My First Meeting

[SHALEWAY69 17]

The first meetiNg I attended was Rayleigh versus Long Eaton August 18 1951, I was 11. Best memories , the sweets and chocolates thrown to the riders, Tom O'Conner [ how about a thread on Irish riders] who scored 8 , Pedlar Palmer and Peter Moore, the flower decked starters box, Tippy Atkinson the lady promoter and the smell of Castrol R

tony

[Rebelfan 0]

1973 - Oxford Vs Reading, think it was 30/48 to Reading, abiding memories of the smell and the noise - wow!

 

We had messrs Kilby and Ulf Lovaas, they had Michanek and Dag - no contest, but it didnt matter, I was hooked

 

 

[Ron Butler 0]

1973 - Oxford Vs Reading, think it was 30/48 to Reading, abiding memories of the smell and the noise - wow!

 

We had messrs Kilby and Ulf Lovaas, they had Michanek and Dag - no contest, but it didnt matter, I was hooked

 

 

 

Belle Vue - Hyde Road of course - sometime during the 1946 season. The sport was just restarting after WW2. Can't remember much about the meeting or the men who became my leather clad heroes Belle Vue had operated throughout the war years staging open meetings with whatever riders were available.

 

The whole atmosphere was like a new world to fourteen year old Ron. The smell, the noise of the engines, the track staff marching out from the pits to the tune of Blaze Away and so much more. That was the start of a love affair that has lasted some 62 years. That's longer than my love affair with the adorable Margaret [54 years and still going strong].

 

I've missed a few years along the way due partly to National Service and a few seasons following the track death of Belle Vue's Tink Maynard, a friend from our cycle speedway days. It's hard now that I'm restricted to being a keyboard based supporter of the sport - not just Belle Vue.

 

Due to the constant year-by-year changes we supporters have to endure it's becoming harder to maintain my level of enthusiasm but it seems that whatever changes are made I still can't tear myself away on match nights.

 

Perhaps I'm addicted - but what a glorious enslavement.

 

I hope you all enjoy your speedway as much and as long as I have. There's no sport like it!

 

Ron.

 

[Hellsgranny 0]

My first meeting was at Hyde Road on 20th September 1952. I don't remember very much about it because I was only 6 weeks old. Through the years I have supported the Aces through thick, thin and even thinner, only missing out the 80's as I was busy bringing up my family. I still attend as many meetings as I can, dragging my un-speedway supporter husband with me. My youngest daughter loves speedway and drags her un-speedway supporter husband ( who, incidentally, she met on a trip to the Polish GP in 2006, he was the coach driver) with her as well as their son, my grandson, who saw his first meeting at the tender age of 10 weeks in March this year.

Edited November 23, 2008 by Hellsgranny

[norbold 7,097]

"I was named after a speedway rider, Wimbledon captain Norman Parker, so I guess you could say that speedway has always been in my blood. My father and older brother used to go to Harringay in the late 40s, but I was considered too young to brave the London elements so had to be content with hearing about the matches. I continued to take an interest in speedway via newspapers and television and often, on my bicycle at the age of 7 or 8, would pretend to be Split Waterman or Aub Lawson. By the time my parents considered me old enough to go to speedway there was only one track left in London, Wimbledon, but that was too far away from our Hackney home to get to by public transport.

 

By 1960, three things had changed: 1. My dad had bought a car 2. He had started buying the Evening News 3. New Cross had re-opened. In those days the Evening News regularly had speedway reports and also printed the programme for the forthcoming evening’s racing at Wimbledon and New Cross. One day in May 1960, I saw the programme for that night’s racing at New Cross and asked my dad if we could go. He agreed we could. And so on 11 May 1960 we made our way to New Cross via Mile End, the Rotherhithe Tunnel and the Old Kent Road and I found myself sitting below the main stand almost opposite the starting gate waiting for the evening’s racing to begin. I was 12 years old.

 

That evening’s match was New Cross v. Norwich. The New Cross team was captained by Split Waterman with the rest of the team being Jimmy Gooch, Leo McAuliffe, Bobby Croombs, Eric Williams, Derek Timms, Tommy Sweetman and Reg Luckhurst. Amazingly the very first race I ever saw pitted my two boyhood heroes, Split Waterman and Aub Lawson against each other. It resulted in a victory for Aub. That night Aub Lawson and Ove Fundin were almost unbeatable for Norwich and scored 16 paid 17 and 18 respectively. Between them they scored 34 of Norwich’s 42 points. But it wasn’t enough to beat New Cross and MY team, as the Rangers had now become, won their first official fixture of the year, having lost their first 5 including two at home.

 

I said Lawson and Fundin were almost unbeatable because in heat 10, Jimmy Gooch managed to beat Lawson to the biggest cheer of the night. Goochie instantly became my favourite rider and stayed that way until I was forced to support West Ham in 1964 following New Cross’s closure. I remember that the biggest incident of the night came in Heat 15, the nominated riders’ heat. When it was announced that New Cross’s pair would be Split Waterman and Eric Williams there was a lot of booing. Not only had Goochie beaten Lawson, but he was the Rangers highest scorer of the night, having scored 10 to Split’s 6 and Eric’s 8. However, there was some poetic justice when Split fell and injured himself in an unsatisfactory start and Jimmy was allowed in to replace him. He duly came third, beating Williams. For me it was a night to remember as my first visit to speedway."

 

As seen on Jim's excellent New Cross Tribute site: here

[czechhero 32]

My first meeting was Cradley v Swindon 18/07/70 as a 10 year old.

Memories were..........

 

Shiny chromed bikes.

Thinking the parade was the first race.

Shiny black leathers, although one or two Robins wore red ones.

The noise and the smell!!!

The sheer spectacle of the whole thing.

The milk crates at the starting gate, not always used for kids to stand on.

The chants about Briggo who wasn't even riding (Zigger, zagger, zigger, Briggo is a etc etc)

My first speedway hero, Chris Bass.

Running around the place wearing a pair of gas goggles.

 

In a word, hooked.

[dorset delight 209]

My first meeting at Poole i think it was june76 v Coventry.I have got a feeling it was 49-29 to Poole.

 

Memories my second sporting hero Super Simmo,the size of the crowd i dont know what i was expecting but the crowd was massive(no change there then) The noise and smell had me hooked.

[mervjankefanclub 48]

For me it was Friday 8th July 1977 and Glasgows first meeting at Blantyre One against Crayford and to be honest I remember very little about it except me and my Dad, and quite a few others, watched it for free from the old bing which stood alongside the back straight and Pogo Collins doing the cerimonial tape breaking.............oh and wee Merv Janke hitting the fence and careering across the centre green, scattering everyone in his path . That was me hooked on Merv the Swerve and speedway

[star ghost 7]

Never mind Norman, you have since been educated to the fact that Ove Fundin became & still is the greatest speedway rider this earth has or will ever know about

My first meeting was at Norwich in 1946 when my dad took me, 6 and a half years old, to see the opening match against Sheffield. Just imagine seeing Bert Spencer & Tommy Allott on a first visit. These two remained in my memory as they were two of my heroes of the 40s Second Division. Tommy was one of the very few who could match white line leg trailer, Bert Spencer at the Firs Stadium. Then there were Wilf Jay, Paddy Mills & Ted Bravery together with Roy Duke & Donnie Houghton in the Stars team against Tommy Bateman, Stan Williams & Jack D White for the Tigers. It is no wonder I was hooked on Speedway for ever.

[slickmick 11]

First meeting at the tender age of 6, was at New Cross. Not a clue who they were riding against.

The only opponents I remember being Belle Vue and Norwich.

Eric Williams was my favourite rider, and I thought Split Waterman's name was made up.

Apart from being interested in the first lap, of maybe the first race and when Eric rode(first lap possibly).

I had this big stadium(it was big to me ) to play in, Big Brother was watching the silly racing.

Don't think we went after 1961, by that time Big Bro had learnt to drive and also found a new interest in GIRLS.extremely yukky to a seven year old, all that kissing, yuk

[asturmer 0]

 

My first meeting was Canterbury v Eastbourne in the National League. I must have been around 13 yrs old.

It was the whole spectacle that got me! Johhny Hoskins hurrying up the riders to get ready in the pits. The collective sound of 14 jawas and japs revving up and that new smell of methanol. The spectacular style of the late Graham Banks round the outside, and Barney Kennett round the inside almost on the football pitch. Ted Hubbard scoring a maximum. Being coated in shale on the first bend;Les Rumsey looking like a rock star with hair down to his waist. Away supporters chanting in the main stand, adding up scores in the programme, and the family atmosphere !

[Ron Butler 0]

Norbold,

 

I vaguely remember a lad named Norman Parker who rode for Wimbledon. Someone told me he was the kid brother of the great Jack Parker. Is that true?

 

Seriously, Norman, what fantastic riders those brothers were! What a thrill to watch them pitted against each other, it was virtually impossible to forecast which one was going to win the current heat until one had crossed the line. When they were paired in the national team it was an almost certain 5-1 to England. I think it was that doyen of speedway reporters Eric Linden who once remarked that the brothers Parker must be telepathic so well did they know each others on-track moves intentions.

 

Club loyalty aside I would be hard pressed to say which is the greatest of these to grand masters of speedway racing. There is one thing we can both be certain of, Norman; when these two men were on the track we were guaranteed true racing for four laps.

 

Best regards

 

Ron.

Edited November 24, 2008 by Ron Butler

[norbold 7,097]

Club loyalty aside I would be hard pressed to say which is the greatest of these to grand masters of speedway racing.

Strangely enough, Ron, I have no club loyalty to Norman Parker at all because, being a New Cross supporter, Wimbledon were the enemy! Of course, I do have a personal loyalty however to the man whose name I now proudly bear.....

[BOBBATH 466]

My first meeting was on Saturday 13 June 1964 at Somerton Park-it had been rained off the night before(Friday being the usual race night) and my buddy and I being at a loose end decided to go along.I was 17 then. I still have the program and am looking at it right now here in Toronto. It was a Southern League match Newport v Long Eaton. The first race was won by Alby Golden who broke the track record, Jon Erskine was 2nd, Ken Adams was 3rd and John Mills 4th. So a 5-1 to Wasps.I see Alby and Dick Bradley both scored maximums, Peter Vandenberg scored 11(paid max), Jon Erskine 9, Geoff Penniket 2, Vic White 3 and Ray Harris 3. For the Archers, Ken Adams and Norman Store scored 6 apiece(Norman was their only heat winner), Ken Vale 4,Kid Bodie(Howard Cole) 3,Ray Wilson 3, Ron Sharp 3 and John Mills 0. The Wasps won 52-25, Alby won the scond half.I was hooked and went almost every week after-the noise, the smell -it was great and I knew I had found my sport.I went to speedway regularly until I left UK in 1968.Hope some of these names bring back memories for folk in forumland.

[Shadders 4,134]

Rye House v Poole Wildcats/Edinburgh Monarchs, National League double header...Sunday 8th September 1985

 

An ex girlfriend persuaded me to take her to the "speedway" one Sunday afternoon. Apart from the odd clip of the World Championships on ITV I knew nothing about this sport.

She'd gone as a child and said she thought I'd enjoy it...how right she was!!

We took our seats in the main stand just before the start line. I wasn't expecting much to be honest, but when the riders came out on their bikes for the parade (yes, they had a proper parade at Rye then), heard that sound and had my first experience of that smell of methanol I was hooked.

I still have the programme, although I hadn't a clue how to fill it in and don't really remember much about the meeting. One of the Monarchs was a certain Mark "Buzz" Burrows. I didn't realise at the time that I'd still be watching him race in 2008!!

 

For those who are interested, these are the meeting details:

 

Rye House Rockets 38

Andrew Silver 12

Bob Garrad 5+1

Kelvin Mullarkey 5

Rob Woffinden 2

Alistair Stevens 12

Kevin Brice 4

Gary Rolls 1+1

 

Poole Wildcats 40

Martin Yates 10

Kevin Smith 11+1

David Biles 8+1

Marcus Bisson 2+1

Ray Dole 6+1

Gordon Humphries 3+1

 

I recall Rob Woffinden falling and breaking his collarbone in what I think was his last ever meeting for the Rockets.

Poole finished second in the National League behind Ellesmere Port.

 

Rye House Rockets 57

Andrew Silver 13+2

Bob Garrad 12+3

Kelvin Mullarkey 13+2

Alistair Stevens 14+1

Kevin Brice 4

Gary Rolls 1

 

Edinburgh Monarchs 21

Brett Saunders 3

Bobby Beaton 4

Billy Burton 3+1

Steve Finch 5

Mark Burrows 4

Scott Lamb 4

Gordon Whittaker 2+2

 

This was Len Silvers last year as promoter before he sold the club to Ronnie Russell.

 

The Rockets finished 13th out of 19 teams in the National League

Edited November 24, 2008 by Shadders