| League | National League |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 7 |
| Champions | Southampton Saints |
| National Trophy | Wimbledon Dons |
| Highest average | Ronnie Moore |
| Division/s below | 1962 Provincial League |
The 1962 National League was the 28th season and the seventeenth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
Summary
With the withdrawal of New Cross Rangers and with Leicester Hunters moving down to the Provincial League, the entry list was 8 teams and so home and away fixtures were raced twice. Southampton Saints broke the domination of Wimbledon Dons by winning their first National League title.
Ipswich Witches' season was a complete disaster. Their new signing Olle Nygren did not even start the season due to ill-health and then Jack Unstead was killed in the first recorded fatal crash at Foxhall Stadium, on 13 April 1962. The club later withdrew from the league due to financial issues and their results were expunged.
Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton Saints | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 36 |
| 2 | Wimbledon Dons | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 29 |
| 3 | Coventry Bees | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 26 |
| 4 | Belle Vue Aces | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 24 |
| 5 | Norwich Stars | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 24 |
| 6 | Swindon Robins | 24 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 20 |
| 7 | Oxford Cheetahs | 24 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 8 |
- Ipswich Witches resigned in mid-season.
Top Ten Riders (League only)
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronnie Moore | 
|
Wimbledon | 10.14 |
| 2 | Björn Knutson | 
|
Southampton | 9.89 |
| 3 | Olle Nygren |
|
Swindon/Norwich | 9.86 |
| 4 | Peter Craven | 
|
Belle Vue | 9.75 |
| 5 | Barry Briggs |
|
Southampton | 9.64 |
| 6 | Ove Fundin |
|
Norwich | 9.30 |
| 7 | Ron How |
|
Wimbledon | 9.30 |
| 8 | Peter Moore | 
|
Ipswich/Swindon | 9.02 |
| 9 | Bob Andrews |
|
Wimbledon | 8.82 |
| 10 | Ron Mountford |
|
Coventry | 8.74 |
National Trophy
The 1962 National Trophy was the 24th edition of the Knockout Cup. Wimbledon were the winners.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25/06 | Wimbledon | 49-35 | Belle Vue |
| 23/06 | Belle Vue | 46-38 | Wimbledon |
| 23/06 | Swindon | 51-33 | Ipswich |
| 22/06 | Ipswich | 42-40 | Swindon |
| 19/06 | Southampton | 56-28 | Coventry |
| 16/06 | Norwich | 33-51 | Oxford |
| 14/06 | Oxford | 47-37 | Norwich |
| 16/06 | Coventry | 41-43 | Southampton |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23/08 | Oxford | 45-39 | Swindon |
| 18/08 | Swindon | 59-25 | Oxford |
| 14/08 | Southampton | 42-42 | Wimbledon |
| 13/08 | Wimbledon | 50-33 | Southampton |
Final
First leg
| Wimbledon Dons Ronnie Moore 14 Ron How 14 Bob Andrews 11 Gerry Jackson 7 Cyril Brine 5 Leo McAuliffe 3 Jim Tebby 1 | 55 – 29 | Swindon Robins Mike Broadbank 9 Arne Carlsson 7 Ian Williams 4 Martin Ashby 3 Peter Moore 3 Brian Brett 2 Neil Street 1 |
|---|---|---|
Second leg
| Swindon Robins Martin Ashby 15 Mike Broadbank 7 Peter Moore 7 Arne Carlsson 6 Neil Street 5 Ian Williams 3 Brian Brett 2 | 45 – 39 | Wimbledon Dons Ronnie Moore 13 Ron How 12 Bob Andrews 9 Cyril Brine 3 Gerry Jackson 2 Jim Tebby 0 Leo McAuliffe 0 |
|---|---|---|
Wimbledon were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 94–74.
Riders & final averages
Belle Vue
- Peter Craven 9.75
- Sören Sjösten 8.23
- Cyril Maidment 7.95
- Dick Fisher 7.33
- Split Waterman 4.44
- Bob Duckworth 4.00
- Jim Yacoby 3.67
- Bernard McArthur 3.60
- Jack Kitchen 3.27
- Peter Kelly 3.17
- Bill Powell 2.50
- Nick Nicholls 2.33
Coventry
- Ron Mountford 8.74
-
Ken McKinlay 8.63 - Nigel Boocock 8.20
- Les Owen 7.61
- Jim Lightfoot 6.33
- Bryan Elliott 6.11
- Les McGillivray 5.33
- Rick France 4.47
- Peter Brough 3.35
Ipswich (resigned mid season)
- Peter Moore 8.73
- Split Waterman 6.63
- Colin Gooddy 6.06
- Bob Dugard 6.00
- Les McGillivray 5.85
- Leif Larsson 5.17
- Bengt Brannefors 4.44
- Sandy McGillivray 2.24
Trevor Blokdyk 3.33- John Mills 1.33
- Jack Unstead n/a
Norwich
- Olle Nygren 9.80
- Ove Fundin 9.30
- Terry Betts 6.78
- Jimmy Gooch 6.49
- Reg Trott 6.07
- John Debbage 5.56
- Billy Bales 5.48
- Trevor Hedge 4.67
-
Eric Williams 4.39 - Derek Strutt 2.74
- Ken Last 2.67
Oxford
- Ronnie Genz 6.91
- Jack Geran 6.88
- Alf Hagon 5.84
- Reg Duval 5.56
- Colin Gooddy 5.20
- Gordon McGregor 5.20
- Per Tage Svensson 4.93
- Jack Biggs 4.42
- John Bishop 2.73
Southampton
- Björn Knutson 9.89
- Barry Briggs 9.64
- Cyril Roger 7.49
- Alby Golden 7.33
-
Peter Vandenberg 7.10 - Reg Luckhurst 6.54
- Dick Bradley 6.37
Swindon
- Peter Moore 9.71
- Mike Broadbank 8.27
- Brian Meredith 8.00
- Neil Street 6.94
- Ian Williams 6.21
- Arne Carlsson 6.00
- Brian Brett 5.62
-
Tadeusz Teodorowicz 5.30 - Martin Ashby 4.45
- Buster Brown 2.67
Wimbledon
- Ronnie Moore 10.14
- Ron How 9.30
- Bob Andrews 8.82
- Gerald Jackson 7.03
- Ernie Baker 6.50
- Cyril Brine 6.00
- Roy Trigg 5.14
- Leo McAuliffe 4.82
- Jim Tebby 3.35
See also
References
- "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- "Rider killed in Speedway crash". Birmingham Daily Post. 14 April 1962. Retrieved 1 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Close-Down at Ipswich". Daily Mirror. 27 July 1962. Retrieved 1 January 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "1962 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
- ^ "1962 National Trophy". Speedway Archive. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
| Speedway in the United Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Current leagues | |
| Former leagues |
|
| Current team competitions | |
| Former team competitions | |
| Current individual competitions | |
| Former individual competitions | |
| See also | |
| National League seasons 1932–1964 | ||
|---|---|---|
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