1961 Speedway National League
LeagueNational League
ChampionsWimbledon Dons
No. of competitors10
National TrophySouthampton Saints
Highest averageOve Fundin
Division/s below1961 Provincial League

The 1961 National League was the 27th season and the sixteenth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1]

Summary[edit]

The entry list was identical to the previous year and although Wimbledon Dons won their seventh title in eight years, it would be their last.[2][3][4]

Final table[edit]

Pos Team PL W D L Pts
1 Wimbledon Dons 18 15 0 3 30
2 Southampton Saints 18 13 2 3 28
3 Coventry Bees 18 10 1 7 21
4 Belle Vue Aces 18 10 0 8 20
5 Swindon Robins 18 8 0 10 16
6 Ipswich Witches 18 7 1 10 15
7 Norwich Stars 18 7 0 11 14
8 New Cross Rangers 18 7 0 11 14
9 Oxford Cheetahs 18 6 1 11 13
10 Leicester Hunters 18 4 1 13 9

Top Ten Riders (League only)[edit]

Rider Nat Team C.M.A.
1 Ove Fundin Sweden Norwich Stars 11.51
2 Ronnie Moore New Zealand Wimbledon Dons 11.17
3 Peter Craven England Belle Vue Aces 10.95
4 Björn Knutsson Sweden Southampton Saints 10.79
5 Arne Pander Denmark Oxford Cheetahs 10.60
6 Barry Briggs New Zealand Southampton Saints 10.13
7 Ron How England Wimbledon Dons 10.05
8 Ron Johnston New Zealand Belle Vue Aces 10.00
9 Ken McKinlay Scotland Leicester Hunters 9.57
10 Bob Duckworth New Zealand Belle Vue Aces 9.48

National Trophy[edit]

The 1961 National Trophy was the 23rd edition of the Knockout Cup. Southampton were the winners.[5]

First Round[edit]

Date Team One Score Team Two
15/06 Oxford 43-40 Southampton
13/06 Southampton 58-26 Oxford
10/06 Belle Vue 55-28 New Cross
07/06 New Cross 46-37 Belle Vue

Second Round[edit]

Date Team One Score Team Two
17/08 Ipswich 44-40 Coventry
09/08 Norwich 43-40 Swindon
08/08 Southampton 52-32 Belle Vue
29/07 Belle Vue 47-37 Southampton
24/07 Wimbledon 46-38 Norwich
22/07 Norwich 52-32 Wimbledon
22/07 Swindon 66-18 Leicester
21/07 Leicester 38-45 Swindon

Semi Finals[edit]

Date Team One Score Team Two
09/09 Swindon 56-28 Norwich
29/08 Southampton 57-27 Coventry
26/08 Coventry 49-35 Southampton
09/08 Norwich 43-40 Swindon

Final[edit]

First leg[edit]

Southampton Saints
Björn Knutsson 15
Barry Briggs 14
Dick Bradley 9
Alby Golden 6
Peter Vandenberg 4
Cyril Roger 4
Chum Taylor 3		55 – 29Swindon Robins
Tadeusz Teodorowicz 7
Neil Street 6
Ian Williams 5
Brian Brett 4
George White 4
Mike Broadbank 2
Brian Meredith 1
[6]
Banister Court Stadium

Second leg[edit]

Swindon Robins
Tadeusz Teodorowicz 9
Mike Broadbank 8
George White 8
Brian Meredith 5
Ian Williams 4
Brian Brett 4
Neil Street 3		41 – 43Southampton Saints
Björn Knutsson 15
Barry Briggs 13
Chum Taylor 8
Peter Vandenberg 4
Dick Bradley 3
Cyril Roger 0
Alby Golden 0
[6]
Abbey Stadium

Southampton were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 98–70.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
  2. ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  3. ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
  4. ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  5. ^ "1961 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
  6. ^ a b "1961 National Trophy". Speedway Archive. Retrieved 12 August 2021.