| League | National League Division Two |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 7 |
| Champions | Swindon Robins |
| National Trophy (Div 2 final) | Southampton Saints |
| Highest average | Per Olof Söderman |
| Division/s above | National League (Div 1) |
| Division/s below | Southern League |
1956 was the final season of the Speedway National League Division Two.
Summary
With the number of sides competing at national level diminishing from 37 at the start of 1951 to just 14 in 1956, only a single national division would be in existence by 1957. Poole Pirates had been promoted to Division One and Exeter Falcons had closed leaving seven entrants.
Swindon Robins captured the title by a single point.
Southampton's 34-year-old captain Ernie Rawlins died in Southampton Hospital on 22 September 1956, following an accident in the match against Birmingham on 18 September.
Final table
| Pos | Team | M | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swindon Robins | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 32 |
| 2 | Southampton Saints | 24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 31 |
| 3 | Rayleigh Rockets | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 29 |
| 4 | Ipswich Witches | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 26 |
| 5 | Coventry Bees | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 24 |
| 6 | Leicester Hunters | 24 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 13 |
| 7 | Oxford Cheetahs | 24 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 13 |
Top Five Riders (League only)
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Per Olof Söderman | 
|
Coventry | 11.74 |
| 2 | Ken McKinlay | 
|
Leicester | 10.25 |
| 3 | Dick Bradley | 
|
Southampton | 10.22 |
| 4 | Bob Roger |
|
Swindon | 9.53 |
| 5 | Ian Williams | 
|
Swindon | 9.52 |
National Trophy Stage One
- For Stage Two - see Stage Two
The 1956 National Trophy was the 19th 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. Southampton won stage one and qualified for second and final stage.
Division Two First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21/04 | Coventry | 55-53 | Ipswich |
| 21/04 | Rayleigh | 74-34 | Oxford |
| 21/04 | Swindon | 65-43 | Leicester |
| 20/04 | Leicester | 65-43 | Swindon |
| 19/04 | Ipswich | 68-40 | Coventry |
| 19/04 | Oxford | 40-68 | Rayleigh |
| 05/05 replay |
Swindon | 51-56 | Leicester |
| 04/05 replay |
Leicester | 76-32 | Swindon |
Division Two semifinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26/05 | Rayleigh | 68-39 | Southampton |
| 25/05 | Leicester | 67-40 | Ipswich |
| 22/05 | Southampton | 69-39 | Rayleigh |
| 21/05 | Ipswich | 46-62 | Leicester |
Division Two final
First leg
| Southampton Saints Dick Bradley 15 Brian Hanham 13 Ernie Rawlins 12 Johnny Hole 7 Frank Bettis 6 Alby Golden 5 Maurie Mattingley 4 Ron Sharp 2 | 64 – 43 | Leicester Lions Ken McKinlay 14 Ron Phillips 11 Charlie Barsby 5 Len Williams 5 Bryan Elliott 3 Barrie East 3 Gordon McGregor 2 Ivor Brown 0 |
|---|---|---|
Second leg
| Leicester Lions Len Williams 12 Ken McKinlay 9 Ron Phillips 8 Gordon McGregor 7 Charlie Barsby 6 Barrie East 4 Ivor Brown 4 Dennis Parker 4 | 54 – 54 | Southampton Saints Ernie Rawlins 14 Dick Bradley 13 Brian Hanham 9 Maurie Mattingley 7 Alby Golden 5 Johnny Hole 2 Frank Bettis 2 Ron Sharp 2 |
|---|---|---|
Riders & final averages
Coventry
- Per Olof Söderman 11.74
- Bob Mark 7.50
-
Charlie New 8.04 - Reg Duval 6.53
- Nick Nicholls 6.40
- Jim Lightfoot 5.98
- Eric Hockaday 5.05
- Les Tolley 4.41
Ipswich
- Bert Edwards 9.21
-
Bob Sharp 8.93 - Junior Bainbridge 8.70
- Tich Read (George Snailum) 6.40
- Ken Adams 5.31
- Danny Dunton 4.56
- Larry Lazarus 3.54
- Bill Bryden 3.05
- Ken Last 2.76
- Len Silver 2.33
Leicester
- Ken McKinlay 10.25
- Gordon McGregor 8.21
- Derick Close 6.
- Johnny Green 5.
- Charlie Barsby 5.92
- Len Williams 5.89
- Ron Phillips 5.61
- Les McGillivray 4.73
- Barry East 3.61
- Bran Elliott 2.42
- Vic Hall 2.09
- Dennis Parker 1.33
- Ivor Brown 1.33
Oxford
- Ronnie Genz 8.53
- Peter Robinson 6.20
- Bob Baker 5.90
- Dennis Newton 5.60
- Howdy Byford 5.55
- Pat Clark 5.07
- Terry Courtnell 4.70
- Tommy Miller 4.29
- Bill Thatcher 4.00
- Roy Bowers 4.00
- Jim Tebby 3.69
- Maury Courtnell 2.46
Rayleigh
- Jack Unstead 9.50
- Gerry Jackson 8.25
- Les McGillivray 7.78
- Pete Lansdale 7.17
- Alan Smith 6.99
- Maury McDermott 6.40
-
Johnny Fitzpatrick 5.38 - Eric Ebbs 5.33
Southampton
- Dick Bradley 10.22
- Bill Holden 8.48
- Ernie Rawlins 8.41
- Brian Hanham 8.36
- Ron Sharp 5.75
- Alby Golden 5.43
- Maury Mattingley 5.25
- Johnny Hole 5.17
- Charlie May 4.59
- Frank Bettis 3.20
Swindon
- Bob Roger 9.53
- Ian Williams 9.52
- George White 9.15
- Ernie Lessiter 5.69
- Ray Harris 4.76
- Ron Swaine 4.13
- Danny Malone 3.83
- Al Sparrey 3.58
- Glyn Chandler 3.08
See also
References
- "Home". speedwayresearcher.org.uk.
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- "Speedway Star Dies". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 23 September 1956. Retrieved 13 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "1956 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
- ^ "1956 Southampton results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- "Hunters' Draw was not enough:Exit". Leicester Evening Mail. 23 June 1956. Retrieved 5 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
| Speedway National League Division Two seasons | ||
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| National League Division Two: |  | |
| Northern League: | ||
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