| League | Northern League |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 6 |
| Champions | Belle Vue Aces |
| Highest average | Eric Langton |
| Division/s other | 1931 Southern League |
The 1931 Northern League was the third season of speedway racing in the United Kingdom for Northern British teams. It was the final season of the Northern League before amalgamation with the Southern League which also had their third season known as the 1931 Speedway Southern League.
Summary
Following the closure of several clubs from the previous season, only 6 sides started the season and only 4 finished it. There were many team changes from the previous season. Liverpool, Manchester White City, Warrington, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Rochdale Hornets, Barnsley and Wombwell were all no longer participants, while Leeds rejoined after a year's absence.
Belle Vue Aces retained their title, Glasgow White City and Leicester Super withdrew in mid-season but their results stood.
Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belle Vue Aces | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 24 |
| 2 | Leeds Lions | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 21 |
| 3 | Sheffield | 17 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| 4 | Leicester Super | 15 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
| 5 | Preston | 18 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 11 |
| 6 | Glasgow White City | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 8 |
Fixtures & results
A fixtures
| Home \ Away | BV | GLA | LEE | LEI | PRE | SHE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Vue | 40–14 | 35–19 | 40–14 | 31–20 | 31–23 | |
| Glasgow White City | 21–31 | 23–31 | 31–23 | 28–25 | 25–28 | |
| Leeds Lions | 22–30 | 39–14 | 28–26 | 30–23 | 34–18 | |
| Leicester Super | 29–24 | 39–15 | 29–24 | 34–20 | 31.5–22.5 | |
| Preston | 27–23 | 35–18 | 26.5–26.5 | 35–19 | 32–20 | |
| Sheffield | 39–15 | 35–19 | 34–19 | 32–22 | 34–19 |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
B fixtures
| Home \ Away | BV | GLA | LEE | LEI | PRE | SHE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Vue | n/a | 34–19 | n/a | 27–24 | 33–21 | |
| Glasgow White City | 24–30 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| Leeds Lions | 27–26 | 31–17 | 34–18 | 34–17 | 28–26 | |
| Leicester Super | 30–23 | n/a | n/a | 34–20 | 28–26 | |
| Preston | 25–29 | n/a | 27–26 | n/a | 38–15 | |
| Sheffield | 28–25 | n/a | 30–22 | 29–25 | 29–24 |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Top Five Riders
| Team | C.M.A. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Langton | Belle Vue | 11.28 |
| 2 | Arthur Jervis | Leicester | 10.14 |
| 3 | Ginger Lees | Preston | 10.06 |
| 4 | Dusty Haigh | Sheffield | 9.45 |
| 5 | Joe Abbott | Preston | 8.97 |
National Trophy
The 1931 National Trophy was the first edition of the Knockout Cup. It was contested between teams from the Southern and Northern Leagues.
For the results of the National Trophy see - 1931 Speedway Southern League
Riders & final averages
Belle Vue
-
Eric Langton 10.40 -
Max Grosskreutz 9.37 - Frank Varey 8.05
- Wally Hull 7.83
- Arthur Franklyn 7.41
- Len Woods 5.71
- Bob Harrison 5.36
- Frank Charles 5.33
- Chun Moore 5.33
- Clem Cort 4.18
Glasgow
-
Drew McQueen 6.38 - Arthur Moser 6.10
- Andy Nicholl 5.33
- Percy Dunn 5.29
- Alfie Williams 5.12
- Norrie Isbister 4.18
- George McKenzie 3.73
Leeds
- Frank Charles 8.91
- Gordon Byers 8.29
- Roy Barrowclough 8.14
- Alec Hill 6.46
- Drew McQueen 6.22
- Sam Marsland 5.90
- Alex Peel 5.36
- Harry Watson 5.19
- Tommy Gamble 5.14
Leicester
- Arthur Jervis 9.72
- Thomas Arthur Price 8.34
- Hal Herbert 7.88
- Colin Watson 6.56
- Fred Wilkinson 5.70
- George Hazzard 4.95
- George Marsh 4.74
-
Ian Ritchings 3.49 - Alf Summersby 2.29
Preston
- Ginger Lees 9.94
- Joe Abbott 9.38
- Larry Boulton 7.36
- Jack Rowley 6.17
- Les Wotton 5.89
- Eric Airey 5.88
- Eddie Myserscough 5.51
- Jack Tye 5.56
Gustav Kellner 5.17
Sheffield
- Dusty Haigh 9.74
- Eric Blain 7.00
- Broncho Dixon 6.31
- Norman Hartley 6.08
- Fred Hatton 6.00
- Gus Platts 5.69
- Tommy Allott 5.08
- Jack Barber 4.94
- Harry Credland 4.00
See also
References
- Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ The Speedway Researcher Speedway Researcher. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
- "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". British Speedway. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- "Speedway Teams UK 1929-1934". Cyber Motorcycle. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- "1931 fixtures & results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- "1931 fixtures & results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- "1931 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
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