norbold

My Uncle used to go to Hackney before the War. I asked him about interval attractions once, he told me, "They used to put on some great interval entertainment. I can remember a boxing match there once between Jimmy Bitmead and Max Joachim. It was only one round of three minutes but it was a cracking fight."

I was lucky enough to see Bjorn every week at Custom House. Just pure class, week in, week out. If he hadn't retired so early, I am sure he would be right up there with the usual suspects in the unanswerable question "Greatest rider ever?"

Where did I say that Soderman and Kaiser retired too soon? I'm sorry, I must have missed my own post.

Who retired in 1960, so not in the 1950s.

If you are talking purely about riders who retired in the 1950s, I'd say that Arthur Forrest must be the prime example.

I think one has already been written. Can't quite remember the name of the author(s) though.

Tom Farndon. He won the Star Riders' Championship in 1933.....

Yes, I believe I may have mentioned Tom Farndon winning the 1933 Star Riders' Championship once or twice!

Where was mine when I went to Toronto earlier this year?

New Cross closed in 1963. Lack of support. They weren't forced out.

Funnily enough, that's exactly the same as the Top Ten I would have chosen.

The Speedway Star used to issue an end-of-year ranking list. Unfortunately this finished in 1966, so there are only two years to look at. But, in both, Nigel Boocock was the highest ranked British rider. But, what is perhaps more interesting, is that in 1965, he was ranked at no. 5 in the World and in 1966, only at no.12. The foreigners were truly taking over! The only other British riders to feature were Ken McKinlay, at no.9= in 1965 and Mike Broadbank(s) (no.13), Eric Boocock (18=) and Ken McKinlay (no.20) in 1966.

Yes, true, which is why the promoters were desperate to find another track to run and, fortunately for me (!), found West Ham.

There were seven teams in 1964, the lowest it got to.

Interesting stuff. Is the cut-off point of 15 significant for any reason?

No, that was the only time I ever went to Cradley. I was actually at college in Norwich at the time and, because of the importance of the match, I thought I really had to get there. I managed to persuade two fellow students to come with me so we hired a car and drove over. Inside the stadium, we joined the group of West Ham supporters who had made the journey. After the match, as you can imagine, there was much celebration going on amongst us Hammers fans and I really wanted to go back on the coach with them to London to continue the celebrations, so I did. When we reached West Ham in the small hours, my friend and I walked back to his house in Hackney, stopping in a launderette on the way for an hour's kip! I got the train back to Norwich the next day. Meanwhile, my two college chums had slept the night in the car and drove back to Norwich the next day. Sorry, not much to do with speedway as such, but a small slice of life of an ardent speedway fan in the 1960s.

Yes, 1965. I was on the West Ham supporters' coach coming back from Cradley Heath after we had just beaten them to win the league and do the treble. We stopped off at Watford Gap and met up with Ken McKinlay and some of the boys.

Oh yes, I'd forgotten that. He was a great lover of midget car racing as well.

Yes, indeed. All of them.

Yes, I agree. I saw him. couple of times in 1960 and thought he looked really good.

He would probably have liked a thread for each name.

Yes, I certainly can. I was at the meeting.

I also ignored Soren Sjosten, Dan Forsberg, Birger Forsberg, Per Olof Soderman and Rune Sormander - to name just a few!

Just out of interest, I looked up Olle Nygren and Ove Fundin's first year averages using your criterion of 10 matches minimum.. Olle Nygren's was 7.6 from 10 matches (Harringay 1952) Ove Fundin's was 10.34 (Norwich 1956). (The previous year he appeared in 6 matches and scored 73 points.) I think it's fair to say that Ove Fundin began as he meant to continue!

He won the British Semi Final at Sheffield, the British Final, the Commonwealth Final and came 6th in the Intercontinental Final.