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Split Waterman 94 Years Young Today

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Our oldest World Championship Finalist survivor, the great Split Waterman is 94 today. My first hero. Happy birthday Split. Only six to go to the century!

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My goodness. Those of us who remember, surely didn't realise Split was still in there kicking. Good on yer.

Now I think about it, Poole have persuaded Tony Rickardsson and Mark Loram to come out if retirement for their 70th. What about Split doing a couple of laps? Nothing ambitious, no leg trailing or anything. Oh well, maybe not. But he could be a guest of honour eh?

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Guest

My goodness. Those of us who remember, surely didn't realise Split was still in there kicking. Good on yer.

Now I think about it, Poole have persuaded Tony Rickardsson and Mark Loram to come out if retirement for their 70th. What about Split doing a couple of laps? Nothing ambitious, no leg trailing or anything. Oh well, maybe not. But he could be a guest of honour eh?

 

Only snag to a Squire 'Split' Waterman UK appearance might be the fact that he lives in Nerja, Southern Spain. At least that was the last location I had for him. I seem to recall reading that Ove Fundin and Bert Harkins visited him there earlier this year.

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This is a retort to everyone who thinks they have to eat veggies and drink no alcohol.. I have ordered a case of whatever it is that Split drinks and am following his dietary recommendations of eating bacon and eggs for breakfast ever day. Split-live long and prosper!!!!!

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He once got a mention on Terry Wogan's Radio Two morning programme!

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He once got a mention on Terry Wogan's Radio Two morning programme!

And there was a poem about him on Radio 4, sometime in the eighties.

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He once got a mention on Terry Wogan's Radio Two morning programme!

.

And he was the rider that a Mastermind contestant failed to get in his specialist subject..

.

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Split, of course, is one of speedway's greatest characters and well-known for his sense of humour and loud rasping laugh. Stan Stevens once told me the story about how, just before the start of the 1961 World Championship round at New Cross, he saw Split cutting grooves into his tyres in the paddock, so he asked him if this improved them for racing. Split replied, "No, it doesn't do a blind bit of good, but it makes me feel better" and let out his famous laugh. When they met in the meeting itself, Stan outgated Split, but going down the back straight on the first lap, Split passed him and, as he did so, he just turned to look over at Stan and grinned at him.

I am glad I actually got to meet Split many years later at a VSRA (as it then was) dinner, even if his after dinner speech wasn't exactly what everyone had expected!

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He once got a mention on Terry Wogan's Radio Two morning programme!

Burst Watermain

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Only snag to a Squire 'Split' Waterman UK appearance might be the fact that he lives in Nerja, Southern Spain. At least that was the last location I had for him. I seem to recall reading that Ove Fundin and Bert Harkins visited him there earlier this year.

Then again i doubt if Tony Rickarsson lives in Dorset.

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Split was riding in the first ever speedway meeting I attended back in 1960 and he was regarded as a veteran back then!

 

Happy Birthday to my namesake!

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Burst Watermain

I seem to remember it was quoted as "a split watermain" as a newsflash on Wogan, which prompted Wogan to refer "a well known speedway rider".

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And the award for "most bizarre re-opening of a dead 18-month-old thread, to post a link to an even more ancient and outdated naff-looking excuse for a website" goes to.....

  • Haha 1

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