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Vincent Vega

Memories Of Waterden Road

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First started going to Waterden Road in the early 80s and first memories are of seeing Finn Thomsen, Bo Petersen, Wilmott, Titman,Kasper and Hagon. Always remember sitting on the backstraight near the Vic Harding Lounge and there was a lady called Genevieve who ran the Jens Rasmussen fan club who in all of his races would shout "Go on Razza" on every lap!!! I wonder what she is doing now??

 

Then they went from the Hawks to the Kestrels in the Terry Russell era and the ill fated 1987 British League season. Always remember going to a meeting in the Vic Harding Lounge one night when John Louis, Dave Pav and Mike Western announced Hackney were dropping back to the National League. Got a big cheer and of course a brilliant season came in 1988. Also enjoyed watching the emergence of Mark Loram, Chris Louis and Joe Screen who all at one point or another would have ridden for Earlybird Hawks junior team managed by a certain Mr B Williams!!!

 

Talking of Bryn I always enjoyed reading the Kestrel News every week and wished I had kept them now :mad: Also remember you taking over as Start Marshall one night Bryn and also at the end of one season you having your trousers set on fire!!! Who was it who done that?

 

Anyway I am sure a lot of you will have more memories of Waterden Road than myself going back to the Bengt Jannson and Zenon Plech days so it would be interesting to read your particular memories of the old place.

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Jeez Vincent where do I start???? Give me a little time! :blink: Just a quickie though but the Kestrel News actually started in the CRAYFORD days on a supporters club coach on the way back from Mildenhall after we'd taken advantage of the bar facilities a tad too much! Someone said wouldn't it be a good idea if we produced a fanzine; muggins here (well and truly under the influence!) said, "I'll write it!" and did so on my portable typewriter - no computers back then! And a certain Dave Turner on the coach happened to be in charge of the printing shop at the old Woolwich Polytechnic - and so it was born! :wink:

Edited by Bryn

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Guest Schumi
Talking of Bryn I always enjoyed reading the Kestrel News every week and wished I had kept them now :mad:

Was that you who sold it, Bryn? :o Crikey, I used to buy that religiously - I actually liked that guy. :D Wonder if you remember me - little girl (about 10) dressed up to the nines on a freezing cold Friday night trying to impress Andy Galvin, who always used to come and find you to buy my KN and see what colour it had been printed in that week. You couldn't miss me. :D

 

PS. I don't have stalking tendancies, honest. :unsure:

Edited by Schumi

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Was that you, Bryn? :o Crikey, I used to buy that religiously - I actually liked that guy. :D Wonder if you remember me - little girl (about 10) dressed up to the nines on a freezing cold Friday night trying to impress Andy Galvin, who always used to come and find you to buy my KN and see what colour it had been printed in that week. You couldn't miss me. 

 

PS. I don't have stalking tendancies, honest.

 

Yes I can't deny it Schumi ''twas moi! :wink: But blimey was that little girl chasing Galvini YOU???? :blink:

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They say smell is one of the most evocative senses. I could smell my way into Hackney Stadium with my eyes closed.

 

I used to enter via the gate at the first/second bend. The two predominant came from the Clarnico Mints and Lesney Toys factories. On a balmy summer evening it could take a while to overcome these.

 

Other memories include "the weekly fiddle"; the old lady on the back straight who screamed abuse every time Bobby Beaton appeared; George Hunter almost flooring Garry Middleton with a superb punch following an "incident"; and, for a newcomer to London, the strange grunting noises that occurred when old friends saluted each other every Friday evening. I'm not going to list any more Hackney recollections - we'll have Shazzybird on here crying her eyes out before long!

 

Just one final one though. Anyone remember the little girl of ten or so, always dressed a la mode, who used to chase after Andy Galvin? I'll bet she never came to any good!

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Remember going in the 80s on my bicycle.Used to work near Covent Garden and pedal up.They always let me take my bike.Luckily because no way would i leave it outside that place! :P Used to sit on the back straight and there was an old bloke with a beard who sat in front of me.Always remember him coz he had to shine a torch on his programme to fill it in.20 years on and my eyes are getting a bit like that now :(:P

Plus the other character there was the big guy who sold the Speedway Mail.Always chirpy.Was his name Arthur? :unsure:

Edited by iris123

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What do I remember? Bengt Jansson, Garry Middleton, and dear old Les McGillivray... Thommo's swoops on the fourth bend... The souvenir kiosk on the first bend... Snowy Beattie... John Louis at the Bonanza Best Pairs, and the kids getting free sweets... The crappy toilets, although really, they weren't any worse than Eastbourne's... Going to see a junior match against Belle Vue (with a 16-year old Andy Smith) in the middle of winter... Us winning 56-22 against the Hawks with Pat Pawson in the team... My old friend and work colleague, the lovely Maxine Hill... Having that poxy drive down Whitechapel Road and Mile End during rush hour... Driving home down Whitechapel Road; if I could turn right from the lights at the Green Man pretty quickly after they had changed, I used to be able to judge it perfectly, and get back to London Bridge without catching a red light!

 

Steve

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Plus they always seemed to have a "proper" end of season meeting with mechanics heats and plenty of frolics involving Uncle Len.At Plough Lane it was much more sober with Maido in charge :D

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Happy days.A pain in the backside to get to,either by car or rail!

 

Abiding memory will always be Snowie Beatie in the hut on the 1st turn.Ever helpful with programme/badge swaps.Didnt you help him as well,Bryn?How is Snowie nowadays? Last time I saw him,he was hobbling around using sticks.

 

The elegance of Bengt Jansson in full flight,the wild and wooly Thommo.Len Silver,who doesnt seem to have changed a lot over the years.

 

Ted Sear on the mic.

 

Plech,Petersen,,Willmott,McGillivray,Etheridge,Lovaas,Dave Kennett,Morton,Thomsen.Used to either love or hate all of them,for various reasons.

 

Remember being chased down the street by an underground official at Leyton Station for not paying the right fare!Concious got the better of me,as my mate got caught.They had a Riders Benevolent Fund collection that night,so I gave the difference to them!

 

My all time hero Christer Lofqvist should have won the Superama one year.He beat Mauger and co,and ended up with 12pts from 4 rides.In his other ride,he got excluded for two minutes,as he was in the loo! Muppet! Great meeting all the same,even though I was upset!

 

Good memories,although never like the 'London Stadium'.

Edited by BobC

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Happy days.A pain in the backside to get to,either by car or rail!

 

Abiding memory will always be Snowie Beatie in the hut on the 1st turn.Ever helpful with programme/badge swaps.Didnt you help him as well,Bryn?How is Snowie nowadays? Last time I saw him,he was hobbling around using sticks.

 

The elegance of Bengt Jansson in full flight,the wild and wooly Thommo.Len Silver,who doesnt seem to have changed a lot over the years.

 

Ted Sear on the mic.

 

Plech,Petersen,,Willmott,McGillivray,Etheridge,Lovaas,Dave Kennett,Morton,Thomsen.Used to either love or hate all of them,for various reasons.

 

Remember being chased down the street by an underground official at Leyton Station for not paying the right fare!Concious got the better of me,as my mate got caught.They had a Riders Benevolent Fund collection that night,so I gave the difference to them!

 

My all time hero Christer Lofqvist should have won the Superama one year.He beat Mauger and co,and ended up with 12pts from 4 rides.In his other ride,he got excluded for two minutes,as he was in the loo! Muppet! Great meeting all the same,even though I was upset!

 

Good memories,although never like the 'London Stadium'.

 

Looks like this thread might keep me busy for a while! :lol:

 

I didn't get involved "behind the scenes" in those days Bob as I was more than fully involved at Crayford but I made a date to be there at eight every Friday night in the season when I wasn't elsewhere with the Kestrels.

 

Sadly poor old Snowy is, I'm told, not very well nowadays and is in a nursing home.

 

"Wild and Wooly" Thommo eh? The ONLY rider I've ever known who could run last places in all his races and STILL be a crowd hero!

 

Christer Lofqvist - first saw him at West Ham I think, cracking little rider indeed. Banger, Plechy, Bo Peep et al - ah the memories! :wink:

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Bryn

 

I am pretty sure that one season could have been 1988 at the end of season fun and games you had your trousers set on fire by Galvini and Moggo maybe is that correct or my memory playing tricks?

 

Didnt you also put something in the Kestrel News about riders being too tall to race and Jon Cook (now Lakeside promoter) was riding for the Eastbourne Juniors believed it!!!

 

VV

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Bryn

I am pretty sure that one season could have been 1988 at the end of season fun and games you had your trousers set on fire by Galvini and Moggo maybe is that correct or my memory playing tricks?

Didnt you also put something in the Kestrel News about riders being too tall to race and Jon Cook (now Lakeside promoter) was riding for the Eastbourne Juniors believed it!!!

 

VV

 

Unless it's MY memory playing tricks I don't think "the terrible twins" set fire to MY trousers! And as for your query regarding the Kestrel News and Jon Cook - now would I have ever played such a nasty, underhand, dirty, funny trick on Cookie???? :wink:

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Guest Schumi

Okay, my other memories:

 

1..Walking through the turnstiles on a child's price after being convinced to "crouch down" for reduced entry. :rolleyes:

2..The track shop on the first bend - the guy who worked there MUST remember me. I bought his entire stock of Andy Galvin photos and went back every week for the new one. He'd know I'd be around and would put me one aside - I think I had dozens of them all pinned to my wardrobe - all signed.

3..Buying a new programme board at the start of the season and getting the whole team to sign it.

4..The ref in the attic. :unsure:

5..Martin Goodwin (or was it Andrew Silver?) throwing his helmet through the ref's box after a decision went against him.

6..Scaling the gate to get into the pits.

7..The Kestrel News, but there was a spate of blue ones that didn't look so pretty - preferred green myself. :D

8..Silver Helmet races.

9..Andy Galvin and Steve Schofield trading maximums, Gary Rolls, Gary Tagg, Paul Whittaker, Moggo, Michael Warren.

10..Wondering what was on the back straight - everyone there looked so warm and cosy. :unsure:

11..The kid who always had a few laps before or after the meeting. Was it Ben Howe?

12..Only ever watching heats 1,4, and whchever else Andy Galvin was in (I see a theme here.)

13..The end of season meetings.

14..The long journey home through the Blackwall tunnel.

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Okay, my other memories:

 

7..The Kestrel News, but there was a spate of blue ones that didn't look so pretty

Bryn involved in the blue mag trade? :o

 

14..The long journey home through the Blackwall tunnel.

Think about my journey home on my pushbike all the way back to Tooting :(:P

Still it was closer than Rye House or Arena.And i did cycle to and from eastbourne a few times when the weather was good :approve:

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Okay, my other memories:

 

4..The ref in the attic. :unsure:

5..Martin Goodwin (or was it Andrew Silver?) throwing his helmet through the ref's box after a decision went against him.

 

7..The Kestrel News, but there was a spate of blue ones that didn't look so pretty - preferred green myself. :D

 

9..Andy Galvin and Steve Schofield trading maximums, Gary Rolls, Gary Tagg, Paul Whittaker, Moggo, Michael Warren.

 

11..The kid who always had a few laps before or after the meeting. Was it Ben Howe?

 

 

4/5... The ref's box was actually down low - poor old announcers had to go mountain climbing!

 

Remember one night I was doing the centre green mic at the local derby v Rye. Poor old Mudlark (Kelvin Mullarkey) came down on the first bend 2nd / third lap and went into the fence. I wandered over to him once the medics had checked he was ok and he was up on his feet and had dusted himself down. The conversation went like this (leaving out profanities!):

 

ME: Ok Kelvin?

ML: Yep but that was stupid, cost me money. Hell it's a long a long walk back to the pits!

ME: Sure is!

 

As we approached the startline, Kelvin was beginning to feel the pace I think and the conversation continued:

 

ML: Does that phone work? (pointing to the centre green phone)

ME: Yep but only IF you press that button.

ML: OK

 

At which point he picked up said phone but DIDN'T press the button and appeared to start ranting and raving, waving his spare arm all over the place etc. Once the crowd spotted him there was uproar! Meanwhile, Lew Stripp was head down in the ref's box dutifully filling in his programme etc totally unaware of what Mudlark was doing and, of course, his phone hadn't rung! Hearing the kerfuffle, Lew looked up at which point the centre green phone was slammed down in dramatic fashion leaving Lew totally bemused!

 

Kelvin turned to me smiled, winked and said, "That got 'em going didn't it?" Sheer entertainment eh?

 

7: I think Dave Turner, who printed them, used pink once! :o

 

9. Sadly Michael is no loinger with us. :(

 

11. Sure was!

Edited by Bryn

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