1962 Provincial Speedway League

British motorcycle speedway season October 2023 October 2023 Provincial League 13 Champions Poole Pirates Knockout Cup Exeter Falcons Individual Len Silver Northern League Sheffield Tigers Southern League Poole Pirates Midland League Wolverhampton Wolves Ivor Brown 1962 National League 1961 1963 The 1962 Provincial Speedway League was the third season of the Provincial League. 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 Summary Thirteen speedway teams took part. Bradford, at their new venue at Greenfields Stadium, returned to the league after missing the previous season due to delays building their new track. The league season proved to be disastrous for Bradford and the club folded at the end of the year. New team Neath Welsh Dragons joined the league and Leicester joined after dropping down from the National League. Neath, near Port Talbot in Wales, was not a successful venue and many of their fixtures were raced at St. Austell.https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/yearbyyear.html Year by Year Speedway Researcher 13 August 2021Rogers Martin The Illustrated History of Speedway 1978 129 Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd 0-904584-45-3 Rayleigh Rockets withdrew with promoters Wally Mawdsley and Pete Lansdale citing falling gates and rider wage demands.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004848/19611207/451/0020 Speed Track closes Daily Express 7 December 1961 British Newspaper Archive subscription 20 February 2025 Poole won the league championship for the second year in a row.https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/history/leaguetables1946-1964 BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964) Official British Speedway website 13 August 2021 The Neath Welsh Dragons achieved what was described as the impossible by finishing second in the league standings.Speedway Dragons second in P.L. Championship Porthcawl Guardian 19 October 1962 16 November 2023 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004337/19621019/310/0009 British Newspaper Archive subscription The supplementary cup competitions were won by Sheffield, Poole and Wolverhampton respectively.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001916/19620519/161/0004 Tigers All-out for Double Star Green 'un 19 May 1962 British Newspaper Archive subscription 1 July 2025https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000653/19620519/103/0006 Dramatic 11th heat sways if for Wolves Sports Argus 19 May 1962 British Newspaper Archive subscription 1 July 2025 League Final table Pos Team M W D L Pts1 Poole Pirates 24 17 0 7 342 Neath Welsh Dragons 24 14 1 9 293 Exeter Falcons 24 14 0 10 284 Stoke Potters 24 14 0 10 285 Edinburgh Monarchs 24 12 2 10 266 Plymouth Devils 24 12 2 10 267 Sheffield Tigers 24 12 1 11 258 Cradley Heath Heathens 24 12 0 12 249 Newcastle Diamonds 24 12 0 12 2410 Wolverhampton Wolves 24 11 1 12 2311 Middlesbrough Bears 24 11 0 13 2212 Leicester Hunters 24 6 0 18 1213 Bradford Panthers 24 5 1 18 11 M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points Fixtures and results main FBR grey BRA CH ED EX LEI MID ND NEW PLY PP SHE STO WOL Bradford 45–33 32–46 29–49 49–28 44–34 32–46 38–40 42–36 34–41 39–39 41–37 34–43 Cradley Heath 50–28 43–35 45–32 48–30 44–34 38–40 52–26 49–29 40–38 56–22 36–42 46–32 Edinburgh 51–26 50–28 48–29 47–31 41–37 42–36 48–29 38–39 37–41 40–38 43–34 34–44 Exeter 57–21 56–22 44–34 51–27 49–29 43–34 60–18 44–34 43–35 46–32 45–33 61–14 Leicester 56–22 37–41 30–45 48–30 40–38 32–44 51–27 32–46 32–45 37–41 48–30 51.5–26.5 Middlesbrough 48–29 42–36 54–24 55–23 51–27 49–29 37–31 49–29 34–44 44–34 50–28 41–37 Neath 51–27 34–44 42–36 34–44 50–28 49–29 44–34 47–31 36–42 41–36 50–28 47–31 Newcastle 51–27 45–32 40–38 51–26 46–30 35–43 37–40 47–29 40–38 44.5–31.5 41–37 28–50 Plymouth 44–34 45–33 39–39 42–36 41–37 46–32 39–39 38–37 43–34 42–36 43–25 55–22 Poole 55–23 54–23 47–30 58–19 54–24 47–31 38–40 54–24 45–32 48–30 52–25 62–16 Sheffield 45–33 47–31 36–42 43–35 49–29 49–29 49–29 54–24 54–23 42–36 46–32 61–15 Stoke 53–24 47–31 46–32 45–33 60–18 41–36 42–35 43–35 41–36 45–33 46–32 44–33 Wolverhampton 56–22 40–36 39–39 52–26 55–23 46–32 45–33 36–42 50–28 37–40 48–30 33–45 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1962.html Speedway Researcher 1962 fixtures & results 4 February 2025 Top five riders (league only) Rider Nat Team C.M.A. 1 Ivor Brown ENG Cradley 10.21 2 Clive Featherby ENG Sheffield 10.21 3 Eric Boothroyd ENG Middlesbrough 10.15 4 Geoff Mudge AUS Poole 10.04 5 Jimmy Squibb ENG Plymouth 9.74 Provincial League Knockout Cup The 1962 Provincial League Knockout Cup was the third edition of the Knockout Cup for the Provincial League teams. Exeter Falcons were the winners.http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2013/06/provincial-league-ko-cup-1962.html 1962 Provincial League Knockout Cup Speedway archive 13 August 2021 First round Date Team one Score Team two18/06Newcastle 74–22 Sheffield21/06Middlesbrough 66–30 Cradley Heath22/06Leicester 32–64 Poole22/06Bradford 57–39 Neath23/06Edinburgh 71–25 Wolverhampton Second round Date Team one Score Team two11/08Edinburgh 54–42 Middlesbrough11/08Stoke 61–31 Newcastle14/08Bradford 44–52 Poole27/08Exeter 53–43 Plymouth Semi-finals Date Team one Score Team two10/09Exeter 57–39 Edinburgh15/09 Stoke49–47 Poole Final Date Team one Score Team two20/10 Stoke60–36 Exeter22/10 Exeter 70–26 Stoke Supplemetary leagues Northern League Team PL W D L PtsSheffield 8 6 1 1 13 Middlesbrough 8 4 0 4 8 Edinburgh 8 4 0 4 8 Newcastle 8 4 0 4 8 Bradford 8 1 1 6 3 Southern League Team PL W D L PtsPoole 6 6 0 0 12 Exeter 6 2 1 3 5 Plymouth 6 2 1 3 5 Neath 6 1 0 5 2 main FBR grey BRA ED MID NEW SHE Bradford 39–39 38–39 41–37 38–40 Edinburgh 47–31 39–38 53–25 39–39 Middlesbrough 42–35 46–32 35–43 48–30 Newcastle 48–30 44–32 40–38 37.5–39.5 Sheffield 55–22 56–22 48–30 59–19 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1962.html Speedway Researcher 1962 fixtures & results 1 July 2025 main FBR grey EX ND PLY PP Exeter 51–26 39–39 38–40 Neath 34–44 41–37 31–47 Plymouth 43–35 46–32 35–39 Poole 52–25 56–22 51–26 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1962.html Speedway Researcher 1962 fixtures & results 1 July 2025 Midland League Team PL W D L PtsWolverhampton 6 4 0 2 8 Cradley Heath 6 3 0 3 6 Leicester 6 3 0 3 6 Stoke 6 2 1 4 5 main FBR grey CH LEI STO WOL Cradley Heath 50–28 49–29 56–22 Leicester 44–34 42–36 41–37 Stoke 42–36 42–36 34–44 Wolverhampton 40–38 43–35 56–22 complete https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1962.html Speedway Researcher 1962 fixtures & results 1 July 2025 Riders' Championship Len Silver won the Riders' Championship. The final was held at Hyde Road on 22 September in front of 20,000 spectators. Four riders finished on 11 points forcing a race off.Hunter out of Luck Edinburgh Evening News 24 September 1962 12 June 2023 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000452/19620924/282/0009 British Newspaper Archive subscription Pos. Rider Pts Total1 ENG Len Silver 2 3 3 3 11+32 NZL Wayne Briggs 3 2 3 3 11+23 ENG Brian Craven 3 3 2 3 11+14 ENG Guy Allott 3 2 3 3 11+05 AUS Geoff Mudge 2 2 2 3 96 ENG Ron Bagley 3 2 2 2 97 ENG Norman Hunter 3 3 1 2 98 SCO Doug Templeton 1 1 3 3 89 NZL Brian McKeown 2 3 1 1 710 ENG Ivor Brown 1 3 1 2 711 ENG Pete Lansdale 1 1 1 3 612 ENG Eric Hockaday 1 3 0 2 613 ENG Jimmy Squibb f 2 2 2 614 ENG Clive Featherby 3 f 1 1 515 ENG Cliff Cox 0 2 2 1 516 NZL Bill Andrew 0 2 3 0 517 AUS Graham Warren 1 0 0 2 318 SCO George Hunter 2 1 - -319 ENG Eric Boothroyd 2 0 1 0 320 NZL Trevor Redmond 2 ef 1 0 321 ENG Eric Boocock 1 1 0 0 222 SCO Willie Templeton 0 1 0 ef 123 AUS Charlie Monk 0 1 0 0 124 ENG Howdy Byford (res) 0 0 1 125 ENG Ernie Baker (res) 0 1 126 ENG Reg Duval 0 - - - - 0 f=fell, r-retired, exc=excluded, ef=engine failure Riders & final averages Bradford 22em ENG Tommy Roper 7.10 ENG Reg Duval 6.23 ENG Geoff Pymar 5.89 ENG Peter Kelly 5.82 ENG Wal Morton 5.66 ENG Dave Gerrard 5.60 ENG Ray Day 5.40 ENG Stuart Hickman 3.56 ENG Dennis Jenkins 3.40 ENG Malcolm Bruce 2.67 Cradley Heath 22em ENG Ivor Brown 10.21 ENG Harry Bastable 7.91 ENG John Hart 6.80 ENG Ivor Davies 6.59 ENG Nick Nicholls 6.56 ENG Stan Stevens 6.45 ENG Derek Timms 5.49 ENG Alan Totney 3.82 ENG George Bewley 3.13 Edinburgh 22em SCO Doug Templeton 9.36 NZL Wayne Briggs 8.45 SCO Dick Campbell 7.05 SCO George Hunter 7.66 SCO Willie Templeton 6.67 NZL Alf Wells 6.24 SCO Jimmy Cox 4.44 AUS Dudley McKean 3.94 SCO Jimmy Tannock 3.80 Exeter 22em ENG Len Silver 8.97 ENG Pete Lansdale 8.00 ENG Howdy Byford 7.31 ENG Francis Cann 6.68 ENG Eric Howe 6.20 ENG Dennis Day 6.04 ENG Alan Cowland 5.64 Leicester 22em ENG Norman Hunter 7.85 ENG Eric Hockaday 7.25 ENG Derek Strutt 6.58 ENG Rick France 6.36 ENG Vic White 6.24 ENG Slant Payling 5.57 ENG Harry Edwards 5.35 ENG Bil Osborne 4.50 ENG Trevor Hedge 4.46 ENG John Poyser 3.59 Middlesbrough 22em ENG Eric Boothroyd 10.15 NZL Brian McKeown 8.83 GGY Johnny Fitzpatrick 7.38 ENG Eric Boocock 6.36 ENG Clive Hitch 5.49 ENG Dave Younghusband 4.33 AUS Kevin Torpie 3.20 ENG Bob Webb 2.18 Neath 22em NZL Trevor Redmond 9.43 AUS Charlie Monk 7.74 RSA 1928 Howdy Cornell 7.47 ENG Roy Taylor 7.44 ENG Jon Erskine 6.73 ENG George Major 5.78 ENG Glyn Chandler 5.26 ENG Fred Powell 2.46 Newcastle 22em ENG Brian Craven 9.60 ENG Gil Goldfinch 7.76 NZL Bill Andrew 6.70 ENG Mike Watkin 6.38 ENG Don Wilkinson 6.15 ENG Vic Lonsdale (Jack Thorp) 5.79 NZL Ivan Crozier 5.09 ENG Pete Sampson 4.25 RSA 1928 George Glen 4.05 ENG Russ Dent 3.20 Plymouth 22em ENG Jimmy Squibb 9.74 ENG Cliff Cox 8.87 ENG Chris Julian 7.31 CAN 1957 Chris Blewett 6.84 ENG Maury Mattingley 5.96 ENG Bert Roger 5.63 ENG Ivor Toms 3.25 SCO George Summers 2.87 ENG Ray Wickett 2.42 Poole 22em AUS Geoff Mudge 10.04 ENG Tony Lewis 9.30 SCO Ross Gilbertson 8.41 ENG Tim Bungay 7.78 ENG Roy Trigg 7.54 ENG Norman Strachan 6.74 ENG Bobby Croombs 6.05 ENG Pete Munday 3.25 Sheffield 22em ENG Clive Featherby 10.21 ENG Tony Robinson 9.60 ENG Guy Allott 9.58 ENG Ron Bagley 7.98 ENG Ronnie Rolfe 6.11 AUS Derrol Melbin 3.76 ENG John Dews 3.35 ENG Jack Winstanley 3.30 ENG Alan Jay 2.97 Stoke 22em ENG Eric Hockaday 8.69 ENG Ken Adams 8.67 ENG Pete Jarman 7.95 ENG Jimmy Heard 7.65 ENG Colin Pratt 6.20 ENG Ron Sharp 5.66 ENG John Edwards 4.93 WAL Howard Cole (Kid Bodie) 4.56 ENG Bill Wainwright 3.43 ENG Ray Harris 3.38 Wolverhampton 22em ENG Tommy Sweetman 8.67 AUS Graham Warren 8.13 ENG Ernie Baker 7.28 ENG Vic Ridgeon 6.52 WAL Cyril Francis 6.26 ENG Derek Strutt 6.16 ENG Les Jenkins 4.70 ENG Bill Bridgett 4.47 ENG Erol Brook 3.85 ENG Terry Stone 1.47 See also List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions Knockout Cup (speedway) References Category:Speedway Provincial League Provincial Speedway Provincial Speedway