The 1930 Northern League was the second season of speedway in the United Kingdom for Northern British teams.[1] The league was previously known as the English Dirt Track League but the addition of two Scottish teams prompted a name change and 1930 was the inaugural Northern League.[2] The Southern teams also had their second season known as the 1930 Speedway Southern League.[3] The league was won by Belle Vue Aces.[4]
| League | Northern League |
|---|---|
| Season | 1930 |
| No. of competitors | 13 |
| Champions | Belle Vue Aces |
| Highest average | Ginger Lees |
| Division/s other | 1930 Southern League |
Summary edit
There were many team changes from the previous season. Reigning champions Leeds Lions, Halifax, Salford and Middlesbrough dropped out. Manchester White City, Belle Vue and Warrington renewed their participation having withdrawn partway through the previous season.[5] Edinburgh, Glasgow White City and Wombwell were new entrants. Barnsley, Manchester White City withdrew during the season but their records were not expunged.[6][7]
Eddie Reynolds was killed during the Glasgow Handicap match at the White City Stadium, Glasgow on 27 May 1930. After falling from his bike he was hit by Arthur Moser and suffered fatal injuries.[8] Two more riders were killed later that season, James Carnie died on 24 July 1930, after crashing at Farringdon Park Preston in the Golden Helmet event[9] and William Owen was killed on 31 August, at Audenshaw Speedway in an handicap event.[10]
Final table edit
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Belle Vue Aces | 21 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 39 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 20 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 30 |
| 3 | Manchester White City | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 26 |
| 4 | Preston | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 20 |
| 5 | Warrington | 17 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 16 |
| 6 | Leicester Super | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 13 |
| 7 | Sheffield Blades | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 12 |
| 8 | Edinburgh | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 12 |
| 9 | Newcastle | 15 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| 10 | Glasgow White City | 17 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 8 |
| 11 | Rochdale | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| 12 | Barnsley | 13 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 8 |
| 13 | Wombwell | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 |
Top Five Riders edit
| Team | C.M.A. | ||
| 1 | Ginger Lees | Liverpool | 10.89 |
| 2 | Frank Varey | Belle Vue | 10.84 |
| 3 | Joe Abbott | Preston | 10.79 |
| 4 | Frank Charles | Manchester White City | 10.25 |
| 5 | Eric Langton | Belle Vue | 9.70 |
Riders edit
Barnsley
- George Chance
- Joe Chance
- Billy Halstead
- Tom Lindley
- Arthur Moore
- Tommy Thompson
- Charlie Ward
Belle Vue
- Len Blunt
- Frank Burgess
- Frank Charles
- Clem Cort
- Percy Dunn
- Dusty Haigh
- Bob Harrison
- Arthur Franklyn
- Arthur Jervis
- Eric Langton
- Bruce McCallum
- Len Myerscough
- Frank Varey
Edinburgh
- George Cumming
- Bob McGregor
- George McKenzie
- Drew McQueen
- Syd Parsons
- Gordon Spalding
- Len Stewart
Glasgow
- Allan Campbell
- Billy Galloway
- Norrie Isbister
- Billy Llewellyn
- Arthur Mann
- Andy Marr
- Arthur Moser
- Bill Naismith
- Andy Nicholl
- George Pinkerton
- Jimmie Pinkerton
- Johnnie Short
- Col Stewart
- Jack White
Leicester
- Alec Bowerman
- Hal Herbert
- Fred Hore
- George Marsh
- Arthur Sherlock
- Bert Spencer
- Harold Stevens
- Nev Wheeler
- Fred Wilkinson
- Ned Wolloff
Liverpool
- Eric Blain
- Phil Blake
- Larry Boulton
- Frank Chiswell
- Chris Hughes
- Ginger Lees
- Eddie Myerscough
- Thomas Arthur Price
- Les Wotton
Manchester
- Frank Charles
- Max Grosskreutz
- Wally Hull
- Arthur Jervis
- Hugh Jervis
- Fred Strecker
- Arthur Wilcock
- Cyril Wilcock
Newcastle
- Gordon Byers
- Arnie Cattell
- Tommy Groves
- Tommy Harrison
- Buzz Hibberd
- Alec Hill
- Jim Holder
- Harry Huntley
- Frank Parker
- Charles Sanderson
- Roy Sanderson
- Tommy Storey
Preston
- Joe Abbott
- Ham Burrill
- Jack Chiswell
- Ivor Creek
- Thomas Arthur Price
- George Reynard
- Claude Rye
- Frank Smith
- Jack Tye
Rochdale
- Jack Atkinson
- Buster Breaks
- Billy Howard
- Eddie Ingham
- Austin Humphries
- Scott Michie
- Bud Proctor
- Bill Sticpewich
- Geoff Wilson
Sheffield
- Jack Barber
- Clem Beckett
- Jack Chapman
- Broncho Dixon
- Eric Hall
- Norman Hartley
- Chun Moore
- Laurie Packer
- Gus Platts
- Dick Wise
Warrington
- Cyril Crowther
- Norman Dawson
- Harold Formby
- Tommy Hatch
- Charlie Hornby
- Oliver Langton
- Alex McLachlan
- George Milton
- Harry Solomon
Wombwell
- William Burrows
- Jack Duddings
- Tommy Gamble
- Eric Gregory
- George Kilburn
- Frank Ledger
- Lester Moore
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "Marine Gardens in Northern League Section". Edinburgh Evening News. 8 March 1930. Retrieved 21 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "BELLE VUE ACES". Geyhound Derby.com. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". British Speedway. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "1930 Northern League Table" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Speedway Teams UK 1929-1934". Cyber Motorcycle. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "In Memoriam". Speedway In Memoriam. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Speedway rider killed". Daily Herald. 25 July 1930. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway rider killed". Daily Herald. 1 September 1930. Retrieved 1 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.