Ruth Reddy

I remember seeing envelopes stamped with 'Exeter Speedway'. Probably 1977 as that was the year my relative was living in Exeter.

Ron Johnson's last race was later in the second half when he started a heat of the Rangers Stakes Scratch Race. He fell and failed to finish.

Elliott was the first visiting ex-NL rider in 1965, but of course when Saints closed at the end of 1963 Alby Golden, Pete Vandenberg, Dick Bradley and Stuart Wallace moved on to Newport for the start of the 1964 season, so they were the first riders with immediate previous NL experience to appear at Newport. In the first match you saw, against Long Eaton on 13th June 1964, Golden, Vandenberg and Bradley were in the Wasps team, as well as Ray Harris who had previously ridden in the NL. Long Eaton's Ken Adams and Ron Sharp had also ridden for NL teams earlier in their careers.

Are the animals at Dudley Zoo more sensitive than the animals at Belle Vue were?

I can't comment on the crowd size for the recent meeting as I did not attend. The problem for me with Perry Barr is easily illustrated by comparing journey times. From home to Dudley Wood was 7 miles and took less than 20 minutes by car (leaving home at 6.50 and getting back before 10.00). From home to Monmore Green is 9 miles and takes 20 minutes by car. Being now disabled and unable to drive, the journey by public transport takes 50 minutes (leave home at 6.15, get back by 10.20). From home to Perry Barr is 23 miles and takes 65 minutes there and 40 minutes back by car. The journey by public transport takes around 2.25 hours (leave home at 4.45, get back by midnight). That's too long a journey and too late at night, especially travelling through Birmingham city centre. I know several people who don't attend at Perry Barr because of the awkward journey across the Black Country.

World Ranking lists were included in the Stenner's annuals in the 1940s and 1950s, as well as Australian, Scandinavian and divisional rankings - the latter compiled by individual contributors.

Heat 12 of the league match between Cradley Heath and Exeter in June 1966 had 3 finishers and produced a score of 0-0. Well, not quite, as the race was actually declared void by the referee. Exeter's Chris Blewett won the race after a forceful piece of riding caused his team mate Jack Geran and Cradley's Chris Julian and Chum Taylor to fall. Julian and Geran remounted and the result was initially declared as 2-4, but following a protest by the home team the race was declared void. It might have been more appropriate to stop the race and exclude the cause of the stoppage from a re-run.

Perhaps it would be of interest to readers of Classic and Backtrack for articles about the speedway scribes for the various magazines and newspapers of those eras to be published, some of course did sterling work in helping to keep the sport and its publications going in the latter part of the 1950s.

Grass track speedway was staged at Halcon Corner, Taunton, including team matches in 1939 against Holbeach and Cannfield.

There are details of the Exwick meeting on the Speedway Researcher website, with a comment that the track surface was grass and sawdust. There was a report on the event in the Western Morning News the following day, where it was stated that the meeting proceeds went to a fund for the new St John Ambulance Brigade headquarters. Bronco Slade won heat 5 of the Sheriff's Scratch Race and also won heat 3 of the South-Western Championship, but was unplaced in both finals. It was reported in the Devon & Exeter Gazette on the following Friday that 5,000 spectators attended.

Regarding ex riders gaining free admission or having to pay to get in, could the BSPA issue them with a pass when they retire from racing? Perhaps there could be a scale based on the number of meetings the rider took part in during his career, maybe one free admission for every meeting ridden in, or whatever number is thought appropriate. The rider could use the admission pass at any track and could take as many guests as they wished, but each one would be ticked off the allowance until it was used up. So, if a rider had a pass for 100 admissions and chose to take 4 non-paying guests to one meeting then that would use up 5 of the 100.

Holder's actions, as reported, relate to his contractual obligations, so are covered by civil law, not criminal law. Cook's actions, as reported, would be covered by criminal law if anyone decided to bring a charge. The two matters are therefore different and Holder's actions cannot be described as a crime. Cook's actions cannot be described as a crime unless the police charge him. If the speedway authorities decide to take action it would have to be on the basis that a code of conduct has been breached.

Olle Nygren's achievements included 5 world final appearances, including a third and two fourth places, a world team cup win in 1960 when he scored a maximum, as well as being a leading rider for virtually all of the 28 seasons he rode. Rune Sormander appeared in 7 world finals, losing to Peter Craven in a third place run-off in 1957 and also won 4 golds and a silver in the Team Cup (1960-64).

Stefan Kwoczala

Leicester - the Blackbird Road track not actually being in Blackbird Road but in Parker Drive, confusing for first time visitors

1. St Austell 2. Exeter 3. Bristol 4. Gloucester 5. Worcester

Best - speedway returning to St Austell in 1958, Plymouth in 1959 and Exeter in 1960. Worst - the end of speedway at Par Moor in 1963, Pennycross in 1970 and the County Ground in 2005.

Chris Julian was an unsung hero at the south western tracks in the early sixties, erratic but always entertaining and capable of beating the top riders in the PL. Had a bad crash the year he joined Glasgow but was still a dependable middle order rider for several years after he recovered. Rode for Cradley later and was involved in a punch up with his team mate Roy Trigg the night the Falcons beat them 61-16, probably the highlight of the match.

Will the riders all go to the Mars Bar for a drink after the meeting? Hot chocolate perhaps?

Can anyone provide the second half results for the meeting between Gulls and Wolves on 10th September 1963 please?