1963 Provincial Speedway League


The 1963 Provincial Speedway League was the fourth season of the Provincial League in the United Kingdom. Thirteen speedway teams took part.

Season summary

Thirteen teams competed again as in 1962, despite the loss of four teams. At the start of the year Neath had folded, and their place was taken by the new track at St Austell. After finishing at the bottom of the table the previous year, Bradford and Leicester were no longer running due to financial difficulties and Plymouth had also withdrawn. Long Eaton returned to competitive racing after 12 years under Reg Fearman, and Rayleigh returned under new ownership after a missing the 1962 season. New Cross Rangers would have made it 14 teams after returning but closed down in August, never to re-open.
Speedway returned to Hackney Wick Stadium after an absence of 25 years under the promotion of Mike Parker and Reg Fearman.
Wolverhampton won the league but there was controversy at the end of the year when Wolverhampton refused to move up to the National League, which was dwindling in numbers. This would lead to the Provincial League running outside of the jurisdiction of the Speedway Control Board for the 1964 season.
Cradley Heath won the Knockout Cup and the Midland League Championship, while Poole won the Southern League Championship and Sheffield the Northern League Championship.

League

Final table

M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points

Fixtures and results

+Newcastle awarded win

Provincial League Knockout Cup

The 1963 Provincial League Knockout Cup was the fourth edition of the Knockout Cup for the Provincial League teams. Cradley Heathens were the winners.
First round
DateTeam oneScoreTeam two
30/04 New Cross58–37St Austell
03/06 Rayleigh35–61Stoke
18/06 Long Eaton43–52Newcastle
20/06 Middlesbrough58–38Wolverhampton
20/06 Sheffield57–39Exeter
03/07 Poole50–46Edinburgh

Second round
DateTeam oneScoreTeam two
08/07 Newcastle65–31Middlesbrough
10/07 Hackney54–42New Cross
10/07 Poole44–52Sheffield
05/08 Cradley Heath 55–41Stoke

Semi-finals
DateTeam oneScoreTeam two
12/08Newcastle60–36Hackney
31/08 Cradley Heath 61–35Sheffield

Final

First leg
'''Second leg'''

Supplementary leagues

Northern League
TeamPLWDLPts
Sheffield64028
Edinburgh63127
Newcastle62135
Middlesbrough62044

Southern League
TeamPLWDLPts
Poole860212
Exeter850310
New Cross850310
Hackney83056
Rayleigh81072

Midland League
TeamPLWDLPts
Cradley Heath650110
Stoke64028
Long Eaton62044
Wolverhampton61052

Riders' Championship

Ivan Mauger won the Riders' Championship. The final was held at Hyde Road on 28 September.
Pos.RiderPtsTotal
1

Riders & final averages

Cradley Heath
  • 10.30
  • 7.84
  • 6.04
  • 5.98
  • 5.55
  • 5.26
  • 4.71
  • 3.70
  • 2.00
Edinburgh
  • 11.09
  • 9.21
  • 9.19
  • 8.09
  • 7.64
  • 5.13
  • 4.36
  • 3.58
  • 3.36
  • 2.85
Exeter
  • 9.58
  • 8.40
  • 8.29
  • 7.79
  • 6.94
  • 5.88
  • 5.29
  • 4.73
  • 4.00
  • 3.29
Hackney
  • 10.04
  • 6.67
  • 6.53
  • 6.47
  • 5.70
  • 5.33
  • 4.52
  • 4.27
  • 3.77
  • 3.76
Long Eaton
  • 9.11
  • 7.80
  • 7.16
  • 5.58
  • 5.87
  • 5.03
  • 4.99
  • 4.65
  • 4.23
  • 3.75
  • 3.64
Middlesbrough
  • 9.63
  • 8.50
  • 7.92
  • 6.08
  • 6.08
  • 4.00
  • 3.46
  • 3.19
Newcastle
  • 10.42
  • 9.29
  • 6.44
  • 6.00
  • 5.84
  • 3.50
  • 3.45
  • 2.74
New Cross
  • 9.93
  • 6.72
  • 6.59
  • 5.16
  • 5.11
  • 4.67
  • 3.28
  • 1.85
  • 1.82
Poole
  • 9.92
  • 8.98
  • 8.42
  • 7.19
  • 5.35
  • 5.31
  • 3.89
  • 3.79
Rayleigh
  • 8.47
  • 7.76
  • 6.15
  • 5.97
  • 5.75
  • 5.74
  • 4.62
  • 3.20
  • 2.73
St Austell
  • 8.50
  • 7.88
  • 6.93
  • 6.56
  • Chris Blewett 5.81
  • 5.44
  • 5.02
  • 4.00
Sheffield
  • 10.05
  • 9.91
  • 7.43
  • 7.10
  • 6.78
  • 5.70
  • 5.64
  • 5.61
  • 5.57
  • 2.67
Stoke
  • 9.67
  • 9.13
  • 7.47
  • 7.44
  • 5.57
  • 4.81
  • 4.47
  • 4.14
  • 2.92
Wolverhampton
  • 8.50
  • 7.88
  • 7.59
  • 6.93
  • 6.56
  • 5.49
  • 5.44
  • 5.02
  • 5.81