The 1953 National League Division Two was the eighth post-war season of the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.[1]
| League | National League Division Two |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 9 |
| Champions | Coventry Bees |
| Highest average | Tommy Miller |
| Division/s above | National League (Div 1) |
| Division/s below | Southern League |
Summary
The League was reduced at the start of the season again to 10 teams with Oxford Cheetahs dropping down to the Southern League whilst Ashfield Giants closed and Liverpool Chads folded mid-season.
Cradley Heath disbanded following the withdrawal of the promoter Eli Sumner due to financial issues,[2] with the team moving to join the Wolverhampton Wasps (formerly of the Southern League).[3][4]
Coventry Bees clinched their first title by a single point.[5]
Wolverhampton rider Mike Rogers died on 6 June 1953, the day after receiving critical injuries at Monmore Green Stadium racing against Liverpool. The 22-year-old lost control of his bike and fell heavily before being transported to the Royal Hospital in Wolverhampton.[6]
Final table
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Coventry Bees | 32 | 19 | 1 | 12 | 39 |
| 2 | Poole Pirates | 32 | 18 | 2 | 12 | 38 |
| 3 | Yarmouth Bloaters | 32 | 18 | 0 | 14 | 36 |
| 4 | Glasgow White City Tigers | 32 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 34 |
| 5 | Edinburgh Monarchs | 32 | 15 | 1 | 16 | 31 |
| 6 | Motherwell Eagles | 32 | 15 | 0 | 17 | 30 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wasps | 32 | 13 | 1 | 18 | 27 |
| 8 | Leicester Hunters | 32 | 13 | 1 | 18 | 27 |
| 9 | Stoke Potters | 32 | 12 | 2 | 18 | 26 |
Liverpool Chads withdrew mid-season - record expunged.
Top Five Riders (League only)
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Tommy Miller |  | Glasgow | 10.81 |
| 2 | Don Cuppleditch |  | Edinburgh | 10.36 |
| 3 | Fred Brand | | Yarmouth | 9.97 |
| 4 | Derick Close | | Motherwell | 9.92 |
| 5 | Len Williams | | Leicester | 9.78 |
National Trophy
For the National Trophy see the 1953 Speedway National League.
Midland Cup
For the Midland Cup see the 1953 Speedway National League.
Riders & final averages
Coventry
-
Charlie New 9.08 -
Peter Brough 8.00 - Johnny Reason 7.72
-
Les Hewitt 7.71 - Vic Emms 6.60
- Stan Williams 6.11
- Reg Duval 6.73
- Derrick Tailby 6.04
- Jack Wright 5.51
Edinburgh
- Don Cuppleditch 10.36
- Dick Campbell 8.32
-
Bob Mark 7.38 - Harold Fairhurst 7.17
Roy Bester 7.05- Eddie Lack 5.89
- Jeff Crawford 3.62
- Wilf Jay 3.34
- Harry Darling 3.20
- Jimmy Cox 2.85
Glasgow
- Tommy Miller 10.81
- Junior Bainbridge 8.04
- Ken McKinlay 8.94
- Alf McIntosh 6.67
- Peter Dykes 6.18
- Larry Lazarus 6.11
- Don Wilkinson 5.13
- Bob Sharp 4.79
- Harry Welch 4.77
- Doug Templeton 2.67
Leicester
- Len Williams 9.78
- Reg Fearman 6.20
- Dennis Parker 5.71
- Charlie Barsby 5.69
- Alf Parker 5.56
- Fred Perkins 5.48
- Jack Mountford 5.33
- Roy Browning 5.22
- Bill Griffiths 5.04
- Lionel Watling (James Goldingay) 4.81
- Harwood Pike 2.56
- Ivor Brown 2.10
Liverpool (withdrew)
- Peter Robinson 8.69
- Bill Griffiths 7.19
- Tommy Anderson 5.81
- Harry Welch 5.64
- Fred Wills 5.61
- Gil Blake 5.57
- Tommy Allott 4.84
- Cyril Cooper 3.51
- Stan Bradbury 2.84
- Johnny Greenwood 0.31
Motherwell
- Derick Close 9.92
- Gordon McGregor 8.55
- Cyril Cooper 8.50
- Ron Phillips 7.32
- Noel Watson 6.92
- Johnny Green 6.60
- Guy Allott 5.80
- Scott Hall 4.77
- Bluey Scott 4.07
- Jimmy Tannock 3.20
Poole
- Ken Middleditch 9.59
- Terry Small 9.06
- Brian Crutcher 8.80
- Bill Holden 7.01
- Tony Lewis 7.38
- Jimmy Squibb 7.63
- Buster Brown 5.95
- Allan Kidd 5.51
- Johnny Thomson 5.18
- Norman Strachan 4.00
Stoke
- Ken Adams 8.44
- Reg Fearman 7.90
- Don Potter 7.68
- Jack Hughes 7.41
- Les Jenkins 6.31
- Ron Peace 6.17
-
Johnny Fitzparick 6.08 - Fred Wills 5.60
- Ray Harris 5.05
- Bill Dalton 4.85
- Alf Parker 4.00
- Paddy Mills 3.71
- Allan Hailstone 2.21
- Joey Peck 1.26
Wolverhampton
- Harry Bastable 8.04
- Brian Shepherd 8.00
- Jim Tolley 7.75
- Derek Braithwaite 6.78
- Ivor Davies 6.38
- Eric Irons 5.77
- Les Tolley 5.59
- Benny King 4.54
- Phil Malpass 3.17
- Harry Saunders 2.86
- Bill Jemison 2.22
- Harry Wardropper 1.67
Yarmouth
- Fred Brand 9.97
- Johnny Chamberlain 8.67
- Reg Reeves 8.60
- Bob Baker 7.88
- Danny Dunton 7.20
- Roy Bowers 6.58
- Ronnie Genz 5.73
- Arthur Bush 5.41
- Terry Courtnell 5.13
- George White 4.40
- Reg Morgan 3.90
- Gundy Harris 3.18
- Vic Ridgeon 4.00