/8.88 7.73/7.63 7.00/7.61 6.97/6.57 6.86/6.92 6.00/6.89 6.00/4.57 4.43/5.31 x/3.73 5.00/4.14 4.27/3.65
Norwich
8.87 8.64 7.79 6.65 5.69 5.39 5.14 4.87 4.62 4.34 4.00 3.89 3.73
Nottingham
9.55 8.43 8.40 8.21 7.95 7.53 6.36 6.25 6.21 5.69 1.60
Southampton
10.46 9.21 9.15 9.01 8.38 6.14 4.85 4.94 3.50 3.29
See also List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions Knockout Cup
References