britmet

Yes, - Its page 324.

You'll find that mtg and all Int'l at:- http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/index.html

This is confusing! - ? In "The Homes of British Speedway" by Bamford & Jarvis, it identifies the 2 locations as Hoddesdon Stdm, - the first, 1935 - 1957, (at 440yds,) and the second as Rye House Stdm, 1958 onward, (325yds and smaller.) It says in1958 racing moved to the adjacent current track, the original becoming a Go-Kart track, still in use today,(ie. when published, 2001.) So which story is correct ?

. Graham Warren - 1950 Jackie Biggs - 1951 ! .

To scott28tt, - and others who only take Sky for speedway, - DONT ! You can watch it for free on t'internet, plus Polish Lge matches etc. myP2P.eu or Polish TV's "Soccer Live".

Sky always repeat their speedway mtgs, late the same evening, the next morning or again even the following day. Have you tried looking again. I wont pay for Sky, I watch the mtgs on t'internet, - myP2P.eu or Polish TV "Soccer Live" (which has all their own league matches also. - and sometimes offers a week's delay (like i-player.)

. Tai's background rightly gives him the option to decide whether he rides for GB or for Australia, (and may or may not have involved pecunary consideration.) Once decided, however, when he reaches a position of international representation, which he now has, and in a scenario where "team spirit" is rightly considered significant and important, - as we've heard spoken so much of, and seen for ourselves (via TV in the pits,) much of in the last 6 days - , then there has to be no duplicity as to whom his commitment and loyalty is given, - for the sake of the other team-mates with whom he rides. (What will we think, - and his GB team-mates be thinking - , as and when GB meet Australia next time ?) I'm sure Rob Lyons will be having a quite word with him in the wake of this theme on this forum and elsewhere, as well as, unofficially maybe, members of the BSPA/SCB. (But then again, - What equivalent body governs Australia, e.g. decides or not to participate in FIM events, appoints Team Mgt, decides colours, (blue/red or green/yellow,) commits to the FIM, etc. etc. ?) .

What encouraging team spirit was shown last night ! I don't think we should see Scotty in this scenario again. Well done Rob Lyon. WELL DONE TEAM.GB .

. WHAT ROT ! (Hindsight is a marvellous gift !) What encouraging team spirit was shown last night ! I don't think we should see Scotty in this scenario again. Well done Rob Lyon. .

. 'ear, 'ear. ! .

And you may also need to d/load players beside Media Player to give some options, - TVU Player Sopcast TVAnts

What can Jimmy tell us about his riding in S. Africa in the mid-'50s and the issues that arose because of unlicensed tracks and subsequent bans on return to the UK .

See Hasse Holmqyist today, - engine tuner to 60yr old Ice-Race champion on YouTube, under Icy Racers, at apprx 3:30m. Hasse was an overnight sensation when he came to Wolves in '67, but his weakness was his shoulder, which he too often put out. He also rode for Oxford in 1970. .

Further to Post #4, and with thanks to Phil and Dudley, here is the complete table of ALAN HUNT MEMORIAL TROPHY winners since its inception in 1957:- YEAR . . . LOCATION . . . . . WINNER 1957 S.A. Durban, Hoy Park Doug Davies (SA) - 1960 U.K. B'ham, Alex.Stdm Arne Pander (Dk) - 1963 U.K. Cradley Heath Ivor Brown (Eng) 1964 " . ditto " " Ivan Mauger (NZ) 1965 " . ditto " " Nigel Boocock (Eng) 1966 " . ditto " " Barry Briggs (NZ) 1967 " . ditto " " (rained off 2x) 1968 " . ditto " " Hasse Holmqvist (Sw) 1969 " . ditto " " Bernt Persson (Sw) 1970 " . ditto " " Ole Olsen (Dk) 1971 " . ditto " " Ole Olsen (Dk) 1972 " . ditto " " Pete Jarman (Eng) - 1975 S.A. Jo'burg, Springs Boet Strijdom (SA) - 2007 U.K. B'ham , PBGS . . . Andre Compton (Eng) 2008 S.A. Jo'burg, Walkerville Byron Bekker (SA) 2008 U.K. B'ham , PBGS . . . David Howe (Eng) 2009 S.A. Jo'burg, Walkerville Byron Bekker (SA) 2009 U.K. B'ham , PBGS . . . Sebastian Ulamek (Pol) ........................................................................

Quite so, - it ws the same price as thru the season in the '60s amd '70s. But things seem to be different today ! (When the transition happened I dont know.) P'boro had a Double Header ~3yrs ago against Eastbourne, - BOTH matches ! ! , the A and B fixtures in one night ! Why they couldn't have run one mtg - it used to be done by plan, not weather, for some Prov.Lg and Nor.Lge matches in '60s - , and put the score to the E'bourne legs for 2 different aggegates is a mystery to me, - AND the price went up, from £15 to £25 if I remember correctly. Dont ask what the turn-out was like, 'cos needless to say, I didn't go.

. Can anyone provide info on meetings for the Alan Hunt Memorial Trophy held in SA subsequent to the first AHMT won by Doug Davies in 1957 ? I understand Durban supporters sponsored a new trophy, possibly in the '70s, one of the winners being Johan 'Boet' Strijdom, and for which Walkerville now race. .

It’s been over 50 years since Whacker’s death, and the competition has been running that long, on and off. The first winner was his team-mate South African Doug Davies at Durban, S.A. on 16 Feb 1957, just 2 weeks after the crash. The first Perry Barr winner was Arne Pander in 1960: the first winner at Cradley-held meetings being Ivor Brown in 1963, after whom the likes of Mauger, Briggs and Olsen have all taken pride of place and received the trophy from Alan’s widow Mrs. Eve Hunt. With the resurrection of Brummies speedway in 2007 has come the return of the Alan Hunt Memorial Trophy competition, won by Andre Compton and David Howe in 2007 and 2008 respectively. (It was never held at the old P.B. Greyhound stadium, nor Bordesley Green.) It would be gratifying to try and complete a table of winners of this prestigious event, - below is my first stab; can Cradley and B’ham fans fill in the table after '72 ? i.e.was there a meting after 1972, when handicap scoring (not starting gates,) gave a surprise result ? n.b. In 1967 the prominent Memorial meeting was for Ivor Hughes: was it a joint mtg? On at least one occasion the competition for one of these two former Cradley riders was only a Second Half event, maybe after a rained-off fixture, so it may take some digging amongst your programme collections. Eventually the days of big commercial sponsorship came along and overtook the memorial meetings, I suspect. Addendum: See Post #63 for complete and final table to-date, incl'g 2009, UK & SA. 1957 DURBAN ' ' ' Doug Davies - 1960 ALEX. STAD. Arne Pander - 1963 CRADLEY ' ' Ivor Brown 1964 Ivan Mauger 1965 Nigel Boocock 1966 Barry Briggs 1967 - 1968 Hasse Holmqvist 1969 Bernt Persson 1970 Ole Olsen 1971 Ole Olsen 1972 Pete Jarman 1973 ? ' onward ? 2007 PBGS ' ' Andre Compton 2008 ' ' ' David Howe 2009 ? ? -

I was at the Ashington opening mtg v. Birmingham, as mechanic to Brummies' Skipper George Major. If asked today I too might have said Ian Thomas was involved in the promotion, but reference to the programme makes no mention or suggestion of him. Mind you, there's no mention of Jeff Brownhut either. The front man in the promotion was Geof Penniket, who mentions their "association with Mike Parker and Bill Bridgett". Brownhut had started running stock car meetings at Ashington the previous year, and the 1972 Fixture list has alternate weeks of speedway and Hell Drivers. We know that the only other speeedway meeting was the Northumberland Open a month after the Brum match, (won by Phil Crump,) but 2 others were programmed in between those dates interspersed with the stox. Were they rained off ? (But no programmes circulate amongst collectors, so presumably not a late cancellation. -? ) Scarletrider's posting suggests why the track was not going to be a success for bikes, if so many riders were pulling out. Was it rain-soaked as well as rutted by cars ?, ( the bane of speedway tracks !) One-off Official Meetings - ? How about Ballymena, N.Ireland. Cradley Heath v. Ivan Mauger's World Select, 13 July 1982. With 3 past/present/future World Champs riding it was never going to be anything but 'official'. Again the track was usually for cars, but here it was tarmac specially covered on the day with shale just for the speedway meeting, ( and had to be removed afterwards.) In conversation with the promotions' local participant just a year or so ago, he reckons the crowd wasn't big enough, (press figures of 4-5000,) though I feel that they had overstretched themselves, cost-wise, with the riders, - Mauger, Penhall, Carter, Gundersen, Collins(Phil,) , etc. - , and the track modifications undertaken.

Cradley's CH 3 - George Major & John Edwards 4-71 BOB Andrews 5)72 Trigg 68-1 Julians & Andrews Confirming certain less well-knowns, already named; Chris Harrison, - Crayford 1 Henry Harrfeldt -Edinburgh

- See further under 'Speedway General Discussion.'

Here is that race: - 1st bend, 1st lap, 1st heat, 1st ever British Lge match, 1965 Brown, Boocock, Hockaday.

I too was at the 1965 Internationale and these 2 pics show the incident happening. (Alf Weedon photos.) But first the parade of Cradley fans. It wasn’t about the incident: it took place BEFORE the meeting started. This was the first occasion that Cradley had appeared on the full national scene following the formation of the British League, and Cradley took a very large contingent of supporters to Wimbledon, complete with all the banners and paraphernalia. The rival cheering and war cries in the hour before the meeting started climaxed with the Heathens supporters taking to the greyhound track purely in a show of strength of numbers and of support for the club and for Ivor that night. (I must state I maintained some dignity. I stayed on the terraces: I had my wife-to-be with me !) We were full of excitement that evening but our hopes came crashing down to earth very quickly once the racing started ! The incident: Viewed from the back straight, Fundin came from the outside across in front of Ivor and took his front wheel and hence his handlebars out of his hand, (see his left hand on/near his right throttle grip,) and so uncontrolled, he went straight into the fence, or rather into the Stocks stanchion ! His injuries included a damaged lower spine/coccyx and his backside was split apart. The ref was right to exclude Fundin. Ivor brown was never the same rider again.

Swindon team; on rt. the name Bob Jones comes to mind, or some name like that, - ? and NP on left, as given. (Checked my Robins team photo from that time, - its '65, with only NP with the riders.)

In the S'ton photo, T. Mgr is Bert # Name Removed #, 1st left is Dick Bradley. The 3rd photo I'm seeing is a Swindon team, not Dons, - ?

Brian Buck and/or Brian Bott are the first points of contact