Leicester 1959

[BOBBATH 467]

Would Reg Reeves have finished second in 1961 without TR's e.f.. I guess Trevor Redmond won it in 1960? Merry Xmas all.

[norbold 7,116]

13 hours ago, BOBBATH said:

Would Reg Reeves have finished second in 1961 without TR's e.f.. I guess Trevor Redmond won it in 1960? Merry Xmas all.

Yes, Reg would have been second. Redmond and Reeves were the best two riders on the night and going into their last heat (Heat 17), they were both unbeaten. Redmond shot off into the lead and opened up a big gap on Reeves. As he entered the last bend on the fourth lap it looked all over - Redmond was clearly the dominant rider of the night. Into the last turn and the title was a formality, but then, disaster - entering 4/4, his primary chain broke. The loss of power tossed him off his bike. Somehow he managed to hold on to the bike and remount, but went straight into the fence. It was all over for him and he finished last. It was just such bad luck - if the chain had snapped coming out of the bend, it is likely he would still have been able to coast to victory, such was his lead. Which is why I said above that it was the greatest injustice I have seen to this day. Redmond was so clearly - and by far - the best rider there on the night.

He finished on 12 points, the same as Maury Mattingley, who he easily beat in the run-off for second place.

And yes, Redmond won in 1960.

[BOBBATH 467]

Would Reg Reeves have finished second in 1961 without TR's e.f.. I guess Trevor Redmond won it in 1960? Merry Xmas all.

Thanks for the info  Notbold-was the 1961 PLRC Final at Harringay, I think so-which helps explain why youwere ther-was he 1960 Final also held at Harringay also?. One question, I know you weren't into the PL but did you ever consider following Hackney when they started up in the PL. I loved the action in the PL- always eventful.

[norbold 7,116]

The 1960 final was at Cradley Heath. The 1961 final was at Harringay.

In 1963 and 1964, when Hackney was in the Provincial League, I lived in walking distance of the stadium (about 20 minutes across Hackney Marshes) and went there every week!

Edited December 27, 2023 by norbold

[BL65 657]

6 hours ago, norbold said:

In 1963 and 1964, when Hackney was in the Provincial League, I lived in walking distance of the stadium (about 20 minutes across Hackney Marshes) and went there every week!

Those were the days.  People did actually used to walk to the track!  For a few years I used to walk to Blackbird Road, Leicester from Oadby (and back), an 11 mile round trip.

[iris123 20,996]

10 minutes ago, BL65 said:

Those were the days.  People did actually used to walk to the track!  For a few years I used to walk to Blackbird Road, Leicester from Oadby (and back), an 11 mile round trip.

Quite strange, that i used to travel to work here in Germany along the Oadby and Wigston Straße !!!  I think there might be a town twinning or something involved. And this post i the first time i have ever heard anyone mention Oadby in my life 

https://www.norderstedt.de/Soziales-und-Familie/Sport/Sportstätten/Bolzplatz-Oadby-and-Wigston-Straße.php?object=tx,3223.1&ModID=9&FID=1087.922.1&NavID=1087.263&La=1&sfplz=1&sfort=1&kat=1087.114&kuo=1&TypSel=1087.317&startkat=1087.114&KatID=1087.317

But i also used to walk from Colliers Wood along Blackshaw Rd past St George's Hospital and the Cemetary to Wimbledon Stadium and back. Must be a few miles less than your jurney

But in my defence i also used to cycle to Hackney, Arena Essex and sometimes rye House and Eastbourne 

Low carbon footprint in those days  

Edited December 27, 2023 by iris123

[BL65 657]

57 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Quite strange, that i used to travel to work here in Germany along the Oadby and Wigston Straße !!!  I think there might be a town twinning or something involved. And this post i the first time i have ever heard anyone mention Oadby in my life 

Despite my limited contribution, Oadby was one of the most affluent suburbs in western Europe.  We used to walk to the cinema in Wigston occasionally, but that was only a 5 mile round trip.  Oadby became home for a while to the large Woolco store and the dreadful Swinging Sporran pub next door.  ASDA now occupies the site.  As far as I know, the Oadby and Wigston district is twinned with Norderstedt in Germany and Maromme, near Rouen, in France.

[norbold 7,116]

On 12/26/2023 at 3:32 PM, BOBBATH said:

 

One question, I know you weren't into the PL but did you ever consider following Hackney when they started up in the PL. I loved the action in the PL- always eventful.

Incidentally, BOBBATH, as far as the PL was concerned, as well as going to Hackney every week in 1963&4 (see my comment above) I did also, of course, support New Cross in their 1963 PL days and went there every week as well, so it wouldn't really be true to say I wasn't "into the PL".

[BOBBATH 467]

Thanks Norbold, I should have known that- did you enjoy your PL meetings, as much as your NL ones? I recall Hackney of 64-three great Heat Leaders- Pratt, Trigg and Les McGillivray. I thought they looked like they would win the League until overtaken by Newscastle. From your memory did Hackney's gates compare favourably with say Norwich or Wimbledon- obviously WH had huge support their comeback year of 64. I liked the old Hackney uniform  -blue and red quarters with a yellow diagonal.. Much simpler  (and better in my view) than the fancy-schmancy blue and white checkerboard that replaced it!!!. I liked the old  non-fussy uniforms the best.

[norbold 7,116]

I did enjoy PL meetings. It was all speedway! I suppose the only thing I missed about the NL in 63 was seeing the big names like Ove Fundin, Barry Briggs and, for me, Split Waterman.

I have no idea how Hackney gates compared. I never went to Norwich and, during 1963&4, only once to Wimbledon (to see a London v. Midlands match - why don't we have meetings like that any more!?). New Cross's gates were very poor in 1963 and led to them folding up during the season. It has been said that the crowds didn't come because they had been used to seeing the top riders.

[chunky 6,101]

1 hour ago, norbold said:

only once to Wimbledon (to see a London v. Midlands match - why don't we have meetings like that any more!?)

Um... Because we don't have any tracks in London??? 

[norbold 7,116]

17 minutes ago, chunky said:

Um... Because we don't have any tracks in London??? 

I said "like that", not exactly the same as that! For example, North v. Midlands would be "like that".

[BL65 657]

4 hours ago, norbold said:

I have no idea how Hackney gates compared. I never went to Norwich .............

The attendance for the opening meeting at Norwich in 1964 (v West Ham) was reported as 8,026.  A few weeks later 4,677 saw the Norwich match against Swindon, but the average in the opening weeks of the season was around 7,000. According to the Hackney Gazette around 4,500 saw the match between Hackney and Poole in June.

[norbold 7,116]

58 minutes ago, BL65 said:

The attendance for the opening meeting at Norwich in 1964 (v West Ham) was reported as 8,026.  A few weeks later 4,677 saw the Norwich match against Swindon, but the average in the opening weeks of the season was around 7,000. According to the Hackney Gazette around 4,500 saw the match between Hackney and Poole in June.

Thanks, BL. Do you know how many attended West Ham's opening meeting in 1964?

[E I Addio 15,845]

18 minutes ago, norbold said:

Thanks, BL. Do you know how many attended West Ham's opening meeting in 1964?

Speedway Researcher  quotes a report from Speedway Star claiming their were 15,000 there but I don’t know how accurate that is. The Researcher also says that for the second meeting the crowd were so many that it took Bjorn Knutsson half an hour to get into the stadium.