Ivor Brown

[TonyMac 720]

Quick one for all your Cradley Heathens or anybody who was at the Wills Internationale at Wimbledon in the early 60s, when Ivor Brown was badly injured.

 

A search hasn't thrown up the answer, so can anyone confirm exactly what happened, pse?

 

I believe the Cradley fans were none too happy with the treatment their idol received.

 

Cheers,

TMc

[andout 667]

Quick one for all your Cradley Heathens or anybody who was at the Wills Internationale at Wimbledon in the early 60s, when Ivor Brown was badly injured.

 

A search hasn't thrown up the answer, so can anyone confirm exactly what happened, pse?

 

I believe the Cradley fans were none too happy with the treatment their idol received.

 

Cheers,

TMc

This has been discussed many times before but as I was there and on the bend that it happened I can honestly say from my opinion that it was not Fundin's fault....I really think Ivor was racing way above himself and got into real difficulty when Fundin would not give up the line. If I remember correctly it was on the first bend, Fundin was on the inside and they may / did touch and unfortunately Ivor went straight on, out of control, through the fence. This was the first heat of the 1965 Internationale. Fundin WAS excluded for this so one has to say the Ref saw it as a definite touch by Fundin. The two other riders in the race Genz & Luckhurst had abosolutely no part in this.

The only thing I can't remember is if it was the first lap.....don't think so 'cos Fundin was in Yellow and Ivor in Blue.

Now I know of course I'm gonna get pummelled for this one but this is how I saw it. So Cradley fans and Ivor fans FORGIVE ME!

Edited December 2, 2008 by andout

[TonyMac 720]

This has been discussed many times before but as I was there and on the bend that it happened I can honestly say from my opinion that it was not Fundin's fault....I really think Ivor was racing way above himself and got into real difficulty when Fundin would not give up the line. If I remember correctly it was on the first bend, Fundin was on the inside and they may / did touch and unfortunately Ivor went straight on, out of control, through the fence. This was the first heat of the 1965 Internationale. Fundin WAS excluded for this so one has to say the Ref saw it as a definite touch by Fundin. The two other riders in the race Genz & Luckhurst had abosolutely no part in this.

The only thing I can't remember is if it was the first lap.....don't think so 'cos Fundin was in Yellow and Ivor in Blue.

Now I know of course I'm gonna get pummelled for this one but this is how I saw it. So Cradley fans and Ivor fans FORGIVE ME!

 

 

That's great, many thanks.

 

I have a picture of a group of Cradley fans, holding a large Ivor Brown banner, marching along the greyhound track in front of the main stand at Wimbledon - presumably to show their disgust towards Ove and his supporters? I'd like to use the pic in the next issue of Classic Speedway, so do you remember any fans protest of this kind?

 

Thanks for your help anyway.

 

TMc

[andout 667]

That's great, many thanks.

 

I have a picture of a group of Cradley fans, holding a large Ivor Brown banner, marching along the greyhound track in front of the main stand at Wimbledon - presumably to show their disgust towards Ove and his supporters? I'd like to use the pic in the next issue of Classic Speedway, so do you remember any fans protest of this kind?

 

Thanks for your help anyway.

 

TMc

Only vaguely.....but I do remember the "Boo's" but of course that was normal when Fundin was riding anywhere!

 

[iris123 21,085]

Only vaguely.....but I do remember the "Boo's" but of course that was normal when Fundin was riding anywhere!

And particularly at Plough Lane,so he told me himself

[britmet 233]

I too was at the 1965 Internationale and these 2 pics show the incident happening. (Alf Weedon photos.)

But first the parade of Cradley fans. It wasn’t about the incident: it took place BEFORE the meeting started. This was the first occasion that Cradley had appeared on the full national scene following the formation of the British League, and Cradley took a very large contingent of supporters to Wimbledon, complete with all the banners and paraphernalia. The rival cheering and war cries in the hour before the meeting started climaxed with the Heathens supporters taking to the greyhound track purely in a show of strength of numbers and of support for the club and for Ivor that night. (I must state I maintained some dignity. I stayed on the terraces: I had my wife-to-be with me !) We were full of excitement that evening but our hopes came crashing down to earth very quickly once the racing started !

The incident: Viewed from the back straight, Fundin came from the outside across in front of Ivor and took his front wheel and hence his handlebars out of his hand, (see his left hand on/near his right throttle grip,) and so uncontrolled, he went straight into the fence, or rather into the Stocks stanchion ! His injuries included a damaged lower spine/coccyx and his backside was split apart. The ref was right to exclude Fundin. Ivor brown was never the same rider again.

 

[TonyMac 720]

I too was at the 1965 Internationale and these 2 pics show the incident happening. (Alf Weedon photos.)

But first the parade of Cradley fans. It wasn’t about the incident: it took place BEFORE the meeting started. This was the first occasion that Cradley had appeared on the full national scene following the formation of the British League, and Cradley took a very large contingent of supporters to Wimbledon, complete with all the banners and paraphernalia. The rival cheering and war cries in the hour before the meeting started climaxed with the Heathens supporters taking to the greyhound track purely in a show of strength of numbers and of support for the club and for Ivor that night. (I must state I maintained some dignity. I stayed on the terraces: I had my wife-to-be with me !) We were full of excitement that evening but our hopes came crashing down to earth very quickly once the racing started !

The incident: Viewed from the back straight, Fundin came from the outside across in front of Ivor and took his front wheel and hence his handlebars out of his hand, (see his left hand on/near his right throttle grip,) and so uncontrolled, he went straight into the fence, or rather into the Stocks stanchion ! His injuries included a damaged lower spine/coccyx and his backside was split apart. The ref was right to exclude Fundin. Ivor brown was never the same rider again.

 

Thanks to all for your responses. Britmet, your account is very detailed. Can I please use your real name and include your view of events (above) with the pic of the fans that I'm going to use? If you'd rather reply by PM than on the forum, pse email me at editorial@retro-speedway.com tonight or first thing in the morning.

 

It's just that real names always look better in print. Hope you don't mind.

 

Cheers,

TMc

[norbold 7,169]

I was at the meeting too. It was heat one of the meeting.

 

I honestly don't remember the incident, but I have made a note on my programme which says. "Fundin excluded. Other riders objected. Humphrey's a twit." (Humphrey was, of course, the referee). So, I suppose, I agreed with andout's view at the time.

[Midland Red 2,383]

In those days, it was an annual pilgimage to the Internationale, which usually had a better field than the World Final, and carried a first prize of a brand-new speedway bike

In 1965, there was so much expectation and anticipation to see Charlie Monk and Ivor Brown in the field against the ex-NL stars (Fundin, Nordin, etc, etc) that the crash and the lengthy delay in dealing with the aftermath was such a big anti-climax, in front of a very large and noisy CH contingent who had made their mark on the occasion long before the racing got underway

It would have been very interesting to find out just how Ivor would have competed in this meeting, but we were never to find out

I only met him many years later when he was a member of Loughborough Bowls Club in Leicestershire, where he was a very competitive player, although he had somewhat of a unique style of delivery (and no, he didn't wear a great big white t-shirt, just a normal white shirt and club tie!)

[BOBBATH 467]

And Midland Red the big surprise of the ex PL er Charlie Monk winning the prize should not be forgot-what a shock result that was.