norbold

Good to see you back, Bryan. How are you?

News on the website... Firstly, the Museum committee wishes to apologise for the absence of the website for such a long time. It is hoped that a temporary site will be up within the next couple of weeks and then a permanent one before the end of October.

Just back from a Speedway Museum Committee meeting... Latest news: 1. There is to be a Scottish Dance evening on Saturday 8 November starting at 7:00 p.m. The Museum will be open and there will be a buffet meal. Tickets are £22.50 per person. (£20 per person for parties of over 10) All proceeds to the Museum. 2. Next year's annual "High Beech" celebrations will be held at the Speedway Museum instead of High Beech and will be on 8 February. Admission will be free. It is to be called "A Celebration of Speedway - incorporating the High Beech Anniversary." The reason for the move is because of complaints received at this year's annual celebrations (and received every year since I can remember) that the King's Oak is too small for the number of people who come to the event. By holding it at the Museum and using other Paradise Park facilities there will be much more room for stall holders and visitors and more and better facilities available. The museum will also be open on site as a bonus. We are hoping to persuade a number of former world champions to come along. 3. Corgi toys are to make a line of replica speedway bikes and are to visit the Museum (with Terry Russell) to have a look at the bikes we have. 4. Thirty Three Speedway Star vouchers have been used so far this year to gain entry to the Park and Museum. 5. See separate thread for nes on the Website. Plus, the Museum itself is continuing to improve. Their is a new section on Ice Speedway. If you haven't been for a while, it is well worth a visit to see the improvements.

In a letter to the Speedway Star on 29 December 1984, A.R. James, the manager of Wimbledon Stadium said that Wimbledon Speedway had lost a five figure sum during the 1984 season. It was because of this that they decided to drop down in to the National League. At the end of the 1985 season, Cyril Maidment said that had Wimbledon stayed in the British League they would have gone broke and that it was the drop down that had saved them. At the end of the 1986 season, there was again uncertainty over the future of Wimbledon who said they needed a £25,000 sponsorship to continue. After a winter of uncertainty, a consortium headed by David Pickles stepped in and saved the day. Throughout all of this the GRA were not very happy with the idea of speedway continuing at Plough Lane. It was only the fight put up by John Cearns on the board that saved them.

"Out of the Frying Pan" is 160 pages for just £12.99. Go on Parsloes, you know it makes sense.

What? Like you buy all my books!?

Is it as good/better/worse than Ian Perkins's History of Wimbleon Speedway?

I have one copy left...if you're interested pm me.

Sadly, I have just discovered that Jack Tidbury died recently - he was 92. Sorry, John, you'll have to change your caption again.

SGP Website: "MADS Korneliussen has won a late call-up to Sunday's World Championship Qualifying Final. The Danish rider comes in for Jonas Davidsson, who has officially withdrawn due to injury."

Thank you, fb, you won't regret it. Although actually you might, as the last I heard it was sold out and the publishers had none left. Can you let me know what they say about your order? Thanks.

I'm very sorry to hear that, TM. Mind you, he hasn't been well for some time now. Let's hope he is back fighting fit soon.

Me too. It saves me having to find out! Thank you. So, he is 80 this year.

I'll see what I can do about Jack Tidbury. He was very friendly with Nobby Stock, who lived in Clacton. I know his daughter fairly well and she is still in contact with Jack. However, as I have found in the past, she is very reluctant to share her photographs!

Great stuff. I look forward to getting a copy. I'll be in touch...

Yes. Sorry, don'tknow that. I'll see if I can find out.

Vic was a Rye House discovery. His first official appearance was on 2 July 1950 when he rode for Ron Barrett's team in a challenge match against Alf Viccary's team. He scored zero from two rides. But he was to become a stalwart of the Rye House team throughout the 50s. When Rye House entered the Southern Area League in 1954 he was apponted captain and was top scorer with an average of 8.94, leading Rye House to victory in the league. He was third highest scorer in the league and also came third in the Southern Area League Riders' Championship. During 1954 he was described as the Jack Young of the Southern Area League because of his laid back armchair style. Captain again in 1955, he scored 9.54, but was eclipsed by the young Mike Broadbank as the team's top scorer, who averaged 9.73. Rye House again won the league under his captaincy. With Broadbank moving off to Wembley, Vic was once again top scorer in 1956 with 10.27, top average in the league, leading his team to victory in the league once again. He headed the qualifiers for the Southern Area League Riders' Championship and was hot favourite to take the title. By this time he had signed up for Southampton in the National League and, although he was not due to ride for them until 1957, the Control Board announced he was ineligible for the SAL Riders' Championship as he belonged to a National League team. Eventually the decision was overturned, but machine problems in the final meant he only scored six points (two heat wins) and didn't finish in his other three races. He lowered the track record to 61.6 seconds during the year. Over the winter of 1956/7, Vic travelled to South Africa where he became the only current Southern Area League rider ever to ride in a full Test match, when he rode for England in the seventh Test on 23 February 1957. He scored one point. On his return to England he decided not to move to Southampton after all and stayed with Rye House. However, shortly after the season started he decided to retire. There was talk of him going in to car racing but, as far as I know, he never did. The Speedway Star of the time made some cryptic comment about the reasons for Vic Ridgeon retiring are too well known for us to go in to here. Many years later, after I'd got to know Vic quite well, I asked him why he had retired, but he said he couldn't remember! He did, of course, make a come back and rode for Wolverhampton in the Provincial League, but I'll let others with more knowledge of his Midlands days take up the story...Although he did turn out several times for Rye House again in challenge matches and the like during Rye House's non-league days of the 1960s.

Great to see the photos, dtod. However, there is an error in the caption to Riskit Riley's photo as he is not the ONLY other pre-War rider still alive. Jack Tidbury, who rode for Hackney in 1938, is still alive.

Hi Killer Cat...no information but I put your request for more information on the Speedway History Forum and Jim Blanchard has come up with this photo I hope that helps a bit. AllI know about him by the way is that he rode for Belle Vue in 1929 and his first name was Jack.

There! I knew it all along!!!

Everyone seemed to be "flexible" in that league. As you say, WW, Wal Morton rode for both Ipswich and Weymouth, Geoff Penniket rode for Eastbourne and Newpool, Malcolm Brown for Rayleigh and Weymouth, Vic Ridgeon for Eastbourne and Rayleigh just to name a few!

Ipswich rode 6 matches Weymouth rode 5 Newpool rode 4 (although the one against Eastbourne was for double points, and the one against Exeter was expunged from the records after Exeter B withdrew from the league) Eastbourne rode 3 (See above - so technically 4) Rayleigh rode 3 Exeter B rode 1 Ipswich "won" the league with 10 points Eastbourne were second with 6 Rayleigh, Newpool and Weymouth all had 2 points Exeter B withdrew after losing at "home" to Newpool (although the match was raced at Weymouth).

The league actually had four names! It started out as the Amateur League, it was then changed to the Metropolitan League, it then became the Southern Area Training League and finally the Southern Area League. And yes, the Metropolitan League operated (after a fashion) in 1964. It originally consisted of Eastbourne, Ipswich, Rayleigh, Weymouth, Exeter B and Newpool (a joint Newport/Poole junior team). Exeter B withdrew after just one match while the others raced between 3 and 6 fixtures each. Ipswich won the league by virtue of the fact that they were the only team to race 6 matches, winning 5 of them.

Gordon McGregor was born in Dunfermline in 1921.

It should have been done by now. I'll see if I can find out what's going on.