1956 was the final season of the Speedway National League Division Two.[1]
| League | National League Division Two |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 7 |
| Champions | Swindon Robins |
| National Trophy (Div 2 final) | Southampton Saints |
| Highest average | Per Olof Söderman |
| Division/s above | National League (Div 1) |
| Division/s below | Southern League |
Summary
With the number of sides competing at national level diminishing from 37 at the start of 1951 to just 14 in 1956, only a single national division would be in existence by 1957. Poole Pirates had been promoted to Division One and Exeter Falcons had closed leaving seven entrants.[2][3]
Swindon Robins captured the title by a single point.[4][5]
Southampton's 34-year-old captain Ernie Rawlins died in Southampton Hospital on 22 September 1956, following an accident in the match against Birmingham on 18 September.[6]
Final table
| Pos | Team | M | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Swindon Robins | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 32 |
| 2 | Southampton Saints | 24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 31 |
| 3 | Rayleigh Rockets | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 29 |
| 4 | Ipswich Witches | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 26 |
| 5 | Coventry Bees | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 24 |
| 6 | Leicester Hunters | 24 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 13 |
| 7 | Oxford Cheetahs | 24 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 13 |
Top Five Riders (League only)
| Rider | Nat | Team | C.M.A. | |
| 1 | Per Olof Söderman |  | Coventry | 11.74 |
| 2 | Ken McKinlay |  | Leicester | 10.25 |
| 3 | Dick Bradley |  | Southampton | 10.22 |
| 4 | Bob Roger | | Swindon | 9.53 |
| 5 | Ian Williams |  | Swindon | 9.52 |
National Trophy Stage One
- For Stage Two - see Stage Two
The 1956 National Trophy was the 19th edition of the Knockout Cup. The Trophy consisted of two stages; stage one was for the second tier clubs, stage two was for the top tier clubs. Southampton won stage one and qualified for second and final stage.[7]
Division Two First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21/04 | Coventry | 55-53 | Ipswich |
| 21/04 | Rayleigh | 74-34 | Oxford |
| 21/04 | Swindon | 65-43 | Leicester |
| 20/04 | Leicester | 65-43 | Swindon |
| 19/04 | Ipswich | 68-40 | Coventry |
| 19/04 | Oxford | 40-68 | Rayleigh |
| 05/05 replay | Swindon | 51-56 | Leicester |
| 04/05 replay | Leicester | 76-32 | Swindon |
Division Two semifinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26/05 | Rayleigh | 68-39 | Southampton |
| 25/05 | Leicester | 67-40 | Ipswich |
| 22/05 | Southampton | 69-39 | Rayleigh |
| 21/05 | Ipswich | 46-62 | Leicester |
Division Two final
First leg
| Southampton Saints Dick Bradley 15 Brian Hanham 13 Ernie Rawlins 12 Johnny Hole 7 Frank Bettis 6 Alby Golden 5 Maurie Mattingley 4 Ron Sharp 2 | 64 – 43 | Leicester Lions Ken McKinlay 14 Ron Phillips 11 Charlie Barsby 5 Len Williams 5 Bryan Elliott 3 Barrie East 3 Gordon McGregor 2 Ivor Brown 0 |
|---|---|---|
| [8] |
Second leg
| Leicester Lions Len Williams 12 Ken McKinlay 9 Ron Phillips 8 Gordon McGregor 7 Charlie Barsby 6 Barrie East 4 Ivor Brown 4 Dennis Parker 4 | 54 – 54 | Southampton Saints Ernie Rawlins 14 Dick Bradley 13 Brian Hanham 9 Maurie Mattingley 7 Alby Golden 5 Johnny Hole 2 Frank Bettis 2 Ron Sharp 2 |
|---|---|---|
| [8] |
Riders & final averages
Coventry
-
Per Olof Söderman 11.74 -
Bob Mark 7.50 -
Charlie New 8.04 -
Reg Duval 6.53 - Nick Nicholls 6.40
- Jim Lightfoot 5.98
- Eric Hockaday 5.05
- Les Tolley 4.41
Ipswich
- Bert Edwards 9.21
-
Bob Sharp 8.93 - Junior Bainbridge 8.70
- Tich Read (George Snailum) 6.40
- Ken Adams 5.31
- Danny Dunton 4.56
- Larry Lazarus 3.54
- Bill Bryden 3.05
- Ken Last 2.76
- Len Silver 2.33
Leicester
- Ken McKinlay 10.25
- Gordon McGregor 8.21
- Derick Close 6.
- Johnny Green 5.
- Charlie Barsby 5.92
- Len Williams 5.89
- Ron Phillips 5.61
- Les McGillivray 4.73
- Barry East 3.61
- Bran Elliott 2.42
- Vic Hall 2.09
- Dennis Parker 1.33
- Ivor Brown 1.33
Oxford
- Ronnie Genz 8.53
- Peter Robinson 6.20
- Bob Baker 5.90
- Dennis Newton 5.60
- Howdy Byford 5.55
- Pat Clark 5.07
- Terry Courtnell 4.70
- Tommy Miller 4.29
- Bill Thatcher 4.00
- Roy Bowers 4.00
- Jim Tebby 3.69
- Maury Courtnell 2.46
Rayleigh
- Jack Unstead 9.50
- Gerry Jackson 8.25
- Les McGillivray 7.78
- Pete Lansdale 7.17
- Alan Smith 6.99
- Maury McDermott 6.40
-
Johnny Fitzpatrick 5.38 - Eric Ebbs 5.33
Southampton
- Dick Bradley 10.22
- Bill Holden 8.48
- Ernie Rawlins 8.41
- Brian Hanham 8.36
- Ron Sharp 5.75
- Alby Golden 5.43
- Maury Mattingley 5.25
- Johnny Hole 5.17
- Charlie May 4.59
- Frank Bettis 3.20
Swindon
- Bob Roger 9.53
-
Ian Williams 9.52 - George White 9.15
- Ernie Lessiter 5.69
- Ray Harris 4.76
- Ron Swaine 4.13
- Danny Malone 3.83
- Al Sparrey 3.58
- Glyn Chandler 3.08