The club were allowed entry to the prestigious National Trophy competition for the first time and did well to reach the third round, dipping out after an aggregate defeat to Southampton, despite one of the most entertaining matches to date at Dudley Wood in the second leg. Fans' favourite Alan Hunt began to emerge, from gutsy reserve to a genuine match winner, breaking the Dudley Wood track record more than once. He proved to be at the heart of many thrills in the Southampton match, despite racing with stitches in his backside following a crash which had ripped out the seat of his leathers, and later in the season scored two points as he somersaulted across the finish line after being fenced on the last corner by Tamworth's Basil Harris. Craven was promoted mid-season, from reserve into the team proper, due to an injury to Clifton, and was regularly achieving double figure returns by the summer, before notching back to back maximums against Exeter and Plymouth in July. Home crowds continued in excess of 10,000 and new track lights were installed at 'the Wood to enable regular evening racing to take place for the first time.

By mid-August, the Cubs were fancying their title chances and eyeing a promotion push for the second division. They tested their mettle against several teams from the higher league with challenges against Sheffield and Yarmouth, whilst signing Ken Sharples on loan from Belle Vue and Bill Kemp from Wembley. Alan Hunt's progress soon saw him partnered with Eric Irons to form one of the most prolific pairs in the league. However their brave battle was dented in the latter stages of the season with an injury to Craven. Finishing strongly once again, they rounded the season off with a 22-point league victory at Tamworth and a record 66-18 home demolition of Wombwell to claim runners-up spot in the third division for the second successive year. Under new regulations it was enough for promotion into Division Two, a commendable achievement for the young Cubs.

Craven was one of the finds of the season, topping the club's averages, closely followed by Beaumont, and backed-up admirably by Eric Irons and the hugely entertaining Hunt. Jimmy Wright earned a 7.00+ average before serious injuries cut short his season in a horror crash at Exeter.

Riders Performance Chart 1948 Cradley 'The Cubs' Rider Matches Rides Points Bonus Aver G.Craven 28 -- 238.5 -- 8.52 L.Beaumont 44 -- 368 -- 8.36 E.Irons 44 -- 332 -- 7.55 J.Wright 14 -- 102 -- 7.29 A.Hunt 44 -- 307 -- 6.98 B.Kemp 15 -- 82 -- 5.47 K.Sharples 14 -- 68 -- 4.86 P.Malpass 44 -- 191 -- 4.34 B.Clifton 40 -- 160 -- 4.00 J.Coy 5 -- 16 -- 3.20 R.Beaumont 19 -- 40 -- 2.10 R.Moreton 35 -- 62 -- 1.77 W.Wilstead 5 -- 7 -- 1.40 F.Evans 3 -- 4 -- 1.34 T.Moore 2 -- 2 -- 1.00