1963 Provincial Speedway League

British motorcycle speedway season October 2023 October 2023 Provincial League 13 Champions Wolverhampton Wolves Knockout Cup Cradley Heathens Individual Ivan Mauger Northern League Sheffield Tigers Midland League Cradley Heathens Southern League Poole Pirates George Hunter 1963 National League 1962 1964 The 1963 Provincial Speedway League was the fourth season of the Provincial League in the United Kingdom. Championship History Poole Speedway 2008 http://www.poolespeedway.net/08-website/lgerecord.php 2008-05-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20080516063211/http://www.poolespeedway.net/08-website/lgerecord.php 16 May 2008 dead 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the previous year, Bradford and Leicester were no longer running due to financial difficulties and Plymouth had also withdrawn.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,https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19630129/152/0021 Speedway again at Long Eaton Daily Mirror 29 January 1963 British Newspaper Archive subscription 22 September 2024Speedway back after 12 years Nottingham Evening Post 2 March 1963 16 November 2023 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19630302/009/0009 British Newspaper Archive subscription 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.http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/p/compet.html Historic league tables Speedway Archivehttps://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/yearbyyear.html Year by Year Speedway Researcher 13 August 2021 Speedway returned to Hackney Wick Stadium after an absence of 25 years under the promotion of Mike Parker and Reg Fearman.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19621107/215/0027 Speedway at hackney Wick again Daily Mirror 7 November 1962 British Newspaper Archive subscription 28 September 2024 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.Rogers Martin The Illustrated History of Speedway 1978 129 Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd 0-904584-45-3https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/history/leaguetables1946-1964 BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964) Official British Speedway website 13 August 2021 Cradley Heath won the Knockout Cup and the Midland League Championship,https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19630501/014/0014 Long Eaton Archers beaten Nottingham Evening Post 1 May 1963 British Newspaper Archive subscription 1 July 2025 while Poole won the Southern League Championship and Sheffield the Northern League Championship.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004341/19630531/291/0011 Speedway:Last Race Thrill Win For Rangers at New Cross Sydenham, Forest Hill & Penge Gazette 31 May 1963 British Newspaper Archive subscription 1 July 2025 League Final table Pos Team M W D L Pts1 Wolverhampton Wolves 24 15 1 8 312 Stoke Potters 24 14 1 9 293 Poole Pirates 24 14 0 10 284 Sheffield Tigers 24 14 0 10 285 St Austell Gulls 24 13 2 9 286 Newcastle Diamonds 24 13 1 10 277 Exeter Falcons 24 12 1 11 258 Edinburgh Monarchs 24 12 1 11 259 Cradley Heath Heathens 24 11 1 12 2310 Hackney Hawks 24 10 1 13 2111 Middlesbrough Bears 24 9 2 13 2012 Long Eaton Archers 24 7 2 15 1613 Rayleigh Rockets 24 5 1 18 11 M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points New Cross Rangers resigned in mid-season – record expunged. Fixtures and results main FBR grey CH ED EX HAC LE MID NEW NC PP RAY SA SHE STO WOL Cradley Heath 47–31 42–36 46–31 53–24 36–42 53–25 44–34 42–36 47–31 36–36 41–37 52–26 57–21 Edinburgh 48–30 44–34 55–23 59.5–18.5 44–34 43–35 n/a 43–35 46–32 44–34 41–37 54–24 54–24 Exeter 46–32 50–28 49–29 47–30 55–23 51–27 48–30 47–31 45–33 47–31 48–29 45–33 38–40 Hackney 45–33 42–36 40–37 46–32 43–34 42–35 n/a 44–34 39–39 54–24 37–41 34–43 40–38 Long Eaton 43–34 41–37 38–39 47–31 41–36 36–42 n/a 46–32 44–33 38–40 41–37 27.5–50.5 39–39 Middlesbrough 54–24 42–35 39–39 49–29 40–38 40–38 51–27 37–41 47–30 39–39 43–34 43–35 35–38 Newcastle 45–33 39–39 42–36 47–31 38–31 49–29 47–31 50–28 56–22 40–37 + 26–52 42–36 New Cross n/a n/a n/a n/a 44–32 41–36 44–34 37–41 n/a 38–39 42–35 35–43 35–43 Poole 55–23 48–30 43–34 60–18 54–24 49–29 51–27 51–27 52–26 44–34 43–35 54–24 47–31 Rayleigh 38–40 38–36 42–36 36–41 41–37 46–32 40–38 n/a 36–42 34–44 32–43 38–39 38–40 St Austell 47–31 58–19 41–37 42–36 49–29 44–34 42–36 53–25 45–33 48–30 37–41 49–29 48–30 Sheffield 41–37 45–33 46–32 49–29 50–28 59–19 37–41 49–27 55–23 54–23 44–34 46–32 56–22 Stoke 50–27 44–34 52–26 45–33 39–39 50–28 36–42 48–29 43–35 55–23 50–26 43–35 42–36 Wolverhampton 39–38 42–36 47–31 39–38 42–36 44–33 44–30 43–35 44–34 44–34 40–38 43–35 43–35 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1963.html Speedway Researcher 1963 fixtures & results 5 February 2025 +Newcastle awarded win Top five riders (league only) Rider Nat Team C.M.A. 1 George Hunter SCO Edinburgh 11.09 2 Ivan Mauger NZL Newcastle 10.42 3 Ivor Brown ENG Cradley 10.30 4 Jimmy Squibb ENG New Cross/Exeter 10.30 5 Clive Featherby ENG Sheffield 10.05 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.http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2013/06/provincial-league-ko-cup-1963.html 1963 Provincial League Knockout Cup Speedway archive 13 August 2021 First round Date Team one Score Team two30/04 New Cross 58–37 St Austell03/06 Rayleigh 35–61 Stoke18/06 Long Eaton 43–52 Newcastle20/06 Middlesbrough 58–38 Wolverhampton20/06 Sheffield 57–39 Exeter03/07 Poole 50–46 Edinburgh Second round Date Team one Score Team two08/07 Newcastle 65–31 Middlesbrough10/07 Hackney 54–42 New Cross10/07 Poole 44–52 Sheffield05/08 Cradley Heath 55–41 Stoke Semi-finals Date Team one Score Team two12/08Newcastle 60–36 Hackney31/08 Cradley Heath 61–35 Sheffield Final First leg 30 September 1963 NewcastlePeter Kelly 13Mike Watkin 12Jack Winstanley 6Ray Day 6Russ Dent 6Dennis Jenkins 6Milton Cazely 1 50–45 Speedway Daily Mirror 1 October 1963 15 June 2024 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19631001/199/0029 British Newspaper Archive subscription Cradley HeathIvor Brown 14Harry Bastable 12John Edwards 9Derek Timms 5Alan Totney 4Ivor Davies 1John Hart 0 Brough Park Stadium Second leg 12 October 1963 Cradley HeathIvor Brown 15John Hart 15John Edwards 13Derek Timms 8Harry Bastable 6Alan Totney 6Joe Westwood 1 64–32 Cradley Heath coast home to Cup victory Birmingham Weekly Mercury 13 October 1963 15 June 2024 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001816/19631013/031/0031 British Newspaper Archive subscription NewcastlePeter Kelly 10Bob Duckworth 8Mike Watkin 6Jack Winstanley 3Ray Day 3Maury Robinson 2Dennis Jenkins 0 Dudley Wood Stadium Supplementary leagues Northern League Team PL W D L PtsSheffield 6 4 0 2 8 Edinburgh 6 3 1 2 7 Newcastle 6 2 1 3 5 Middlesbrough 6 2 0 4 4 Southern League Team PL W D L PtsPoole 8 6 0 2 12 Exeter 8 5 0 3 10 New Cross 8 5 0 3 10 Hackney 8 3 0 5 6 Rayleigh 8 1 0 7 2 main FBR grey ED MID NEW SHE Edinburgh 52–26 58–20 47–31 Middlesbrough 45–33 51–26 38–39 Newcastle 39–39 46–31 41–36 Sheffield 47–31 46–32 46–31 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1963.html Speedway Researcher 1963 fixtures & results 1 July 2025 main FBR grey EX HAC NC PP RAY Exeter 56–22 53–25 34–44 54–24 Hackney 36–42 40–38 33–45 44–33 New Cross 45–32 45–33 40–38 40–36 Poole 48–30 53–24 47–31 50–28 Rayleigh 28–50 32–43 35–43 41–37 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1963.html Speedway Researcher 1963 fixtures & results 1 July 2025 Midland League Team PL W D L PtsCradley Heath 6 5 0 1 10 Stoke 6 4 0 2 8 Long Eaton 6 2 0 4 4 Wolverhampton 6 1 0 5 2 main FBR grey CH LE STO WOL Cradley Heath 45–33 53–25 41–37 Long Eaton 34–44 32–46 40–37 Stoke 38–40 50–28 40–38 Wolverhampton 50–28 37–40 35–39 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1963.html Speedway Researcher 1963 fixtures & results 1 July 2025 Riders' Championship Ivan Mauger won the Riders' Championship. The final was held at Hyde Road on 28 September.Squibb & Cox not in hunt Express and Echo 30 September 1963 13 June 2023 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001061/19630930/006/0006 British Newspaper Archive subscription Pos. Rider Pts Total1 NZL Ivan Mauger 3,2,3,3 11+32 ENG Jack Kitchen 3,2,3,3 11+23 SCO Ross Gilbertson 1,3,3,2 9+3+14 SCO George Hunter 1,2,3,3 9+4+05 AUS Ray Cresp 3,1,2,3 9+26 ENG Clive Featherby 3,2,2,2 9+17 ENG Maury Mattingley 2,3,2,2 9+08 SCO Doug Templeton 3,2,3,0 89 ENG Ivor Brown 2,1,2,3 810 AUS Geoff Mudge 1,3,2,1 711 ENG Eric Boocock 2,1,1,3 712 ENG Jimmy Squibb 2,3,0,1 613 ENG Rick France 2,3,0,0 514 ENG Ron Bagley 3,0,1,1 515 AUS Charlie Monk 0,0,3,2 516 ENG Colin Pratt 2,2,0,0 417 ENG Cliff Cox 1,0,2,1 318 ENG Les McGillivray 1,0,0,2 319 ENG George Major 0,1,0,2 320 NZL Trevor Redmond 0,1,1, 321 ENG John Hart 0,2,0,0 222 ENG Ken Adams 0,0,1,1 223 ENG Maury McDermott 1,0,1,0 224 ENG Norman Hunter 0,1,1,0 2 Riders & final averages Cradley Heath 22em ENG Ivor Brown 10.30 ENG John Hart 7.84 ENG Harry Bastable 6.04 ENG John Edwards 5.98 ENG Alan Totney 5.55 ENG Ivor Davies 5.26 ENG Derek Timms 4.71 ENG John Belcher 3.70 ENG Joe Westwood 2.00 Edinburgh 22em SCO George Hunter 11.09 NZL Wayne Briggs 9.21 SCO Doug Templeton 9.19 SCO Willie Templeton 8.09 AUS Ken Cameron 7.64 NZL Alf Wells 5.13 SCO Jimmy Tannock 4.36 SCO Bill Landels 3.58 AUS Dudley McKean 3.36 SCO Bill McMillan 2.85 Exeter 22em ENG Len Silver 9.58 ENG Alan Cowland 8.40 ENG Cliff Cox 8.29 ENG Francis Cann 7.79 ENG Pete Lansdale 6.94 ENG Howdy Byford 5.88 ENG Dennis Day 5.29 ENG Pat Flanagan 4.73 SCO George Summers 4.00 ENG Gordon Bailey 3.29 Hackney 22em ENG Norman Hunter 10.04 ENG Trevor Hedge 6.67 ENG Jimmy Heard 6.53 NZL Colin McKee 6.47 ENG Tich Read (George Snailum) 5.70 ENG Malcolm Simmons 5.33 ENG John Poyser 4.52 ENG Pete Sampson 4.27 ENG Wal Morton 3.77 ENG Ronnie Rolfe 3.76 Long Eaton 22em AUS Charlie Monk 9.11 ENG Danny Dunton 7.80 AUS Bluey Scott 7.16 ENG Gil Goldfinch 5.58 ENG Jon Erskine 5.87 ENG Norman Storer 5.03 ENG Ken Vale 4.99 ENG Slant Payling 4.65 ENG Vic White 4.23 ENG Tony Eadon 3.75 ENG Geoff Penniket 3.64 Middlesbrough 22em ENG Eric Boothroyd 9.63 ENG Eric Boocock 8.50 ENG Dave Younghusband 7.92 GGY Johnny Fitzpatrick 6.08 ENG Clive Hitch 6.08 ENG John Mills 4.00 AUS Kevin Torpie 3.46 ENG Allan Butterfield 3.19 Newcastle 22em NZL Ivan Mauger 10.42 ENG Brian Craven 9.29 NZL Bob Duckworth 6.44 ENG Peter Kelly 6.00 ENG Mike Watkin 5.84 ENG Russ Dent 3.50 ENG Jack Winstanley 3.45 NZL Ivan Crozier 2.74 New Cross (withdrew mid-season) 22em ENG Jimmy Squibb 9.93 ENG Stan Stevens 6.72 ENG Bob Dugard 6.59 ENG John Dugard 5.16 ENG Geoff Penniket 5.11 ENG Reg Reeves 4.67 ENG Des Lukehurst 3.28 ENG Eddie Reeves 1.85 ENG Terry Stone 1.82 Poole 22em SCO Ross Gilbertson 9.92 AUS Geoff Mudge 8.98 ENG Tony Lewis 8.42 ENG Norman Strachan 7.19 ENG Pete Smith 5.35 ENG Tim Bungay 5.31 ENG Keith Whipp 3.89 ENG Pete Munday 3.79 Rayleigh 22em ENG Les McGillivray 8.47 ENG Maury McDermott 7.76 ENG Stan Clark 6.15 ENG Vic Ridgeon 5.97 ENG Derek Strutt 5.75 ENG Harry Edwards 5.74 ENG Roy Bowers 4.62 ENG Sandy McGillivray 3.20 ENG John Mills 2.73 St Austell 22em NZL Trevor Redmond 8.50 ENG Chris Julian 7.88 ENG George Major 6.93 AUS Ray Cresp 6.56 CAN 1957 Chris Blewett 5.81 ENG Glyn Chandler 5.44 ENG Ray Wickett 5.02 ENG Bob Warner 4.00 Sheffield 22em ENG Clive Featherby 10.05 ENG Jack Kitchen 9.91 ENG Tommy Roper 7.43 ENG Ron Bagley 7.10 ENG Dent Oliver 6.78 ENG Alan Jay 5.70 ENG Tony Robinson 5.64 ENG John Dews 5.61 ENG Vic Lonsdale (Jack Thorp) 5.57 ENG Ken Handscombe 2.67 Stoke 22em ENG Colin Pratt 9.67 ENG Pete Jarman 9.13 ENG Ken Adams 7.47 ENG Eric Hockaday 7.44 WAL Howard Cole (Kid Bodie) 5.57 ENG Ron Sharp 4.81 ENG Roy Bowers 4.47 ENG Ray Harris 4.14 HUN Sándor Lévai 2.92 Wolverhampton 22em ENG Tommy Sweetman 8.50 ENG Maury Mattingley 7.88 AUS Graham Warren 7.59 ENG Dave Hemus 6.93 ENG Rick France 6.56 ENG Ernie Baker 5.49 WAL Cyril Francis 5.44 ENG James Bond 5.02 ENG Les Jenkins 5.81 See also List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions Knockout Cup (speedway) References Category:Speedway Provincial League Provincial Speedway Provincial Speedway