First Ever BL Race

[BOBBATH 467]

Coventry v CH,  Boocock , Brown, Hockaday Cottrell. I think only Eric H. is still with us. Actually I reckon this set the tone for the season- the ex NL Tracks had the top heat leaders but the ex PL tracks had the more solid second strings. I reckon ,with some obvious exceptions,the  exPL sides were more evenly balanced throughout the order- e.g. Sheffield comes to mind in that category. What say you forumlanders??

[Beirao 202]

The top four in the BL were all former NL tracks which suggests the top heavy approach followed by picking up better second strings by mid summer paid dividends. Coventry got Les Owen back, West Ham added Tony Clarke, Oxford Stan Stevens and Wimbledon dropped Geoff Hughes though not sure who replaced him.

Edited March 4 by Beirao

[BOBBATH 467]

Good point Beirao

[norbold 7,110]

2 hours ago, Beirao said:

The top four in the BL were all former NL tracks which suggests the top heavy approach followed by picking up better second strings by mid summer paid dividends. Coventry got Les Owen back, West Ham added Tony Clarke, Oxford Stan Stevens and Wimbledon dropped Geoff Hughes though not sure who replaced him.

West Ham's win was more to do with the great improvement in Malcom Simmons' form than in adding Tony Clarke. Malcolm was, of course, a former PL rider.

Edited March 4 by norbold

[iris123 20,986]

Nothing really, but i was just wondering if there was an explanation as to why they named the league Provincial ? Having no affinity to the league, it just strikes me as a very strange name to give it

[norbold 7,110]

23 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Nothing really, but i was just wondering if there was an explanation as to why they named the league Provincial ? Having no affinity to the league, it just strikes me as a very strange name to give it

Presumably because all the tracks (originally) were outside London. It also harked back to the pre-War Provincial League which was an equivalent sort of second division.

[iris123 20,986]

9 minutes ago, norbold said:

Presumably because all the tracks (originally) were outside London. It also harked back to the pre-War Provincial League which was an equivalent sort of second division.

Yes, but they were always heading for trouble if a London club entered. Which Hackney eventually did, and they still kept the name, which made it even stranger. 

 

[norbold 7,110]

17 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Yes, but they were always heading for trouble if a London club entered. Which Hackney eventually did, and they still kept the name, which made it even stranger. 

 

...and New Cross!!!

[iris123 20,986]

2 minutes ago, norbold said:

...and New Cross!!!

And that brings us back to a number of threads about 'First ever race' 

[BL65 657]

8 hours ago, Beirao said:

The top four in the BL were all former NL tracks which suggests the top heavy approach followed by picking up better second strings by mid summer paid dividends. Coventry got Les Owen back, West Ham added Tony Clarke, Oxford Stan Stevens and Wimbledon dropped Geoff Hughes though not sure who replaced him.

Mike Coomber replaced Geoff Hughes as the regular reserve in the Wimbledon team. The other change made was the introduction of former Cradley Heath rider John Edwards towards the end of April.

[BL65 657]

On 3/3/2024 at 7:58 PM, BOBBATH said:

Coventry v CH,  Boocock , Brown, Hockaday Cottrell. I think only Eric H. is still with us. Actually I reckon this set the tone for the season- the ex NL Tracks had the top heat leaders but the ex PL tracks had the more solid second strings. I reckon ,with some obvious exceptions,the  exPL sides were more evenly balanced throughout the order- e.g. Sheffield comes to mind in that category. What say you forumlanders??

By the closing weeks of the season, in my view, Wolverhampton had the best-balanced team in the league.  Three riders (Pete Jarman, Jim Airey and Bob Andrews) ended the season with averages over 8.00; Tommy Sweetman and Cyril Francis averaged above 7.00, with British Finalist Gordon Guasco just a fraction under 7.00; reserve Brian Maxted at around 5.50 was keeping Jimmy Bond (4.50) out of the team.  The team had an impressive late-season run, with results including wins against Wimbledon (50-28), West Ham (52-26), Exeter away (48-30), Newport (64-14 - sorry, Bob), Glasgow (56-21) and Hackney 44-34 (the last two without Aussie-bound Airey. In between, there was a narrow defeat at Swindon (36-42) when the Robins had to resort to using Barry Briggs as a tactical substitute.

[chunky 6,093]

7 hours ago, iris123 said:

And that brings us back to a number of threads about 'First ever race' 

I seem to recall reading about an individual whose "First ever race" was at New Cross on Wednesday, April 17, 1946. Perhaps iris123 noted the identity of that individual?

[chunky 6,093]

2 hours ago, BL65 said:

Mike Coomber replaced Geoff Hughes as the regular reserve in the Wimbledon team. The other change made was the introduction of former Cradley Heath rider John Edwards towards the end of April.

Ah yes, Mike "Zoomer" Coomber! Again, one of my earliest childhood memories, along with "Slim Jim", "Hedgehopper", and Olle "White-boots"!

[Split 179]

18 hours ago, chunky said:

I seem to recall reading about an individual whose "First ever race" was at New Cross on Wednesday, April 17, 1946. Perhaps iris123 noted the identity of that individual?

My mother was at New Cross when the great Tom Farndon was fatally injured so she was there well before 1946

[iris123 20,986]

8 minutes ago, Split said:

My mother was at New Cross when the great Tom Farndon was fatally injured so she was there well before 1946

Remember my grandad talking about Lammy getting fenced by a couple of West Ham riders. And from memory it was Wilkinson and Atkinson