First Race Ever Seen

[BOBBATH 467]

A post on the thread of F riders by FASTGATER mentioned that Cyril Francis was in the first race he had ever seen, got me thinking of this.The first race I ever saw was at Newport in 1964(Sat 13th June) heat one Southern League v. Long Eaton.It was a 5-1 to Newport, Alby Golden won it and broke the track record finishing ahead of Jon Erskine, Ken Adams and John Mills. I kept the program all these years which is how I know-anybody else have similar memories??

[oddfossengen 1]

my first race was poole v swindon june 1971 1st race eide cake for poole and briggs and keen for swindon briggs leading by a country mile falls off for no aparent reason gifting poole a 5-1 finishing order cake eide keen briggs(fell) poole won 40-38

[Trackman 3]

Halifax Speedway 1965.

Regards.

[speedyguy 20]

April 17 1946.

 

New Cross 46 The Rest 37 (Challenge)

 

Heat 1: Ron Johnson, Phil Bishop, Ron Clarke, Jack Parker (ef), 61.8 seconds.

 

 

PS: I was told that I had been taken to a Crystal Palace match in 1939 but have no recollection of this meeting.

Edited April 17, 2008 by speedyguy

[salty 2,202]

I know the first match I ever saw was Cradley v Newport on 28th September 1968. Still have the programme so I would have to check that to see who was in Heat 1,(pretty sure it would have been Graham Coombes and Chris Julian for the Heathens) but could well have been a couple of the same riders you saw in 1964 Bobbath.

 

 

Just got home and checked and lo and behold in White was Jon Erskine (taking a RR ride for Jimmy Gooch) and Y/B was Cyril Francis. Alby Golden was also riding in the meeting.

Edited April 17, 2008 by salty

[norbold 7,116]

I was interested in speedway before I ever actually attended my first meeting. My family had gone just before and just after the War and I'd heard a lot about it from then. In the 1950s I used to follow the results in the newspaper and watch it on the rare occasion it was on television. When I was about 8 or 9 we used to have a cinder pitch near where I lived and I would ride my bicycle round this pitch pretending I was either Split Waterman or Aub Lawson, who were my two heroes.

 

The first meeting I ever actually attended in the flesh was on 11 May 1960, New Cross v. Norwich. Amazingly, the first heat saw my two heroes up against each other as Split Waterman and Jimmy Gooch were out for New Cross and Aub Lawson and Harry Edwards for Norwich. The result was a 3-3. !st: Lawson 2nd: Gooch 3rd: Waterman 4th Edwards.

 

I was hooked from then on!

[AndyM 1]

Not sure I can remember my first race as such, though I'm pretty sure it would have been at a Coventry home match in 1971, so I expect it would have included Nigel Boocock.

 

The first race I can definitely remember was a race at Belle Vue early in 1972, though I'd been to the mighty Hyde Road the previous season and seen Mauger there. Why? Watching the teenage Peter Collins roaring through the field, of course!!

Edited April 17, 2008 by AndyM

[Ron Butler 0]

Following a lengthy in-depth consultative session with my two remaining little grey cells I regret that I am unable to detail the finer points of the first race I saw.

 

However, my sources do reveal that it was at the Grand Ole Speedway mecca known throughout the sporting world as Belle Vue Speedway, Hyde Road, Manchester in 1946.

[BOBBATH 467]

Interesting posts-hey SALTY what was the order they finished in-hope it was a Newport 1-5 and that Newport won the meeting.Amazing that Jon Erskine was in both races eight years apart .Also to Norbold two of those riders Waterman and Gooch are still with us 48 years later!!Good for them.

[Kryten 17]

Belle Vue vs Swindon - 1st June 1985

 

Morton, Simmons, Yeates, Blackbird (F)

[salty 2,202]

Interesting posts-hey SALTY what was the order they finished in-hope it was a Newport 1-5 and that Newport won the meeting.Amazing that Jon Erskine was in both races eight years apart .Also to Norbold two of those riders Waterman and Gooch are still with us 48 years later!!Good for them.

Sorry Bobbath it was a 5-1 the other way and the Heathens won 42-36.

[hawkeyenz 38]

Eastbourne Vs Sunderland 1971 59-19

 

Race 1

 

Derek Cook and Roger Johns Vs Jack Millen and ?

 

Race 2

 

Gordon and Dave Kennett the Eagles reserves!!

Edited April 17, 2008 by hawkeyenz

[BOBBATH 467]

Hiya SALTY -wot a drag, we wuz robbed!!

[falkirkbandit 89]

Berrington Lough in 1986 as a 13 year old, sadly i've lost all my programmes from back then so couldn't tell you who it was against but that was me hooked on speedway!

[mitchuk 0]

Monarchs v Newport Dragons (National League), May 1977 - I think the 3rd meeting held at Powderhall as speedway returned to Edinburgh. The programme is in an attic back in Edinburgh, but I remember Bert Harkins winning the first race. Dave Trownson was the other Monarch, Jim Brett* was the Dragons #1 (on loan from Belle Vue); other Dragon might have been Mal Bedkober (or might not). Final score 52-26.

 

Monarchs team that night:

1. Haggis Harkins

2. DT

3. Charlie Monk

4. (the late) Nigel Wasley - making his debut on loan from Cradley

5. (the late) Jack Millen

6. Alan Bridgett

7. Alan Morrison

 

Amazing how the stuff you remember at age 11 sticks with you!

 

* - about 5 years later I was racing against Jim Brett myself, at cycle speedway in Gtr. Manchester somewhere. He'd gone up to the BL with Belle Vue and done OK, but packed it in and gone back to pedal power. Good guy - he put our team up for the night at his house.