Speedway Star Writers Of The Sixties

[BOBBATH 466]

I've often wondered what happened to the writers in the Star of that era-I realise Eric Linden wrote under a number of names e.g. Angus Kix, Danny Carter etc. But the guys I am thinking of here are Paul Parish, Philip Rising and the Newport meeting reporter Robin (or Ross -never sure which) Martakies. They were a real and important part of 60's speedway and does anybody know where they are now, do they still follow our great sport and are they still with us.Can anyone in forumland enlighten us on this?? And by the way with all due respect to the current Star writer I would have to say the standard of English of these guys was much higher than the writers today(perhaps a reflection of a more rigorous education system in UK in those days). What do others think??.

[chunky 6,086]

...and the Newport meeting reporter Robin (or Ross -never sure which) Martakies.

 

It was Robin...

 

And by the way with all due respect to the current Star writer I would have to say the standard of English of these guys was much higher than the writers today(perhaps a reflection of a more rigorous education system in UK in those days). What do others think??.

 

I agree 100%, and said so on another thread recently.

 

Do you also remember some of the other regular meeting reporters, such as Howard Jacobi, Frank MacLean, John Pilgrim, and Bill Cooper?

 

Steve

[Ian 24]

Let's not forget the speedway historian of the day, Cyril May. I'm sure he was a lovely guy and knew his subject inside out, but you had to have a very high boredom threshhold to read his articles from start to finish.

 

 

[speedyguy 20]

What about Jack Brodie, Bernie Randall, James Oldfield and Bob Charles?

Edited February 17, 2009 by speedyguy

[norbold 7,098]

Didn't there used to be a really good writer called John Hyam? I wonder what happened to him.

[salty 2,200]

Didn't there used to be a really good writer called John Hyam?

No, but there used to be a writer called John Hyam

[Ron Butler 0]

Philip Rising is still associated with the Star, I think he is the editor.

 

Wasn't a journalist named Frank McLean a victim of the Manchester United air disaster? I don't know whether it was the same person.

[Ian 24]

Didn't there used to be a really good writer called John Hyam? I wonder what happened to him.

 

I think he ended up spinning prophesies of doom and gloom on internet forums, Norman.

 

Philip Rising is still associated with the Star, I think he is the editor.

 

Wasn't a journalist named Frank McLean a victim of the Manchester United air disaster? I don't know whether it was the same person.

 

I don't know if it was the same person or not, Ron. If it was, then he wrote posthumously for the Star for a number of years after the air crash.

 

 

[norbold 7,098]

Let's not forget the speedway historian of the day, Cyril May. I'm sure he was a lovely guy and knew his subject inside out, but you had to have a very high boredom threshhold to read his articles from start to finish.

Funnily enough, a couple of days ago, John Chaplin sent me some articles Cyril May had written on Tom Farndon with the following comment, "Cyril May was a boring writer but he managed to include a lot of detail. When he died I took over from him and tried to make it a bit more entertaining."

 

[spiegal 294]

There were some interesting "pen names" in the 1970 era.

 

Martin Rogers started at the Speedway star...and also wrote under the name of Stanford Rivers...superb...it was also teh name of a village close to him at Chelmsford.

 

I believe that Peter Oakes also had a pen name but cannot remember it.

 

the company was Webster Publications and they had offices just off Fleet Street.

[BOBBATH 466]

I recall Howard Jacobi, Frank McLean,Philip Dalling(he became the communiucations guy for Nottingham Univ. I think) and James Oldfield. Hi to Ron, Frank McLean the speedway writer was not killed in the Man Utd. air crash-must have been someone else.

[Guest Steve Dixon]

Philip Rising is still associated with the Star, I think he is the editor.

 

Wasn't a journalist named Frank McLean a victim of the Manchester United air disaster? I don't know whether it was the same person.

 

I think you mean Frank Swift?

Former Man City goalkeeper turned journalist.

 

[speedyguy 20]

No, but there used to be a writer called John Hyam

 

 

He gave the first glimpse of speedway journalism to John Chaplin, Martin Rogers, Peter Oakes and Dave Lanning among others in the 'Speedway Star' in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

 

Now the poor old sod just writes about women's football and senior men's football in the Combined Counties League at Colliers Wood United and Raynes Park Vale.

Edited February 17, 2009 by speedyguy

[Ron Butler 0]

I think you mean Frank Swift?

Former Man City goalkeeper turned journalist.

 

Hi Steve,

 

I knew Frank Swift was a victim but I thought there was a Frank McLean involved. I've looked the disaster up on Wikipedia and found that there was no-one named McLean on the passenger list.

 

Must be one of my 2LGCs going off at a tangent - again!

 

Thanks for the loan of yours,

 

Keep flashing!

 

Ron.

 

[salty 2,200]

Hi Steve,

 

I knew Frank Swift was a victim but I thought there was a Frank McLean involved. I've looked the disaster up on Wikipedia and found that there was no-one named McLean on the passenger list.

 

Must be one of my 2LGCs going off at a tangent - again!

 

Thanks for the loan of yours,

 

Keep flashing!

 

Ron.

Maybe you are thinking of Frank Taylor, who if memory serves became the Mirror's leading Sportswriter?

 

Frank McLean who did the Belle Vue reports did so until a ripe old age I think.