BL65

Jack Scott joined Cradley Heath for the 1967 season, having won the Australian championship during the preceding winter. I saw his debut at Wolverhampton on 24th March and he was quite impressive, scoring 8 points from 3 completed rides (2 wins and a second place) on a borrowed bike. He survived being paired with Chris Julian! In the return match at Dudley Wood the next evening he won his first two races (one as a tactical substitute), then had a last place and a fall before withdrawing from his 5th ride. I was looking forward to seeing him become a top man for Cradley Heath, but sadly he suffered a lot of machine problems and took a few heavy falls before deciding to return to Australia in June. He did have a few very good meetings when he scored double figures and it was a great disappointment when he left. This followed the 'retirement' in May of Jack Biggs, who had joined Cradley Heath from Newport (although Jack joined Hackney later in the season). As Howard Cole (who had won the New Zealand championship during the winter) refused to return to Cradley Heath (eventually joining King's Lynn) the team struggled, although the signing of Brian Brett midway through the year was a bright spot. When Howard Cole returned to Dudley Wood with his new team on 17th June we saw Brian Brett fall in Heat 9 and he was excluded from the re-run. Howard Cole then had machine problems and was lapped by Chris Julian and David Crane. Howard impeded Chris and Cradley lodged a protest after Lynn took a 3-2 heat advantage. In keeping with the mad happenings that frequently occurred at Dudley Wood, Heat 9 was re-run (with 2 riders only) after Heat 13 and despite bouncing off the fence a few times Chris Julian held on to his machine to pick up the 2 points needed to give his team a 39-38 win (so, as it happened, the original 2-3 could have been allowed to stand). Happy days.

I understand that Barry was born on 30th December 1934 and Wayne on 22nd June 1944. I don't know when Murray was borm but in his 1972 book 'Briggo', Barry says that Murray came to the UK in 1957 as a 19 year old, indicating that he would have been born in 1938. Murray crashed in a practice session at Wimbledon in 1957 and fractured his skull. I think that he may have ridden at the Eastbourne track as well as Wimbledon.

I believe that Sir Arthur Elvin, the Wembley managing director, felt that the teams from outside London were not attractive opposition in terms of drawing in the crowds and Wembley opted to run a short season in 1955. Harringay had followed fellow Londoners New Cross in withdrawing from the National League, which was down to 7 teams, with Wimbledon and West Ham the only other remaining London teams. As far as I know, for 1955 it was planned from the outset that Wembley would ride one home match and 3 away against the other teams in the league, with none of the third away matches being designated as the Wembley 'home' match. An explanation for the reduced home season was given in the opening meeting programme on 26th May (v Wimbledon), when it was stated that in addition to team matches a number of big money individual meetings would be held (seeking to attract bigger crowds than for team matches). The Wembley Open Championship was held on 9th June, the £500 All Star Trophy on 7th July, the Wembley £500 Empire Trophy on 21st July and the Wembley £500 Handicapy Trophy on 18th August.

Wal Morton scored 5 points (+2 bonus) for Ipswich at home to Rayleigh in the Metropolitan League match on 21st July 1964. Ipswich were missing two 'star' riders, David Crane and Ron Bagley for this meeting.

Ray Cousins, John Cole, Derek Battle, John Anthony, Syd Whatley

... and Gordon Bailey came back to Exeter from Poole.

The rider in the 1963 pic couldn't be Tim Bungay (from Poole), as he didn't ride for Exeter until 1964......

The 1963 Exeter photo was probably taken after Francis Cann was injured in May and before Pete Lansdale returned to the team as a rider in June - also before Jimmy Squibb joined from New Cross in August. Gordon Bailey was in the Exeter team with all of the other riders identified in the photo in the book for the meetings at Long Eaton and Hackney in May and the un-named rider does resemble him.

From the 1960's, a few unusually named second half events from Wolverhampton v Cradley Heath meetings: 1963: The Willie Win Scurry 1963: Educate the Heathen 1964: Wooden Spoon Scurry 1965: Don't Go Home, Watch the Final Scratch Race Not to be outdone, from Cradley Heath v Wolverhampton: 1961: Operation Bury the Wolf 1962: Hammer the Wolf 1962: Clobber the Wolf 1963: Cuddle the Wolf 1963: Pity the Wolf

Cyril Page rode for Stoke in 1947 and scored a maximum 12 points in their first home meeting v Cradley Heath Cubs on 8th May. After 3 rides for 0 points at Southampton on 22nd July and 1 from 4 rides at home to Cradley Heath on 24th July, he rode for Tamworth at Wombwell on 25th July 1947. Cyril then stayed at Tamworth until the end of 1948 - he was Tamworth top scorer that season.

The first Provincial League Riders' Championship Final (described on the cover of the meeting programme as the Final Round of the Provincial Riders' International Championship, and on the inside pages as the Final of the Provincial Riders' Individual Championship) was held on 24th September 1960 at Cradley Heath. The winner was Trevor Redmond. The following year the meeting was held at Harringay, on 16th September 1961 - the winner was Reg Reeves.

One of Ron Mountford's neighbours ran the grocer's shop in our village on the Staffordshire-Worcestershire border when I was a speedway mad schoolboy. She took my scrapbook home and asked him to autograph his photo's, of which there were several. I didn't get the scrapbook back for nearly a month - Ron had taken it to meetings and obtained autographs of riders from all over the country. A very kind act by a fine rider.

Regarding the early appearances of Tony Childs: Anthony Childs was in the Yarmouth team at number 7 for the home meeting v Aldershot on 21st July 1959 but did not have a ride. He then took one ride (no points) at number 6 for Yarmouth v Ipswich on 28th July 1959 (replaced by tactical substitutes in his other 3 programmed rides) – he was due to be reserve but moved up in to the team to replace Reg Luckhurst, with Cyril Crane coming in as reserve. On 2nd August 1959 he was number 6 for Yarmouth at Eastbourne and scored one point plus a bonus, beating Bob Warner. He partnered Bob Thomas (both representing Ipswich) at Yarmouth in the East Anglian Best Pairs Championship at Yarmouth on 4th August 1959, scoring 3 points as the pair came last with a total of 6. In the Bosch Championship at Yarmouth on 11th August he scored 2 points and came 17th (also outscored by the meeting reserve). At Aldershot on 15th August 1959 he scored 2 points plus a bonus, again for Yarmouth. On 18th August he was programmed at reserve for Yarmouth v All Stars, but did not ride. Tony scored 1 point in the Yarmouth qualifying round of the Southern Area Riders’ Championship on 25th August 1959. As programmed reserve for Yarmouth at Ipswich on 27th August 1959 he did not get a ride, but scored 1 point from reserve in the home meeting against the same opposition on 1st September 1959, followed by 2 points plus a bonus from reserve at home to Eastbourne on 8th September 1959.

Hi Steve, According to my programme from this meeting, the heat scores for Clive Featherby and Malcom Simmons were as follows: Heat 1: Featherby 1, Simmons 0 Heat 5: Simmons 1 Featherby 0 Heat 8: Featherby 0 Heat 10: Simmons 0 (replaced Peter Bradshaw as tactical substitute) Heat 11: Featherby 1, Simmons 0 Heat 13: Simmons 0 The result for Heat 7 was: Terry Betts 3 pts, Trevor Hedge 2 pts, Jim Tebby 1 pt, Peter Bradshaw 0 Time 63.4 I have not compared these details with those in the Speedway Star. Hope the information is of help. Keith

Heat 3 Betts 2pts, Hunter 1pt Heat 5 Betts 0, Hunter 1 Heat 9 Betts 2, Hunter 3 Heat 12 Hunter 1 Heat 13 Betts 2 Total Betts 6, Hunter 6 Details from my programme from the meeting. Hope this helps. Keith

The winning time for this heat was announced and was 77.4. Keith

Heat 1: Ray Wilson 3, Geoff Ambrose 0, Barry Briggs 2, Brian Leonard1. Heat 2: Norman Storer 3, Malcolm Brown 1, Mike Keen 2, Jimmy Bond 0 (excluded). Heat 3: John Boulger 3, Malcolm Shakespeare 2, Clive Hitch 0, Mike Broadbank 1. Heat 4: Dave Jessup 2, Storer 1, Martin Ashby 3, Bond 0. Heat 5: Boulger 2, Shakespeare 1, Briggs 3, Leonard 0. Heat 6: Wilson 2, Ambrose 1, Ashby 3, Keen 0. Heat 7: Jessup 3, Brown 1 (replaced Storer), Briggs 2 (replaced Hitch), Broadbank 0. Heat 8: Ambrose 1, Storer 0 (replaced Brown), Leonard 2, Ashby 3 (replaced Bond). Heat 9: Boulger 3, Shakespeare 2, Ashby 1, Keen 0. Heat 10: Wilson 3, Ambrose 0, Hitch 1, Leonard 2 (replaced Broadbank). Heat 11: Jessup 3, Brown 1, Briggs 2, Leonard 0. Heat 12: Wilson 3, Shakespeare 1, Ashby 2, Hitch 0. Heat 13: Jessup 1, Boulger 2, Briggs 3, Broadbank 0. Leicester: Wilson 11, Ambrose 2, Jessup 9, Shakespeare 6, Boulger 10, Storer 4, Brown 3. Swindon: Briggs 12, Leonard 5, Ashby 12, Broadbank 1, Hitch 1, Keen 2, Bond 0. I was at this meeting and recorded these results in my progamme. Keith

Heat 3: Bobby Beaton 2 points, Colin Gooddy replaced by Dave Perks. Heat 5: Bobby Beaton 1, Colin Gooddy 0. Heat 9: Bobby Beaton 2 points, Colin Gooddy 1. Heat 12: Colin Gooddy replaced by Peter Jarman. Heat 13: Bobby Beaton 2 points. Totals, Bobby Beaton 7, Colin Gooddy 1........ according to my programme from the meeting. Keith