norbold

I hate to be too pedantic, but Brian Crutcher retired in 1960 in the same week that I saw my first meeting. I thought it was something I'd done!

Ooops sorry, yes, compost, I missed that before. July 3rd is a Midlands v. South Cup: Plymouth 41 Southampton 54 in Stenners. Incidentally, moxey, where did you get North v. South Cup from as it seems to be Midlands v. South Cup? Is that a mistake on the Speedway Researcher site or is there other evidence for it being called that?

According to Stenners, it was called the Midlands v. South Cup. The match on 15 October was a "home" cup tie for Eastbourne but was raced at Exeter. They had raced their last match at Arlington on 4 October, their last league match against Cradley Heath. Charlie Dugard was losing money on the venue and moved operations to Hastings in 1948. I guess he decided to cut his losses once the league season was done. 15 October was a Wednesday. I can't see any record of a Plymouth v. Southampton Cup match in Stenners. They raced three times, two league matches and one challenge.

There was a thread on this a few years ago. I think it came to a definitive conclusion. Perhaps a little research back in Speedway Forum archives might help. Here it is: http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=39407&hl=travelled

Yes, that's why I added Ove Fundin!

I think Ove Fundin should have won more world titles.....

One rider whose results didn't quite match his ability I always thought was Reidar Eide. He always rode West Ham really well and beat some of the best there. He was usually well into the 9/10 point averages but only made one World Final and only finished thirteenth in that.

Good shout, Daytripper. Couldn' t agree more.

Except that Bluey Wilkinson did win the World Championship..... Just to be helpful, Sidney...: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tom-Farndon-Greatest-Speedway-Rider/dp/0752451405?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc

Savalas Clouting, Eddie Kennett. Not sure I agree about Sverre Harrfeldt, chr. He was, of course, a brilliant rider, especially round Custome House, but I was pleasantly surprised when he made no. 2 in the world. I don't think he was quite as good as the likes of Fundin and Briggo. I agree about Gote Nordin though. He did have the real potential to win the World Championship.

Started at New Cross, then West Ham then Hackney....but fortunately my jinx run came to an end in 1979 when I moved and started following Ipswich, still here 37 years later fortunately!

I've just discovered that planning permission for a "dirt track racing circuit" in Clacton-on-Sea was turned down in 1933. It's all a bit vague at the moment but I am following this up as I have never seen or heard any mention of dirt track racing or speedway in Clacton before.

I have spoken to a number of people who were there that night. They say that all four riders started off scratch and that George Hunter got away first. The only real controversy over this seems to be that some people think that Peter Craven deliberately let George gate first so that he could make a race of it; others swear that George, who, as BL65 says, was a fast gater, got out first on merit. We may never know about that, but it is certain that they were all off scratch.

No, in that particular race he went off scratch along with the other three riders.

Any of the many meetings held before Maitland December 1923, so I could video it and bring back a programme!

1928.

The Researcher site gives the date of every meeting and who rode in it, doesn't it? http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/docs/bristol/1960.pdf

I'm not quite clear about what info you need. If you got the info from the Speedway Researcher site, surely that has the dates of the meetings he rode in.

i have 1937, 1938 and 1961.

The same as you, Steve, plus Young, Craven, Knutson, Holder, Woffy. Also seen Freddie Williams.....but not riding!

Indeed, macca. One of the great stories he told me once was, in his typical modest manner, about a race he lost! It was about the time Rayleigh, then challenging for the Provincial League title in 1961 took on Edinburgh at Meadowbank. The previous year, Rayleigh had inflicted Edinburgh's heaviest home defeat of the season and had gone on to win the League title. They were expected to do much the same this time, but after twelve heats the scores were level. So it was all on the last heat. Stan and Reg Reeves were out for Rayleigh up against George Hunter and Doug Templeton. As they came into the last bend on the last lap of the last race, Hunter led from Reeves and Stevens with Templeton trailing in last place. A draw looked inevitable. This is where Stan took up the story for me. "I thought I was holding Templeton, but as I rode in to the last bend on the fourth lap I could see the whole crowd in the main stand rise to their feet as one and that was when I realised that Doug had got me with an amazing manoeuvre as he cut through on the inside of me." That description has always stayed with me as such a graphic illustration of the way that match finished, giving a 4-2 and the match to Edinburgh at the last gasp.

Indeed. Stan was my hero. In spite of the Fundins, Cravens and Collins etc. of this world, I always say that he is my favourite rider of all time. A great team man. His pairing with Ken McKinlay at West Ham was one of the best team pairings in speedway in my opinion. And who can forget the night he beat Briggo at West Ham!? Heat five on the 15th of July 1969. West Ham v. Swindon. That race lives in the memory of all West Ham supporters still. It was Briggo's only defeat of the night and not only that but three weeks later Briggo won the British Final at West Ham with a maximum 15 points.... I got to know Stan very well in later life - he even came to my 60th birthday party! He is such a modest man as well. He says he knew he was never going to be one of the greats but he just enjoyed riding and always tried to do his best for whatever team he was riding for. And he certainly did that. A wholehearted never give up trier.

I had a similar experience with trying to find Cradley. Back in 1965, I was a West Ham supporter at college in Norwich. (Incidentally why I was at Norwich is another story I might explain later!) West Ham were on track to pull off the treble, League, Cup and London Cup. If we won the away match at Cradley the League was ours. So I hired a car and got a few college friends to come with me and I drove from Norwich to Cradley. So there I was following the signposts to Cradley when I came to a T junction with absolutely no signs at all, so I took a guess and finished up in Halesowen. Fortunately there was a Tourist Office in the main car park in the town, so I went there to ask directions to Cradley. It was closed. So we got back in the car and just drove around a bit hoping to stumble on the right road. We eventually got to Cradley just in time. I found some of my West Ham friends and a good evening was had by all as we beat Cradley and won the League. Naturally, I started celebrating with the West Ham supporters and decided to travel back to London with them on the coach. Fortunately one of my Norwich friends could drive, so he said he would take the car back to Norwich. They told me afterwards that they took the car and slept in a lay-by as they didn't fancy the drive back that late at night. Meanwhile, when we got back to West Ham in the early hours, I still had a long way to go to get back home as we had just moved to Loughton and decided I would walk back to Hackney with a friend of mine, a distance of some five miles. About half way back we decided we needed a rest and went into an all night launderette for a quick nap. We eventually got back to my friend's house at about 7:00 a.m., where we had another quick nap. I then got the bus and tube up to Loughton, looked in at home (much to my parents' surprise!) and got the train back to Norwich, where I met up with my travelling companions from the day before, who said they were never going to go to another speedway meeting in their life if it meant having to drive half way across the country!

Not quite, but you could just before the War: Monday - Wimbledon; Tuesday - West Ham; Wednesday - New Cross; Thursday - Wembley; Friday - Hackney; Saturday - Harringay. No Hackney just after the War, though Walthamstow ran for a short time, but on a Thursday, same as Wembley.

I think Maurie Mattingly was a milkman as was Nobby Stock. I don't think we'd better go into what Split Waterman did in his spare time.....