| League | English Dirt Track League |
|---|---|
| No. of competitors | 11 |
| Champions | Leeds |
| Knockout Cup | Preston |
| Highest average | Syd Jackson |
| Division/s other | 1929 Southern League |
| |
The 1929English Dirt Track League was the inaugural season ofspeedway in the United Kingdom, featuring from Northern England.[1] In the same year, the1929 Speedway Southern League also commenced, catering to teams from Southern England[2][3][4] The sport had been introduced to England in 1928 atHigh Beech Speedway.[5]
The season was marked by mid-season withdrawals, butLeeds were ultimately crowned champions. In 1930, the league was renamed theNorthern League, thus existing for only one year.White City Speedway (Manchester) withdrew from the league following a dispute[6] and would have been crowned champions if they had not withdrawn. At the time of their departure, they were leading the table by four points, having won 18 of their 20 matches.[7]
The introduction of speedway in Middlesbrough at theCleveland Park Stadium was a success with the team holding their first home fixture was on 16 May 1929 againstSalford.[8][9] However, on 12 July 1929, Dennis Atkinson suffered critical injuries following an accident at Cleveland Park, riding in a Golden Helmet meeting. He died the following day.[10]
| Pos | Team | PL | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leeds | 20 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 33 |
| 2 | Preston | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 28 |
| 3 | Halifax | 19 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 25 |
| 4 | Newcastle | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| 5 | Salford | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| 6 | Rochdale | 20 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 19 |
| 7 | Leicester Stadium | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 18 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| 9 | Sheffield | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 13 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 19 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 12 |
| 11 | Barnsley Lundwood | 20 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 12 |
Withdrawals (Records expunged) :
| Home \ Away | BAR | HAL | LEE | LEI | LIV | MAN | MID | NEW | PRE | ROC | SAL | SHE | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley Lundwood | 23–40 | 26–36 | 36–27 | 30–27 | 30–32 | 40–22 | 32–22 | 32–31 | 26–36 | 24–31 | 37–24 | 38–24 | |
| Halifax | 35–27 | 31–31 | n/a | n/a | 30–33 | 46–17 | 43–20 | 39–22 | 29–34 | 41–21 | 39–24 | 49–14 | |
| Leeds | 38–24 | 42–21 | 50–13 | 36–27 | 29–33 | 41–21 | 41–22 | 42–21 | 43–20 | 46–16 | 47–16 | 46–16 | |
| Leicester | 43–20 | 28–34 | 45–17 | 44–19 | 34–29 | 38–25 | 25–35 | 34–29 | 37–26 | 33–29 | 41–21 | 31–31 | |
| Liverpool | 39–23 | 44–18 | 29–33 | 32–30 | 31–32 | 43–18 | 33–27 | 15–48 | 50–12 | 42–21 | 50–11 | 35–26 | |
| Manchester White City | 48–15 | 40–22 | 44–19 | 50–10 | n/a | 47–16 | 47–16 | 48–14 | 45–18 | 42–20 | 51–12 | 50–12 | |
| Middlesbrough | 48–15 | 28–35 | 30–33 | 37–24 | n/a | n/a | 20–42 | 37–25 | 33–29 | 44–18 | 43–18 | 38–25 | |
| Newcastle | 36–26 | 37–23 | 23–37 | 44–18 | 41–19 | n/a | 39–24 | 26–36 | 40–22 | 41–20 | 44–19 | n/a | |
| Preston | 45–18 | 35–28 | 35–27 | 39–24 | 52–11 | 26–37 | 46–15 | 51–11 | 36–27 | 38–24 | 46–16 | 47–14 | |
| Rochdale | 48–15 | 33–28 | 31–32 | 39–24 | 43–20 | 36–27 | 39–24 | 40–22 | 33–29 | 37–26 | 31–31 | 35–28 | |
| Salford | 46–17 | 38–25 | 41–22 | 43–18 | 41–21 | n/a | 36–27 | 33–28 | 31–32 | 39–24 | 41–22 | 27–36 | |
| Sheffield | 34–26 | 24–39 | 28–35 | 23–40 | 42–21 | n/a | 46–17 | 36–27 | 30–33 | 43–19 | 46–16 | 52–11 | |
| Warrington | n/a | 28–35 | n/a | 32–31 | n/a | 19–44 | 40–22 | n/a | 25–38 | 35–28 | 39–24 | 30–33 |
| Team | C.M.A. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syd Jackson | Leicester | 10.71 |
| 2 | Joe Abbott | Burnley/Preston | 10.50 |
| 3 | Ham Burrill | Preston | 9.44 |
| 4 | Charlie Hornby | Warrington | 8.88 |
| 5 | Walter Creasor | Newcastle/Halifax | 8.50 |
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/08 | Barnsley Lundwood | 32–30 | Sheffield |
| 10/08 | Rochdale | 39–23 | Salford |
| 10/08 | Sheffield | 33–30 | Barnsley Lundwood |
| 13/08 | Middlesbrough | 25–38 | Newcastle |
| 16/08 | Manchester White City | 50–13 | Warrington |
| 21/08 | Liverpool | 16–47 | Preston |
| 22/08 | Halifax | 49–13 | Leeds |
| 22/08 | Leicester Stadium | 34–27 | Leicester Super |
| 22/08 | Preston | 44–19 | Liverpool |
| 23/08 | Newcastle | 38–24 | Middlesbrough |
| 23/08 | Warrington | 33–29 | Manchester White City |
| 24/08 | Leeds | 32–31 | Halifax |
| 24/08 | Leicester Super | 30–32 | Leicester Stadium |
| 24/08 | Nottingham | 35–23 | Wombwell |
| 26/08 | Salford | 37–26 | Rochdale |
| 29/08 | Wombwell | 38–24 | Nottingham |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/09 | Halifax | 35–25 | Wombwell |
| 14/09 | Rochdale | 30–33 | Leicester Stadium |
| 16/09 | Wombwell | 31–31 | Halifax |
| 18/09 | Sheffield | 35–28 | Preston |
| 19/09 | Leicester Stadium | 35–27 | Rochdale |
| 19/09 | Preston | 55–11 | Sheffield |
| Manchester White City | w/o | Newcastle |
Semifinals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19/09 | Halifax | 44–19 | Newcastle |
| 20/09 | Newcastle | 37–25 | Halifax |
| 21/09 | Preston | 48–14 | Leicester Stadium |
| 03/10 | Leicester Stadium | 39–24 | Preston |
First leg
| Preston Frank Charles 12 Joe Abbott 10 Ham Burrill 8 Frank Chiswell 8 Jack Chiswell 7 Claude Rye 3 | 48 – 15 | Halifax Walter Creasor 5 Bert Clayton 3 Geoff Taylor 2 Frank Smith 2 Geoff Kilburn 2 Jack Dudding 1 |
|---|---|---|
| [12] |
Second leg
| Halifax Cyril "Squib" Burton 7 George Reynard 6 Bert Clayton 4 Frank Smith 3 Arthur Atkinson 2 Jack Dudding 1 | 24 – 39 | Preston Frank Chiswell 12 Frank Charles 10 Joe Abbott 6 Ham Burrill 5 Claude Rye 4 Len Myerscough 2 |
|---|---|---|
| [12] |
Preston were Knockout Cup winners, winning on aggregate87–39.
Barnsley
Halifax
Leeds
Leicester
Liverpool
Manchester White City (withdrew)
Middlesbrough
Newcastle
Preston
Rochdale
Salford
Sheffield
Warrington (withdrew)
Northern League seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| English Dirt Track League: |  | |
| Northern League: | ||