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iris123

Time Travel

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Yes, Winkfield Row!

 

Here's what I wrote about it in my book:

 

The village of Winkfield lies three miles north-east of Bracknell, close to Ascot racecourse and Legoland. It seems like one of the last places that one might find speedway. The Wokingham Times headline “Speedway Racing at Winkfield – New Track Opened” challenges that perception. The report of a meeting on 17 September 1939 is contained in the following week's paper.

A reference to the 'newly formed Winkfield Motor Club' in the August 25 edition of the Wokingham Times indicates that plans were under way to stage an event before the war broke out. The meeting featured many of the California regulars – Sid Lewington, Billy Newell, George Bason, Jack Adams and Herbert Deacon all appeared. With his National League experience it is no surprise to find that Jim Boyd dominated the meeting by winning six races.

A further meeting planned for a fortnight later failed to materialise. A clearly annoyed reporter wrote in the Wokingham Times (6 October 1939) under the headline: 'Speedway Racing at Winkfield – A Protest at its Cancellation'. He described his experience:

... on arriving at the Winkfield track on Sunday there were no officials there at all and only one rider. However there were quite 100 people there at 2.30 p.m. including dozens of cars and other conveyances ...”

The big question though is – was it really speedway? In the 1930s and 1940s a number of grasstrack events were promoted as speedways. Homes of British Speedway (Tempus), the excellent reference work by Robert Bamford and John Jarvis lists over a hundred of these.

The meeting report identifies the location of the Winkfield track as Crouch Lane, a road dominated by farms and farm buildings. The track was described as of similar length to California (310 yards at the time) but with straights sloping uphill and downhill. It seems almost certain that this was essentially a grasstrack circuit set up in a field.

 

Blimey, never knew any of that.

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I'd like to see tracks I never got to see.

 

Reading Tilehurst and the original Swindon would be fascinating for me.

 

It would also be great to take a trip to West Ham or New Cross.

 

Not so bothered about specific meetings. It's experiencing the old stadiums that I'd love.

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I was thinking of specific meetings,because knowing my luck i'd travel back to 1932 and the meeting at Crystal Palace or Stamford Bridge etc would have been called off that day

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Deano,I wouldn't worry about that- I would time travel into the frigging stadium-not outside it and try and get in!!

 

I may have wanted to experience queueing to get in a speedway meeting.... I guess it did happen years ago. :)

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Blimey, never knew any of that.

Blimey, never knew any of that.

Doctor my harsh words to you mate is F... 😡off how sad are you? have you just come off nights and feel you need to take the piss! get a life and go on the Poole threads.Why are you on the years gone by thread,/ Time travel iffy to be honest you never contribute usually. Edited by Sidney the robin

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I may have wanted to experience queueing to get in a speedway meeting.... I guess it did happen years ago. :)

I have mentioned this a few times,but was amazed the first time I went to the Wills Internationale to see a massive queue weaving its way through the car park,and I was at the stadium fairly early.At Wimbledon in the early 70s we'd have maybe 3 meetings per season where there would be quite big queues.Can only imagine what it would have been like in the 40s and 50s.

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Doctor my harsh words to you mate is F... off how sad are you? have you just come off nights and feel you need to take the piss! get a life and go on the Poole threads.Why are you on the years gone by thread,/ Time travel iffy to be honest you never contribute usually.

Read his previous post, Sidney. I don't think he's taking the pee.

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Doctor my harsh words to you mate is F... off how sad are you? have you just come off nights and feel you need to take the piss! get a life and go on the Poole threads.Why are you on the years gone by thread,/ Time travel iffy to be honest you never contribute usually.

 

Excuse me ? That was a genuine response. If you read my earlier post i'm from near Winkfield hence my asking Arnie for more info.

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I'd like to see tracks I never got to see.

 

Reading Tilehurst and the original Swindon would be fascinating for me.

 

It would also be great to take a trip to West Ham or New Cross.

 

Not so bothered about specific meetings. It's experiencing the old stadiums that I'd love.

I'm intrigued about the original Swindon?

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Doctor my harsh words to you mate is F... 😡off how sad are you? have you just come off nights and feel you need to take the piss! get a life and go on the Poole threads.Why are you on the years gone by thread,/ Time travel iffy to be honest you never contribute usually.

Excuse me ? That was a genuine response. If you read my earlier post i'm from near Winkfield hence my asking Arnie for more info.

I opologize Doctor overstepped the mark big time, again my mistake sorry and all that big error on my part SORRY. Edited by Sidney the robin
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I'm intrigued about the original Swindon?

There was a track in 1929 in Gorse Hill, behind the Duke of Ednburgh public house.

 

I think it just staged a handfull of meetings, but every time I drive past the pub I've tried toimagine a speedway track being there behind.

 

If you look on Google maps there is a road called "Tiverton Road", which is where the track was.

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There was a track in 1929 in Gorse Hill, behind the Duke of Ednburgh public house.

 

I think it just staged a handfull of meetings, but every time I drive past the pub I've tried toimagine a speedway track being there behind.

 

If you look on Google maps there is a road called "Tiverton Road", which is where the track was.

Learn something new every day! Oxford had a sort of track (grasstrack really) at Sandford-on-Thames prior to Cowley Stadium...I've tried to trace it but with no luck.

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There was a track in 1929 in Gorse Hill, behind the Duke of Ednburgh public house.I think it just staged a handfull of meetings, but every time I drive past the pub I've tried toimagine a speedway track being there behind.If you look on Google maps there is a road called "Tiverton Road", which is where the track was.

Grachan my wife's Dad who is 86 said he never went to Gorse Hill he said it was a cinders track and some racing was on a Sunday so there were a lot of objections ( Religious day most people worked six days a week) He says to get to that Gorse Hill track then you would of turned left at the Arkells Brewery on the way to the Abbey and it was on the Duke of Edinburgh pub grounds hard to believe now. Edited by Sidney the robin
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The 1981 World Final at Wembley , or the final of that international series which happened around the early to mid seventies .

From a personal point of view , reliving the 1994 KO Cup final where Glasgow beat Edinburgh , or the second leg of the 1991 KO Cup final at Arena Essex with Glasgow holding on for a 3-3 in heat 15 this time

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The 1981 World Final at Wembley , or the final of that international series which happened around the early to mid seventies .From a personal point of view , reliving the 1994 KO Cup final where Glasgow beat Edinburgh , or the second leg of the 1991 KO Cup final at Arena Essex with Glasgow holding on for a 3-3 in heat 15 this time

How many memories does Steve L hold for you "Paulco".?

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