1931 English Club Championship
The 1931 English Club Championship was awarded to the London Lions. It was their first English Club Championship, but their second British title. The Lions had won the British Championship the previous year.
The Lions defeated Queen's at the Queens Ice Rink in Bayswater (London) in the final game of the season on May 14, 1931. They finished undefeated on the season, and thus won the Club Championship.[1]
There was originally going to be a playoff for the British Championship, as there was the previous year, but a semifinal between Glasgow and Manchester was not played as the teams were unable to agree on home and away dates.[2]
London Lions' captain, Vic Gardner, expressed regret that a league competition had still not begun and criticized the high number of international matches that were played in a March 1931 letter published in The Skating Times.
This was the last year a club champion was crowned in England. For 1931-32, the winner of the English League was regarded as the country's champion.[3]
Some other games played this year included: Hammersmith Ice Club - Manchester 1:1 at the Hammersmith Icedrome on December 20, Hammersmith Ice Club - Sussex 1:0 on January 24, Hammersmith Ice Club - Westover Ice Club 10:4[4] at Bournemouth on March 28, Iroquois Ice Club - Westover Ice Club 14:7[5] at Bournemouth and Glasgow - Manchester 4:0[6] at Crossmyloof Ice Rink on February 14.