1949 Speedway National League Division Three

1949 Speedway National League Division Three
LeagueNational League Division Three
Season1949
No. of competitors13
ChampionsHanley Potters
National Trophy
(Div 3 final)		Hanley Potters
Highest averageBilly Bales
Division/s aboveDivision One
Division Two

The 1949 National League Division Three was the third season of British speedway's National League Division Three.[1] [2][3]

The league expanded to 13 teams from 12. Cradley Heath, Southampton and Coventry had all moved up to Division Two whilst Wombwell dropped out. The five new sides were Halifax Dukes, Liverpool Chads, Leicester Hunters, Rayleigh Rockets and Oxford Cheetahs.[4]

Swindon Robins joined the league late in the season, when Reg Witcomb applied to the Speedway Control Board to take over the remaining fixtures of Hull Angels, who had withdrawn from the league.[5]

Hanley Potters won the title on race points difference from Yarmouth Bloaters.[6]

Billy Bales of Yarmouth topped the averages.[7]

  1. ^ "Home". speedwayresearcher.org.uk.
  2. ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
  3. ^ "League speedway reaches Central Essex". Essex Newsman. 18 March 1949. Retrieved 14 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Hull Speedway". Hull Daily Mail. 3 September 1949. Retrieved 27 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Major League Competitions". Speedway Archive.
  7. ^ "National League Division 3 1949" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 11 November 2021.