Wimbledon Dons Explained

Clubname:Wimbledon Dons
Track:Wimbledon Stadium
Plough Lane
Wimbledon
London
Country:England
Founded:1928
Closed:2005
Colours:Yellow Star on Red
Tracksize:355yd
Honour1:National League Champions
Year1:1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961
Honour3:National Trophy Winners
Year3:1938, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1962
Honour5:KO Cup Winners
Year5:1968, 1969, 1970
Honour6:London Cup Winners
Year6:1938, 1939, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1985
Honour7:RAC Cup
Year7:1954
Honour8:Britannia Shield
Year8:1959
Honour9:Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup Winners
Year9:1979

The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.[1] [2]

The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They were closed during the Second World War but upon their reopening in 1946 there were 42,000 people in attendance with an estimated 10,000 more locked outside. The club were very successful at the highest level of British speedway during the 1950s and 1960s, and attracted numerous famous riders.

Having been defunct for eleven years, the team was reopened again in 2002 by Steve Ribbons & David Croucher in the Conference League[3] but were forced to close in 2005, with Ian Perkin, Dingle Brown & Perry Attwood being joint owners of the club, when the stadium owners insisted on dramatically increasing the rent paid by the team to the stadium.[4]

Honours

National League

Champions: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961

National Trophy

Winners: 1938, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1962

KO Cup (formerly National League Trophy)

Winners: 1968, 1969, 1970

London Cup

Winners: 1938, 1939, 1961, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985

RAC Cup

Winners: 1954

Britannia Shield

Winner: 1959

Gauntlet Spring Gold Cup

Winners: 1979

Conference Pairs Champions

Winners: 2004, 2005

Season summary

width=350Year and leaguewidth=50Positionwidth=350Notes
11th
4th
5th
5th
2nd
5th
7th
4th
7th
4th National Trophy winner, London Cup
2nd+ London Cup
4th
3rd
6th
8th
3rd National Trophy winner
3rd National Trophy winner
5th
5th National Trophy winner
1stchampions
1st champions
1st champions & National Trophy winner
3rd
1st champions
1st champions & National Trophy winner
1st champions & National Trophy winner
1st champions
2nd National Trophy winner
3rd
6th London Cup
2nd
4th
11th
9th Knockout Cup winners, London Cup
3rd Knockout Cup winners, London Cup
2nd Knockout Cup winners, London Cup
10th
13th
12th
8th London Cup
9th London Cup
16th
9th
4th London Cup
9th
13th London Cup
16th
11th
6th London Cup
7th
4th London Cup
6th
7th
4th
2nd
7th
N/A fixtures taken over by Eastbourne Eagles
11th
9th
7th
2nd
+2nd when league was suspended

Notes and References

  1. Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway.
  2. Jacobs, N. Speedway in London,
  3. Web site: Speedway: Rebirth of glory club. Findon. Ben. 1 May 2002. The Daily Telegraph. 1 October 2008.
  4. .

    Book: Oakes , P . Speedway Star Almanac . Pinegen Ltd . 2006 . 0-9552376-1-0.