Sunday Amateur Dirt Track League

[speedyguy 20]

I wonder if that is Alf Kaines who went on to ride for Southampton post-war.

 

 

It was - and he also rode at New Cross in 1946.

[speedyguy 20]

Did Gil Craven ride for Dagenham in the 1938 Sunday League?

 

And was there a similar league in 1935 including Luton and Wembley Reserves?

[cardrew 0]

The full results of the league (after extensive research at the Newspaper Library, Colindale) are as follows:

 

Dagenham 39 Eastbourne 44

Dagenham 39 Easbourne 43

Dagenham 44 Romford 39

Dagenham 56 Romford 26

Dagenham 26 Rye House 56

Dagenham 49 Smallford 33

Eastbourne 57 Dagenham 27

Eastbourne 44 Dagenham 39

Eastbourne 53 Romford 23

Eastbourne 56 Rye House 27

Eastbourne 46 Rye House 34

Eastbourne 55 Smallford 28

Eastbourne 51 Smallford 32

Romford 40 Dagenham 43

Romford 46 Eastbourne 33

Romford 26 Rye House 56

Romford 40 Smallford 42

Rye House 29 Eastbourne 52

Rye House 44 Smallford 39

Smallford 55 Eastbourne 27

Smallford 51 Rye House 33

 

The rest of the matches were not run and the league was never completed.

 

Dagenham's leading riders in the league were Frank Hodgson (captain), Jim Baylais, Crusty Pye and Nobby Stock. Jack Tidbury was Romford' star rider. The Smallford team was Doug Wells (captain), Archie Windmill, Ken Tidbury, Percy Brine, Dick Geary, Charlie Appleby, Steve Bullivant, Harry Bower, Bob Wells and Cyril Brine.

 

I am amazed by the Dagenham v Rye House 26-56 result (same as Romford v Rye House 26-56???)

Have not come across the Rye House v Smallford 44-39 result before

Do you have a date for either of these matches?

 

I show 4 additional dates, however can find no trace of these matches being staged

June 5 Smallford v Dagenham

July 3 Rye House v Romford

July 17 Dagenham v Smallford

Aug.14 Rye House v Dagenham

 

Looks like schedule had Dagenham and Eastbourne riding twice at home against each opponent

Romford, Rye House ans Smallford riding once at home against each team

[norbold 7,098]

I am amazed by the Dagenham v Rye House 26-56 result (same as Romford v Rye House 26-56???)

Have not come across the Rye House v Smallford 44-39 result before

Do you have a date for either of these matches?

 

I show 4 additional dates, however can find no trace of these matches being staged

June 5 Smallford v Dagenham

July 3 Rye House v Romford

July 17 Dagenham v Smallford

Aug.14 Rye House v Dagenham

 

Looks like schedule had Dagenham and Eastbourne riding twice at home against each opponent

Romford, Rye House ans Smallford riding once at home against each team

I don't know where I got Dagenham v Rye House result. I think I may have made a mistake there. I'll have to check further on that one. The match was due to take place on 7 August but I don't think it was ever ridden. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

Rye House 44 Smallford 39 took place on 19 June.

 

The match on Aug 14 definitely wasn't staged. I'm not sure about the other three you mention, but I haven't found any trace of the results either. The date I have for Smallford v Dagenham is 10 July. That may have been the second meeting of course. I need to check my records on all this further. I'll get back to you later.

[TwoMinuteWarning 69]

I am amazed by the Dagenham v Rye House 26-56 result (same as Romford v Rye House 26-56???)

Have not come across the Rye House v Smallford 44-39 result before

Do you have a date for either of these matches?

 

I show 4 additional dates, however can find no trace of these matches being staged

June 5 Smallford v Dagenham

July 3 Rye House v Romford

July 17 Dagenham v Smallford

Aug.14 Rye House v Dagenham

 

Looks like schedule had Dagenham and Eastbourne riding twice at home against each opponent

Romford, Rye House ans Smallford riding once at home against each team

 

I have:

July 17 Dagenham 49 Smallford 34 (from Dagenham Post)

July 31 Rye House 37 Smallford 46 (from Speedway News)

 

Re June 19 Rye House 44 Smallford 39, this was advertised as the Herts Championship Cup - 2nd Leg, though it could also have been counted as a league match, of course. The 1st Leg had been due to be held at Smallford the previous Sunday, June 12 (no result available)

 

Re July 10 Smallford v Dagenham, I'm not sure if this match was ridden, as on the same day a combined Romford/Dagenham team was riding againat a "Putt Mossman Internationals" team at Dagenham

 

There was a dispute at Dagenham in August which prevented the track being used for speedway meetings. Last meeting I can find is Bank Holiday Mon 1 Aug, then nothing until the reopening on Sun 9 Oct. While this dispute continued, I don't believe that either Romford or Dagenham rode any league matches, either home or away. This effectively meant that the league was more or less abandoned, though a couple of matches were staged involving the other teams.

 

The only speedway at Dagenham during the closure period appears to have been a practice session on Thu 11 Aug - when a young rider, David Jackson, was thrown over the handlebars of his machine and died. It was the 2nd death at Dagenham in three months.

 

 

[KenB1 23]

I love reading all this old stuff, its excelent well done all.

[speedyguy 20]

Re July 10 Smallford v Dagenham, I'm not sure if this match was ridden, as on the same day a combined Romford/Dagenham team was riding againat a "Putt Mossman Internationals" team at Dagenham

 

 

Among the starters in the Putt Mossman team was Alvin 'Spike' Rhiando - better known for his exploits as a leading midget car driver. Who else - apart from Mossman and Rhiando - were in that team?

[TwoMinuteWarning 69]

Only other team members I know were Moff Jones (who had several meetings for West Ham Reserves in NL Div.2 that year - was he an Aussie?) and Dave Hynes (a new name to me)

[speedyguy 20]

Only other team members I know were Moff Jones (who had several meetings for West Ham Reserves in NL Div.2 that year - was he an Aussie?) and Dave Hynes (a new name to me)

 

 

Dave Hynes was well-known post-war as a frame builder with a good reputation.

[SHALEWAY69 17]

Only other team members I know were Moff Jones (who had several meetings for West Ham Reserves in NL Div.2 that year - was he an Aussie?) and Dave Hynes (a new name to me)

Moff Jones was a North Queenslander who rode from 1928-1947. gold prospector

Dave Hynes was from Melbourne, known for the Hynes frame in 1947 used by many Australian riders Dave rode at Plymouth 1947.Went to America. Later based on Queensland Gold coast.

 

[speedyguy 20]

Moff Jones was a North Queenslander who rode from 1928-1947. gold prospector

Dave Hynes was from Melbourne, known for the Hynes frame in 1947 used by many Australian riders Dave rode at Plymouth 1947.Went to America. Later based on Queensland Gold coast.

 

 

I think when in the USA Dave Hynes worked closely with Jack and Cordy Milne on their bikes, possibly even when they were in the UK in pre-war years.

[speedyguy 20]

Harry Rogers did ride for Dagenham in their opening league match of the season against the Romford "Rommers" on May 1st (scoring 1 pt). He died, age 24, on Thur May 19 at a special charity meeting staged to encourage recruits to the Territorial Army (well, this was 1938, remember). His bike locked with that of 40yr old Dagger Jack Cooley, and both fell. Rogers was then run over by junior Alex Gray.

 

22yr old David Jackson died at a practice session on Thur Aug 11th, when he was thrown over his handlebars and landed on his head. No other rider was involved. No further meetings were held at Dagenham in 1938 after this death - I'm not sure whether those two facts are linked, though the inquest verdict on both fatalities was "accidental death".

 

Interesting to note that the Eastbourne team, which won the league, contained four members of the Birmingham National Lge Div.2 team - Tiger Hart, Bob Lovell, Danny Lee, and Stan Lemon (who rode as Stan Johns in the Sunday League)

 

The league was referred to in Speedway News as the Inter-Club League, but in Eastbourne newspapers as the Sunday Dirt-Track League.

 

Not quite 40 - Jack Cooley was born in Bethnal Green, East London, in 1911. That would have made him 27 years old!

[TwoMinuteWarning 69]

speedyguy, the reference to "40 year old Jack Cooley" came straight from the Dagenham Post of 19 Aug 1938, which I researched at Colindale a few years ago.

 

Another historical error gets corrected - thanks!

[speedyguy 20]

speedyguy, the reference to "40 year old Jack Cooley" came straight from the Dagenham Post of 19 Aug 1938, which I researched at Colindale a few years ago.

 

Another historical error gets corrected - thanks!

 

 

Sadly there are so many of them in speedway. They keep repeating because reference is frequently made only to the original source - the later corrections, often brought to light many years later, are often unknown to researchers.

[kennylane 3]

Did the American rider Alvin 'Spike' Rhiando - also a racing car driver - ride on speedway for Dagenham in 1938 or in any meetings at the Essex track?