1946 Speedway National League


The 1946 National League was the 12th season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain and the first post-war season.
The league had been abandoned seven years previously due to the outbreak of World War II. Record attendances were attracted with Wembley Lions attracting an average of 50,000 and the league as a whole a total of six and a half million. From the abandoned 1939 season, Southampton Saints and Harringay Tigers were no longer racing whilst Odsal Boomerangs brought National League speedway to Bradford for the first time.
Wembley Lions won their second National League title.
On 6 July, a crowd of 34,0000 at Odsal Stadium witnessed Odsal Boomerangs lose to Belle Vue Aces. During the match Albert 'Aussie' Rosenfeld, son of Albert Rosenfeld hit the fence and was taken to St Luke's Hospital, Bradford, with a suspected fractured skull. He died 10 days later, on 16 July 1946.

A.C.U. Cup

On account of the small number of teams in the league the ACU Cup was run in a league format. Belle Vue Aces came out on top.

Final table

Such was the dearth of new riders caused by the war that all of the top ten riders were established pre-war riders and none were below the age of 32.

National Trophy

The 1946 National Trophy was the tenth edition or ninth edition of the Knockout Cup. Teams from the lower 1946 Speedway Northern League competed in the event.
First round
DateTeam oneScoreTeam two
04/05 Birmingham56–48Norwich
27/04 Norwich53–51Birmingham

Second round
DateTeam oneScoreTeam two
25/05 Birmingham61–45Middlesbrough
16/05 Middlesbrough58–50Birmingham
29/04 Newcastle49–56Middlesbrough
25/04 Middlesbrough55–51Newcastle
25/04 Sheffield61–47Glasgow White City
24/04 Glasgow White City61–47Sheffield
09/05
replay		 Sheffield63–44Glasgow White City
08/05
replay		Glasgow White City62–45Sheffield

Quarterfinals
DateTeam oneScoreTeam two
22/06 Birmingham31–77Wembley
13/06 Wembley 80–27Birmingham
20/07 Bradford Odsal72–36Sheffield
04/07 Sheffield48–60Bradford Odsal
02/07 West Ham55–52Wimbledon
01/07 Wimbledon63–44West Ham
08/06 Belle Vue58–49New Cross
12/06 New Cross50–57Belle Vue

Semifinals
DateTeam oneScoreTeam two
25/07 Wembley 50–57 Belle Vue
13/07 Belle Vue 60–48Wembley
19/08 Wimbledon 62–46Bradford Odsal
03/08 Bradford Odsal53–55Wimbledon

Final

First leg
Second leg
Belle Vue were National Trophy Champions, winning on aggregate 109–106.

Riders' Championship

Tommy Price won the British Riders' Championship final held at Empire Stadium on 12 September, in front of 85,000 spectators. There were no less than 23 qualifying rounds, where riders from National and Northern League tracks respectively, competed in six meetings each.
Pos.RiderHeat ScoresTotal
1

London Cup

First round
Team oneScoreTeam two
New Cross59–49, 46–60Wimbledon
West Ham62–46, 43–65Wembley

Final

First leg
Second leg
Wembley won on aggregate '''121–95'''

Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
  • 11.13
  • 11.00
  • 8.46
  • 6.91
  • 5.00
  • 4.92
  • 3.90
  • 4.67
  • 1.45
New Cross
  • 10.69
  • 9.52
  • 8.63
  • 8.24
  • 4.14
  • 4.12
  • 3.78
  • Keith Harvey 3.40
  • 3.06
  • 2.29
  • 2.13
  • 0.57
Odsal
  • 9.72
  • 9.50
  • 9.20
  • 8.39
  • 6.90
  • 2.93
  • 2.86
  • 2.00
  • 1.33
  • 1.25
  • 1.24
  • 0.80
  • 0.60
Wembley
  • 10.75
  • 10.00
  • 9.00
  • 5.90
  • 5.72
  • 5.66
  • 5.50
  • 5.11
  • 4.90
West Ham
  • Eric Chitty 10.30
  • 9.03
  • 8.40
  • 7.89
  • 4.73
  • 4.14
  • 3.47
  • 3.39
  • 3.23
  • 3.23
  • 3.00
  • 2.45
  • 2.29
Wimbledon
  • 10.12
  • 8.23
  • 7.58
  • 6.29
  • 5.82
  • 5.69
  • 5.38
  • 4.38
  • 4.00
  • 4.00