britmet

What can Jimmy tell us about his riding in S. Africa in the mid-'50s and the issues that arose because of unlicensed tracks and subsequent bans on return to the UK .

See Hasse Holmqyist today, - engine tuner to 60yr old Ice-Race champion on YouTube, under Icy Racers, at apprx 3:30m. Hasse was an overnight sensation when he came to Wolves in '67, but his weakness was his shoulder, which he too often put out. He also rode for Oxford in 1970. .

Quite so, - it ws the same price as thru the season in the '60s amd '70s. But things seem to be different today ! (When the transition happened I dont know.) P'boro had a Double Header ~3yrs ago against Eastbourne, - BOTH matches ! ! , the A and B fixtures in one night ! Why they couldn't have run one mtg - it used to be done by plan, not weather, for some Prov.Lg and Nor.Lge matches in '60s - , and put the score to the E'bourne legs for 2 different aggegates is a mystery to me, - AND the price went up, from £15 to £25 if I remember correctly. Dont ask what the turn-out was like, 'cos needless to say, I didn't go.

. Can anyone provide info on meetings for the Alan Hunt Memorial Trophy held in SA subsequent to the first AHMT won by Doug Davies in 1957 ? I understand Durban supporters sponsored a new trophy, possibly in the '70s, one of the winners being Johan 'Boet' Strijdom, and for which Walkerville now race. .

I was at the Ashington opening mtg v. Birmingham, as mechanic to Brummies' Skipper George Major. If asked today I too might have said Ian Thomas was involved in the promotion, but reference to the programme makes no mention or suggestion of him. Mind you, there's no mention of Jeff Brownhut either. The front man in the promotion was Geof Penniket, who mentions their "association with Mike Parker and Bill Bridgett". Brownhut had started running stock car meetings at Ashington the previous year, and the 1972 Fixture list has alternate weeks of speedway and Hell Drivers. We know that the only other speeedway meeting was the Northumberland Open a month after the Brum match, (won by Phil Crump,) but 2 others were programmed in between those dates interspersed with the stox. Were they rained off ? (But no programmes circulate amongst collectors, so presumably not a late cancellation. -? ) Scarletrider's posting suggests why the track was not going to be a success for bikes, if so many riders were pulling out. Was it rain-soaked as well as rutted by cars ?, ( the bane of speedway tracks !) One-off Official Meetings - ? How about Ballymena, N.Ireland. Cradley Heath v. Ivan Mauger's World Select, 13 July 1982. With 3 past/present/future World Champs riding it was never going to be anything but 'official'. Again the track was usually for cars, but here it was tarmac specially covered on the day with shale just for the speedway meeting, ( and had to be removed afterwards.) In conversation with the promotions' local participant just a year or so ago, he reckons the crowd wasn't big enough, (press figures of 4-5000,) though I feel that they had overstretched themselves, cost-wise, with the riders, - Mauger, Penhall, Carter, Gundersen, Collins(Phil,) , etc. - , and the track modifications undertaken.

Cradley's CH 3 - George Major & John Edwards 4-71 BOB Andrews 5)72 Trigg 68-1 Julians & Andrews Confirming certain less well-knowns, already named; Chris Harrison, - Crayford 1 Henry Harrfeldt -Edinburgh

- See further under 'Speedway General Discussion.'

Here is that race: - 1st bend, 1st lap, 1st heat, 1st ever British Lge match, 1965 Brown, Boocock, Hockaday.

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.

Swindon team; on rt. the name Bob Jones comes to mind, or some name like that, - ? and NP on left, as given. (Checked my Robins team photo from that time, - its '65, with only NP with the riders.)

In the S'ton photo, T. Mgr is Bert # Name Removed #, 1st left is Dick Bradley. The 3rd photo I'm seeing is a Swindon team, not Dons, - ?

Brian Buck and/or Brian Bott are the first points of contact

Rob, Done quicker than expected, - they should be with you now. Please confirm OK.

Okay Rob, I have 71 & 73 speedways, - will scan them in and forward sometime tomorrow. britmet.

Son Paul works in the pits at Perry Barr and his other son David is a PB regular and ardent Brummies fan. So can we ask if it was he at St Austell and Plymouth in '52 and '53 - ?

Chris Julian is remembered at Cradley for the 4 years spent there between 1965 and '68, after which he moved to Newport. He'd come to Cradley from Glasgow to cut down on the travelling. - he had previously driven every week from Cornwall to Scotland and back ( remember, the M5 was only 26mls long then, - and the M6 no more than a few town-centre bypasses !) but Cradley was a mere 500mls round trip ! Arriving early on Saturday afternoons in a 10 year-old A50 Austin Cambridge, (sometimes tied together with string he was a scrap metal man; what would you expect. He found it in his yard, he'd say,) he'd spend much time chatting with fans, and had a good line in jovial self-deprecation. On the track anything could happen, he was a 4-lap trier, but when needed could deliver that 3rd heat-leader role. Chris started as a junior circa '58/59 in open meetings in the West Country, (St Austell, Plymouth and Exeter,) and got a place in the 1960 Prov'l Lge Bristol team alongside Trevor Redmond, transferring to Plymouth with the Bulldogs for the '61 season. When TR moved into league promotion at Neath in 1962 - as well as running St Austell and Newton Abbott (stocks only) - , Chris joined his mentor, and later transferred with him to St. Austell for '63, then Glasgow White City for the '64 season. He got nearer to home in '69, (Newport) before getting 'home' to the West Country, Exeter, (just 95 mls away from Redruth !) following the departure of Chris Blewett, - it wasn't considered wise to have these 2 Cornishmen in the same team together . He gave loyal service with the Falcons until 1975, when his average slipped. For 10yrs in the senior league he averaged a steady 5 to 7 pts each year, his best being at Cradley in 1967, - 7.04. But distance didn't apparently deter Chris: loaned out by Exeter during '75, (12 matches for ave. of 3.44) his next track was ? - Mildenhall ! He rode 27 matches for the Fens Tigers, ave. 6.73. But maybe it did. He next appears making 9 appearances for Weymouth in 1977, and there the scorebook seems to close. (?)

Ken is British, and still lives close to Dudley Wood in Stourbridge, West Midlands, from where he hails. He’s remembered as an Ivor Brown clone, having styled himself, and his equipment (but for the white shirt) on the Cradley hero of the day. However his extra height did mean that that folded left leg gave him away. He rode for Cradley in the British Lge between 1966 and ’70: rode one lower-division match for Long Eaton in 1971 when Ivor was promoter there, but decided to stay out of racing. Last seen at Wymeswold in 2005.

Derek Timms had a long riding career it would seem, including 4 years at Cradley in the Provincial Lge, 1961-64. For a time there he was suffering badly with arthritis in his knees which gave his riding a unique style with a stiff left leg rigidly out, but he performed every Saturday night regardless. Out of interest I’ve tried to piece together his career, - a regular journeyman it would seem, from the Midlands, to the West Country, the South-East, and finally, (-?- please feel free, dear reader, to infill, correct and/or update the following - ,) the North, (Yorkshire !) Brummie-born Derek has definitely been seen in W’ton Wasps colours (viz recent eBay photo sale.) The record books credit him with 108pt for them in NL3 in 1951; just 30pts for W’ton in 1952’s SAL, as well as 33 pts for a D.Timms at St Austell in 1952 - ? Was it Derek ? : the year fits, but not the location, (but then National Service gave rise to many out-of-place appearances. - ?) 1953 showed D.Timms at Plymouth scoring 33 SAL pts., (almost certainly the D.T. from St Austell the previous year. ) From ’54 to ’58 there’s no D,Timms to be found amongst the point scorers, in the Midlands or the South, in any division, (Qu: - 2yrs Nat’l Serv. in the West Country, then demob and a concentration on a career: - ?) until in 1959 he scores 4pts for W’don in their Natl.Res.Lge. team, and top scores for Aldershot with 63pts in the SAL. 1959 was also the year that New Cross ran a few Open (non-Lge ) meetings, and as Derek was a regular at the Frying Pan in their 1960 NL team, (24pts,) it a fair guess he may also have made appearances there in ’59. ( Norbold - ?) At this time, circa 1960, Derek put in several Sunday appearance at the likes of Rye House, Aldershot and Eastbourne, for one or other of those non-league ex-SAL teams, as well as occasional reserve slots for the B’ham team at NL level, (noting the Phil Hart NX/Brum promotional connection,) before signing for Cradley, via a Harry Bastable connection in ‘61. (Likewise ex-Brummie Ivor Davies, who Harry also persuaded out of retirement !) With the formation of the British League, top flight racing seemed not for Derek, and he only next appears in ’68 with the formation of BL2 and the need for some experience amongst the new generation of juniors, as a regular for Crayford Highwaymen, (plus 2 matches for Wolves via the common promotion.) That promotion next opened Doncaster in 1969, and Derek soon moved there, scoring 166pts in 24 matches. And that’s where the story/record books end. Is Derek still around? Was it he at St Austell in 1952 ? What was he doing in the mid ‘50s ? (grass-tracking, it’s suspected.) Can anyone infill this chronology ? 1928 d.o.b. 1951 W’ton 1952 W’ton, St Austell 1953 Plymouth 1954 - ’58 ? 1959 Aldershot, (W’don Res.,) New Cross(?) 1960 New Cross, B’ham, Aldershot, x, x, 1961 - ’64 Cradley 1965 - ’67 ? 1968 Crayford, (W’ton) 1969 Crayford, Doncaster ? - -

No, Cornishman Chris Blewett is no longer with us. I was in touch with his daughter a few years ago when she was looking for anything on his career, pics and progs, etc, to catch up with a that part of his life, and regretting not having taken more interest whilst he was around. (He had departed a number of years before that, so possibly gone 5-10yrs ago.) His enmity with fellow Cornishman and namesake Chris Julian was legendary, (though she reckoned it was hype,) and everyone looked forward to heats featuring the two, - even if they were riding for the same team ! Climax of Chris B's riding career was being chosen for England against USSR at Exeter in 1966. Chris Julian, as well as their mentor in the West Country, Trevor Redmond, has also departed. Picture shows Chris B with Martin Ashby and Geof Mudge at the Presentation of The Plymouth Cup, at Exeter, 1966.

Re Bluey, speedway historian in Adelaide has provided the following info on him, which should put that option to bed:- Bluey Scott is Eric William Scott and he was born in Auburn NSW on 10 July 1929. He lived all his life in Sydney until the late 1940s when he decided to travel around Australia and when he got to Adelaide he stayed here for a while. He went and watched Speedway at Kilburn, and then found out that he was working alongside one of the riders, Frank Young. From there he went on to be a rider and went to Scotland in 1951 where Jack Young arranged for him to sign for Motherwell. He subsequently rode for Motherwell in 1951, 52, 53 & 54, then half-a-season each with Southampton and Ipswich in 1955, then Long Eaton 63, Middlesbrough 64 and White City Glasgow 65, 66. He retired from Speedway in Australia in 1969. Bobbath, - This issue started with the thought that there may have been 2 JSs "around the same era." Whatever Bluey's true name had turned out to be, the fact that you had a notion of another JACK would not have come about from results or reports on this chap, as he was never referred to as anything but Bluey. You're now taking us back to 1948 ! As there's no overlap in time with any of these 3 Scotts, I suggest we discount it and deem the subject closed.

I think you're right, Bobbath, Bluey's not Jack, - But I still think the only other Jack Scott around at that time, - when my only reading back then was the SSN, from cover to cover, AND the NME (before it became an anarchist rag,) - , "Put that comic away" said my maths master. Its not sir, its registered as a newspaper. I even read that bit ! - was the singer of "What in the Worlds Come over You." in 1960 ! That's where your memory of a second Jack Scot came from, I suggest. p.s. There was a Jock Scott, circa 1950, up there in Haggisland, but I think we can forget him.

If you've got a Laptop with you, you can watch it on the internet.

We may be geting to the bottom of this. Red-haired Bluey Scott came to Motherwell c1950 and rode for them from '51 to their closure in '54 when he was signed by S'ton and then loaned to Ipswich for '55. (He didn't return to the UK til '63, for Long Eaton.) All records for these tracks list him as B. Scott, so was his christiain name Jack ? - and is this "the same era"" that Bobbath recalls when he asked the question ? ( There's no overlap with S'ton/Plymouth's JS.) Only in Wilkipaedia, - yes, i know, - , do we get an insight, where, under Motherwell Eagles, it lists its riders as including "Bluey (Eric) Scott. ! -? So, - can anyone out there attest to Bluey Scott's birth name ?

So which was your home team back then ? Clearly not W'ton ! Ommer Um Buddy !

And that other ex-Cradley rider Phil Collins is also still performing, taking his band Genesis out on the road from time to time !