1931 Speedway Northern League
| 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.[1][2] 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.[3][4]
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.[3][5]
Belle Vue Aces retained their title, Glasgow White City and Leicester Super withdrew in mid-season but their results stood.[3]
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
B fixtures
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.[8]
For the results of the National Trophy see - 1931 Speedway Southern League
Riders & final averages
Belle Vue
-   Eric Langton 10.40 Eric Langton 10.40
-  .svg.png) Max Grosskreutz 9.37 Max Grosskreutz 9.37
-   Frank Varey 8.05 Frank Varey 8.05
-   Wally Hull 7.83 Wally Hull 7.83
-   Arthur Franklyn 7.41 Arthur Franklyn 7.41
-  .svg.png) Len Woods 5.71 Len Woods 5.71
-   Bob Harrison 5.36 Bob Harrison 5.36
-   Frank Charles 5.33 Frank Charles 5.33
-   Chun Moore 5.33 Chun Moore 5.33
-   Clem Cort 4.18 Clem Cort 4.18
Glasgow
Leeds
-   Frank Charles 8.91 Frank Charles 8.91
-   Gordon Byers 8.29 Gordon Byers 8.29
-   Roy Barrowclough 8.14 Roy Barrowclough 8.14
-   Alec Hill 6.46 Alec Hill 6.46
-   Drew McQueen 6.22 Drew McQueen 6.22
-   Sam Marsland 5.90 Sam Marsland 5.90
-   Alex Peel 5.36 Alex Peel 5.36
-   Harry Watson 5.19 Harry Watson 5.19
-   Tommy Gamble 5.14 Tommy Gamble 5.14
Leicester
-   Arthur Jervis 9.72 Arthur Jervis 9.72
-   Thomas Arthur Price 8.34 Thomas Arthur Price 8.34
-   Hal Herbert 7.88 Hal Herbert 7.88
-   Colin Watson 6.56 Colin Watson 6.56
-   Fred Wilkinson 5.70 Fred Wilkinson 5.70
-   George Hazzard 4.95 George Hazzard 4.95
-   George Marsh 4.74 George Marsh 4.74
-   Ian Ritchings 3.49 Ian Ritchings 3.49
-   Alf Summersby 2.29 Alf Summersby 2.29
Preston
-   Ginger Lees 9.94 Ginger Lees 9.94
-   Joe Abbott 9.38 Joe Abbott 9.38
-   Larry Boulton 7.36 Larry Boulton 7.36
-   Jack Rowley 6.17 Jack Rowley 6.17
-   Les Wotton 5.89 Les Wotton 5.89
-   Eric Airey 5.88 Eric Airey 5.88
-   Eddie Myserscough 5.51 Eddie Myserscough 5.51
-   Jack Tye 5.56 Jack Tye 5.56
 Gustav Kellner 5.17 Gustav Kellner 5.17
Sheffield
-   Dusty Haigh 9.74 Dusty Haigh 9.74
-   Eric Blain 7.00 Eric Blain 7.00
-   Broncho Dixon 6.31 Broncho Dixon 6.31
-   Norman Hartley 6.08 Norman Hartley 6.08
-   Fred Hatton 6.00 Fred Hatton 6.00
-   Gus Platts 5.69 Gus Platts 5.69
-   Tommy Allott 5.08 Tommy Allott 5.08
-   Jack Barber 4.94 Jack Barber 4.94
-   Harry Credland 4.00 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.
- ^ a b c 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.
