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1955 Speedway National League Division Two
The 1955 National League Division Two was the tenth post-war season of the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. Summary The only change in the list of teams that finished the previous season was the replacement of Motherwell Eagles with Weymouth Scorchers. Poole Pirates won the title. Weymouth Scorchers withdrew after 7 league fixtures, Bristol Bulldogs withdrew after 14. Final table * Weymouth Scorchers and Bristol Bulldogs The Bristol Bulldogs were a British motorcycle speedway team based in the Knowle Stadium, Bristol, England from 1928 to 1978.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. History The club was formed in 1928. Their first trophy ... withdrew, records expunged. Top Five Riders (League only) National Trophy Stage One The 1955 National Trophy was the 18th 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. Poole won stage one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poole Pirates
Poole Pirates (also known as Poole Speedway) are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the SGB Championship. The club have been the champions of the United Kingdom on ten occasions. Poole Speedway is promoted by local businessman Matt Ford and son Danny Ford, who took over promoting rights of the club in 1998. The team is managed by past rider and former Great Britain team manager Neil Middleditch. Wimborne Road Stadium has been home to the club since it was founded in 1948. In August 2004, Poole hosted the Speedway World Cup final, which was won by Sweden. Stadium Poole Stadium (also known as Wimborne Road Stadium), has been the Pirates' home track since the club was created in 1948. It is situated near to the town centre and is owned by Poole Borough Council. The stadium's capacity was limited to 5,500 people in 2008 for safety reasons. Prior to 1948, the stadium had been used as a cycle track and had been home to Poole Town Football Club sinc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ipswich Witches
The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. They compete in the British SGB Premiership. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm (first race 7.45pm). The Witches are currently promoted by former Ipswich riders Chris Louis and Ritchie Hawkins. Chris Louis is the son of former rider and promoter John Louis History Early history Foxhall Stadium was purpose-built for speedway in 1950, and meetings were held there from 1951 to 1965 when the track was resurfaced for stock car racing. Attendances approached 20,000 and made stars of riders such as Syd Clarke, Junior Bainbridge, Tich Read and Peter Moore. The inaugural league season was the 1952 Speedway Southern League, where the team finished 8th. After 10 seasons of league speedway the team withdrew from the 1962 Speedway National League mid-season. Their best placing to that date had been a third place finish in 1953. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Speedway National League Division Two
The National League Division Two was the second tier of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom, the second division of the National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s .... The competition was founded in 1938 following a competition named "The National Provincial League". Following World War II the second tier of racing was titled "The Northern League" in 1946 before evolving into National League Division Two in 1947. See also List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions References Speedway leagues Speedway competitions in the United Kingdom {{UK-motorcycle-speedway-competition-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Knockout Cup (speedway)
Knockout Cup (sometimes referred to as the KO Cup) is a type of British motorcycle speedway competition, examples of which have run annually since 1929. Each tier of British Speedway has its own respective Knockout Cup. The current Knockout Cup competitions are the SGB Premiership Knockout Cup (tier one), the SGB Championship Knockout Cup (tier two) and the National League Knockout Cup (tier three). The cups have been run in the past under the associated name of the League at the time. For example Elite League Knockout Cup when tier one was the Elite League, a Premier League Knockout Cup when tier two was the Premier League and so on. Knockout Cups (chronological order) Tier One *National Trophy 1931–1964 *British League Knockout Cup 1965–1967 * British League Division One Knockout Cup 1968–1974 *British League Knockout Cup 1975–1994 *Premier League Knockout Cup 1995–1996 *Elite League Knockout Cup 1997–2012 * not held, 2012-2016 * SGB Premiership Knockout Cup 2017â ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil Street
Neil Street OAM (15 January 1931 – 6 October 2011) was an international motorcycle speedway rider, manager and engineer, who first arrived in Britain in 1952 to ride for the Exeter Falcons. Street was born in Melbourne, Australia. He rode for the Swindon Robins and the Newport Wasps before retiring from racing in 1976. He made international appearances for Australia, Australasia, Great Britain and Norway. In 2002 he was awarded the Order of Australia in the Australia Day 'Motor Sport' Awards for his services to speedway. Management In 1981 he was appointed team manager of the Weymouth Wildcats. When they closed in 1984 he became manager of the Poole Pirates until 1999 when he handed over to Neil Middleditch. In 1984 he was also the team manager of the Exeter Falcons. In 1997 he also took over as manager of the Newport Wasps and stayed in charge there until 2005. Street was also manager of the Australia speedway team and was in charge when they won the World Team Cup in 1999 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Middleditch
Kenneth Arthur Middleditch (5 October 1925 – 9 January 2021) was a motorcycle speedway rider from England. Career Middleditch served in the RAF in World War II as a rear gunner, and became interested in speedway while stationed in Egypt.Morgan, Tom (1949) ''Who's Who in Speedway'', Sport-in-Print, p. 53 Middleditch signed for Third Division team Hastings in 1948 after progressing through Eastbourne's speedway training school. By 1949 he had become Hastings top points scorer but at the end of that year Hastings were forced to close down and he signed for Poole. Middleditch had a successful career at Poole, forming an effective pairing with Poole rider Tony Lewis. He won the National League Division Three Rider's Championship, held at Penarth Road Stadium in Cardiff on 23 October 1951. He eventually became the team captain and won four league titles with the club. In 1954, he won the National League Division Two Rider's Championship, held at Hyde Road on 16 October. Mid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Bradley
Derrick Edward Bradley (28 November 1924 – 30 October 2022) was an English motorcycle speedway rider. Speedway career When Bradley left school he became an apprentice mechanic for a company called Skurrays. After competing in grasstrack racing he was given a trial by Bristol Bulldogs manager Bill Hamblin. He raced a few times in 1948 and was a league winner with Bristol during the 1948 Speedway National League Division Two season and the 1949 Speedway National League Division Two season. Bradley became one of the leading speedway riders in the 1950s. He reached the final of the Speedway World Championship on three occasions in the 1951 Individual Speedway World Championship, 1952 Individual Speedway World Championship and the 1953 Individual Speedway World Championship. He was capped by the England national speedway team against Australia in 1952. He rode in the top tier of British Speedway from 1948-1965, riding for various clubs. His successes included winning the Nationa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Geran
John Francis Geran (10 December 1929 – 20 June 2021) was an international motorcycle speedway rider from Australia. Speedway career Geran reached the final of the Speedway World Championship on two occasions in the 1957 Individual Speedway World Championship and the 1958 Individual Speedway World Championship. He rode in the top tier of British Speedway from 1952-1964, riding for various clubs. World Final Appearances Individual World Championship * 1957 - London, Wembley Stadium - 10th - 7pts * 1958 - London, Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ... - 14th - 3pts References 1929 births 2021 deaths Australian speedway riders Poole Pirates riders Exeter Falcons riders Leicester Hunters riders Oxford Cheetahs riders {{Australia-sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Exeter Falcons
The Exeter Falcons were a speedway team based in the city of Exeter. The Falcons operated from 1947 to 2005 at the County Ground Stadium in Exeter. History In 1947, the Falcons competed in a league for the first time when they finished fourth during the 1947 Speedway National League Division Three. The following season they won the 1948 Speedway National League Division Three. The next success came in 1951 when the club won the Division 3 National Trophy. After a five year absence the team returned to league action in the 1961 Provincial Speedway League and the following year won the 1962 Provincial League Knockout Cup. In 1973, the club signed New Zealander Ivan Mauger, a multiple world champion who would lead the club from 1973 to 1977 and bring Exeter their greatest success to date, when winning the 1974 British League title. In 1995 and 1996, the club ran a junior side called the Devon Demons. The Demons reappeared in 2014 as the junior side for the Plymouth Gladiato ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swindon Robins
The Swindon Speedway team, also known as the Swindon Robins, are an English motorcycle speedway team established in 1949 that have competed primarily in the top division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom. They are five times league champions of the United Kingdom. The club have raced on their home track at the Abbey Stadium, Lady Lane, Blunsdon since their inception. History 1928–1949 The formation of the club followed the sport's prehistory in the town at the now-demolished Gorse Hill Aerodrome, where dirt track racing had taken place since 1928. The birth of the Robins was a product of the partnership of Bristol speedway manager Reg Witcomb and businessman Bert Hearse. Under their direction, a cinder track was built. The first meeting, a non-league home challenge match, took place on 23 July 1949 against future rivals Oxford, and an official attendance figure of 8,000 was given, although employees of the club believe that 10,000 would be closer to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leicester Hunters
The Leicester Hunters were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1948 until 1962.Bamford, R & Jarvis J. (2001) ''Homes of British Speedway'', , p. 147-149 History Speedway had operated before the war at both Leicester Stadium and the Leicester Super track. Speedway was proposed to return to Leicester in 1948 at Leicester Stadium, led by A. D. Sanderson with Roy Dook and later Bob Peett managing the team, but concerns from local residents over noise levels delayed the return until the following year, with the newly formed team limited to away challenge matches in 1948. To go with the team name, the riders wore hunting pink race bibs featuring a gold horseshoe. The Hunters joined the National League in Division 3, where they finished 10th. Former rider Cyril "Squib" Burton, who had been one of the top riders of the Leicester Stadium team in the early 1930s, took over as manager in 1950 and the team joined division 2 at the end of the season, after finishing in third place. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
