norbold

Well yes, it's definitely a moot point what to call the 1947 & 48 finals. Certainly the 1948 final included one non-British rider, even if you include Australians and Canadians as British, and that was the American, Wilbur Lamoreaux. If he'd won, would he still be counted as a British champion? In some ways, I always feel that to lump them in with the British Finals undervalues them a bit as they were really the equivalent of the World Final at the time. However, I wouldn't die in a ditch over it!

The "stand-in" World Final in 1946 was called The British Speedway Riders' Speedway Championship, but in 1947 and 1948 it was simply called "The Speedway Riders' Championship", so technically not British Championships. Going right back to 1929, there was, of course, the British Section of the Star Riders' Championship, won by Roger Frogley, so I suppose that he could be called the first British Champion.

Er.............

Ove Fundin won the 1961 Internationale at Harringay. Sorry, Hunters.

Hunters, I don't wish to spoil your happy memories but Craven beat Ronnie Moore in the 1961 Internationale final at Harringay. Heat 13.

I saw him a few times in league matches and big events and would agree absolutely with Wessex Wanderer's view. It's exactly what I would have said.

Did you ever see him on television, Gem? If you did you will know why he was on radio!

Anyone know anything about Harolds Cross Park? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvYgfz53OMg

Rickardsson won the World Championship whilst an Ipswich rider.

Tomasz Gollob? Tony Rickardsson? Mark Loram? Savalas Clouting?

Yes, I did. :-)

I've just received this email from Ray Emslie: "There was a story in my family that my father, Leslie Emslie, once rode for the Rye House club. From what little information I have I would imagine the period to be in the late 1940s. I would be most grateful if you could shed any light on this possibility." Neither I nor John Chaplin nor John Hyam recognise the name. Can anyone here shed any light on Leslie Emslie? Incidentally, Ray says he was named after former New Cross and Harringay rider, Ray Duggan (Vic's brother), who was tragically killed in a racing accident in 1950.

He was signed up towards the end of May. Crystal Palace had their last match on 1st July. His two matches were English Trophy matches away at Norwich and then home to Hackney.

And there's more: http://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/B/Ed%20Flash%20Barker%202%20200.jpg His nickname Flash came from his resemblance to the comic book hero, Flash Gordon. He was also known as Blondie Gordon in the ring. http://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/Posters/1947%20Fri%206%20Jun%20Fleetwood.jpg He only rode twice for Crystal Palace scoring a grand total of three points!

Some years I ago I was given an autograph book which contained the signatures of Sprouts Elder, Tom Farndon, Lionel Van Praag, Wally Kilmister, Dick Case, Gus Kuhn, Alec Jackson, Vic Huxley, Alf Foulds, Buster Frogley, Bluey Wilkinson and Johnnie Hoskins (amongst others). It was given to me by an old college friend I hadn't seen in just under 40 years. We held a college reunion in 2005 and I met people there I hadn't seen since I left college in 1966. One, Andy Sawyer, came up to me and said he had a book he thought I might be interested in as he had seen some of my books in a bookshop near where he lived and knew I was interested in speedway. He then showed me this autograph book and said that it had been on sale at his school fete (he became a Primary School Headmaster) but had not been sold. The woman who brought it along took it back and said she was going to throw it away as no-one wanted it. Andy took it from her and said he knew someone who might be interested in it and that he would be seeing him soon at the reunion. So here he was showing me. He asked me how much I thought it was worth. I told him I wasn't sure but I'd guess about £75 to the right person. He thanked me and took it back after I'd drooled though it - sorry looked through it! At the end of the evening he came over to me and said, "Here, you take this book, it's no good to me." I reminded him that I thought it was worth some money but he wouldn't take anything for it, just saying, "You keep it. It means more to you than me." So I did. Afterwards I contacted a dealer in speedway memorabilia and told him about the book and he offered me £100 for it on the spot. But I said it wasn't for sale. I still have it today. Now, as if all that wasn't remarkable in itself. The other thing about this story is that Andy Sawyer was the very person who first came up with my norbold nickname, which I had revived a couple of years earlier especially for the BSF.

Very good, waihekeaces 1.You've got me going there. So here's a go at completing the decades... 1920s: Arthur, Huxley, Smythe, Lamont, Pearce, Parker (J), Frogley ®, Kempster, 1930s: Farndon, Wilkinson, Milne (J), Langton, Huxley, Van Praag, Milne ©, Parker (J). 1940s: Duggan (V), Parker (J), Price, Johnson, Kitchen, Chitty, Langton, Parker (N) 1950s: Young, Moore ®, Fundin, Briggs, Craven, Williams, Waterman, Lawson,

Yes, I considered Tai, but thought it's just a bit too early. Hopefully in years to come it will be as unthinkable to leave him out of a top 12 or top 10 or whatever as PC. But I just feel at the moment he needs to show that last year was not just a one-off. One other rider who just missed out was Arthur Forrest.

In rough chronological order I'll go for Tom Farndon, Jack Parker, Eric Langton, Tommy Price, Split Waterman, Freddie Williams, Brian Crutcher, Peter Craven, Nigel Boocock, Peter Collins, Michael Lee, Mark Loram. Reserve team: Roger Frogley, Arthur Atkinson, Frank Charles, Bill Kitchen, Ron How, Ken McKinlay, Ray Wilson, John Louis, Dave Jessup, Malcolm Simmons, Martin Ashby, Eric Boocock.

We also shouldn't overlook Frank Arthur. Probably the best rider in the world in 1928; overtaken by Vic Huxley in the following couple of seasons but should certainly be remembered as one of the greats.

Anyway my top seven would be: 1. Tom Farndon 2. Vic Huxley 3. Bluey Wilkinson 4. Eric Langton 5. Jack Milne 6. Jack Parker 7. Lionel Van Praag Not too far distant from gustix's original seven!

I agree, Rob, I think Lionel Van Praag has always been underrated. I think this is because many people feel he was lucky to win the first World Final in 1936 i) because it was held on his home track and ii) because Bluey Wilkinson actually went through the card unbeaten on the night only losing out to Van Praag because of the bonus points system. However, Van Praag's league averages 1936 - 1939 were: 9.45, 10.53, 10.50, 10.61, which can't be bad in anyone's book.

You didn't just refer to it though did you? Your implication was that waihekeaces1 was a bit stupid for not knowing about the Speedway Researcher website. Why could you have not just answered by saying, "The Speedway Researcher website"? That was all that was needed.

As my friend, Gustix, so rudely puts it, the best place to find the full results is the Speedway Researcher website: http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/ Ifyou just want a summary you could try: http://www.speedwaychampions.com/national-champions-dupl.php

He was robbed of his peak years through death - a bit of an extreme injury! Parker won in 1947 and Duggan in 1948. There was a War Time British Riders' Championship from 1940 - 1945, which Eric Chitty won on three occasions.Ron Clarke, Frank Varey and Bill Kitchen were the other winners. And then the Riders' Championship, later the British Riders' Championship, from 1946 - 1948. The other winner was Tommy Price in 1946.

Did you include the war time British Championship. If so, where does Eric Chitty feature?