1953 Speedway Southern League

1953 Speedway Southern League
LeagueSouthern League
Season1953
No. of competitors8
ChampionsRayleigh Rockets
Highest averageGoog Hoskin
Division/s aboveNational League Div 1
National League Div 2

The 1953 Southern League was the second season of the regional third tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams. It was the final season before being replaced by the Southern Area League.

From the previous season, Aldershot Shots dropped out, Wolverhampton Wasps moved up and Oxford Cheetahs came down to replace them.[1]

Summary

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Rayleigh Rockets were champions for a second consecutive season whilst Cardiff Dragons withdrew mid-season.[2][3] Goog Hoskin of Exeter topped the averages.[4]

Final table

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Pos Team PL W D L Pts
1 Rayleigh Rockets 26 21 1 4 43
2 Exeter Falcons 26 20 1 5 41
3 Ipswich Witches 28 13 2 13 28
4 Swindon Robins 28 13 2 13 28
5 Southampton Saints 28 12 2 14 26
6 Oxford Cheetahs 28 9 1 18 19
7 St Austell Gulls 28 9 0 19 18
8 Plymouth Devils 28 8 1 19 17

Withdrawal (Record expunged) : Cardiff Dragons

Leading Averages

[edit]
Rider Team C.M.A.
1 Goog Hoskin Exeter 10.87
2 Gerald Jackson Rayleigh 9.68
3 Alan Smith Plymouth 9.37
4 Peter Clark Rayleigh 9.27
5 Jack Geran Exeter 9.06

National Trophy

[edit]

For the National Trophy see the 1953 Speedway National League.

Riders & final averages

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Cardiff (withdrew)

  • Charlie May 9.80
  • Hugh Geddes 9.08
  • Bert Edwards 8.94
  • Frank Johnson 7.76
  • Mick Holland 7.50
  • Gerald Pugh 5.33
  • Mick Callaghan 4.52
  • Jimmy Wright 4.40
  • Kevin Hayden 4.26

Exeter

Ipswich

  • Bert Edwards 9.12
  • Sid Clarke 8.08
  • Jimmy Grant 7.53
  • Harold McNaughton 7.28
  • Dick Shepherd 7.08
  • Tich Read (George Snailum) 6.60
  • Nobby Stock 6.57
  • Dennis Day 6.32
  • Jim Blythe 5.71
  • Charlie Mugford 5.58
  • Doug Papworth 5.54
  • Len Silver 4.67

Oxford

  • Jim Boyd 8.70
  • Jim Gregory 8.54
  • Peter Robinson 7.38
  • Bill Kemp 6.47
  • Frank Johnson 6.29
  • Bob McFarlane 6.10
  • Bill Osborne 5.25
  • Benny King 4.66
  • Herby King 4.64
  • Frank Boyle 3.70
  • Bill Codling 3.67

Plymouth

Rayleigh

  • Gerry Jackson 9.96
  • Peter Clark 9.74
  • Maury McDermott 7.92
  • Tom O'Connor 7.81
  • Les McGillivray 8.16
  • Alby Smith 6.30
  • Ron Howes 6.06
  • Frank Bettis 5.60

St Austell

  • Harold Bull 7.18
  • Jack Gates 7.18
  • Cyril Maidment 6.71
  • John Yates 6.19
  • Alf Webster 6.18
  • Ken Monk 6.14
  • Johnny Sargeant 6.05
  • Bob Duckworth 4.99
  • Graham Williams 4.47
  • Norman Street 4.30
  • Kevin Bock 3.55
  • Maury McHugh 3.26

Southampton

  • Brian McKeown 8.74
  • Ernie Rawlins 8.55
  • Hugh Geddes 7.85
  • Ernie Brecknell 7.55
  • Maury Mattingley 7.31
  • Dudley Smith 5.45
  • Mike Tamms 5.20
  • Jack Vallis 4.75
  • Brian Hanham 4.15
  • Lionel Levy 3.27

Swindon

  • Ian Williams 8.39
  • Danny Malone 8.15
  • Bob Wells 6.72
  • Ron Swaine 6.44
  • Reg Lambourne 6.17
  • Bob Jones 6.06
  • Mick Hard 5.38
  • Frank Evans 5.18
  • Gordon Leigh 4.73
  • Bill Grimes 4.57
  • Ken Wiggins 4.16

See also

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ "Major League Competitions". Speedway Archive.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "About - Exeter Speedway 1953". myweb.tiscali.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 February 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Southern League 1953" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
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