chunky

Doesn't matter whether the place was dark or not, Plough Lane was a superb racing track. My biggest regret is that I didn't see the 1980 England - USA Test Match (I was laid up with chickenpox), which is still regarded as one of the greatest meetings of all time. Oh, and Autrey won the Daily Express Spring Classic in 1978... Steve

I can see what's happening here; nostalgia appears to be taking over, and what people are doing is looking back at the way it used to be! Don't worry, I feel the same, which is why I will say Wimbledon, Hyde Rd, Hackney, and West Ham... Sure, they were good racing tracks, but we are also thinking back to the huge crowds and the atmosphere, the mugs of Bovril, and of course, the trips to the zoo and funfair at Belle Vue... Steve

It's that time again; 36 years ago today. R.I.P. Tommy. Steve

I had wondered about mentioning 'Zoomer', but he was a little before the time period mentioned. I think he rode for us in 1967, before making some appearances for Ipswich in 1969. Of course, others from the mid 60's include Ronnie Rolfe, Keith Whipp, Steve Chilman, and Geoff Hughes. Steve

I knew Mikey and his brother Keith, as they used to stand with us on the Pit Bend; we're still Facebook friends. Another one who stood with us was Keith Yorke. Steve

Oops...

Think you may be getting confused. Stan Stevens didn't ride for Swindon, and only rode one match for the Dons in 1972. He was best known for his spells at West Ham (1964-65, 1967-72), and rode for several other clubs on a short-term basis. Steve

I don't recall either from Plough Lane. Steve

That's right, Tony. Although all three picked up NL experience (Ray with Canterbury, and Dave and Phil with Exeter), Brewer was the one who looked most likely. Of course, we also had Jay Pleece who looked handy, but never really developed. Steve

Jim had been a regular in the side for many years. Gary Everett established himself at reserve in 1969, with Peter Murray as standby. Over the next few years, we experimented with Roland Duke, Rocky Coutts etc, as well as Rob Jones, who got shipped off to Canterbury almost immediately. The first real discovery of the 70's was Paul Dowdall, who famously beat Eric Boocock in a second-half race in 1974. In 1976, we tried Brendan Shilleto and Ian Williams, and the following year (I think), Brian Canning. I remember going to Ipswich (around 1981 or 82, perhaps) when we were short-handed, and had Graham Knowler and Alan Johns riding at 1 and 2! Peter Johns made a brief impression during the BL era before becoming a regular for a season or so in the NL. Moggo came to us in 1981, and then established himself with Crayford, although making a few appearances for us. I was at Kelvin's first meeting, and of course, once he got in, that was it! Steve

That's right, Robbie; I remember Steve Brooker at Plough Lane. Steve

I agree, and she looked really hot in An American Werewolf in London! Steve

For a small-track rider, Kennett could be very, very good on some of the bigger tracks. Thinking about it, however, he seemed to prefer the flatter tracks (White City, Swindon etc) rather than the big banked arenas, such as Belle Vue, Exeter, and Halifax. Just an observation... Steve

I agree that he is often overlooked, yet for a late starter in the sport, his achievements should put him up there with the very best. Steve

I agree 100%; I would certainly put Mort higher than all of those listed from 5-13. I'd also put Willy above Wyer, McMillan, Hunter, and Kilby. Steve

This is where it can get interesting! Overall, I would say that DJ was a better rider, as illustrated by six World Final appearances, with five Top 8 finishes. In 1980, it could certainly be said that he was the best rider in the World. However - and this may sound strange, I don't know - but as far as overall ability and trackcraft, I wouldn't put him in the same class as Kennett. Jessup relied more on gating and speed than most riders I've seen, and I honestly don't recall seeing him make the clever moves as displayed by Collins, Lee, Kennett, Simmons, Loram, Morton etc. Honestly, I have seen incredible trackcraft by Roger Johns, Barry Thomas, and many other "lesser" riders, riders who weren't actually in the same class as DJ. With regard to legitimate World Championship material, I would certainly put Les Collins up there with Gordon Kennett as unlikely. One World Final and one runner-up finish (I'm not old enough to comment on Wally Green!), although Kennett was much more of a superstar in league speedway. Steve

My mum started going to Plough Lane in 1950, and she used to tell me about doing the five-nights-a-week speedway, plus frequent trips out of town on a Saturday. Living in Carshalton, even Aldershot and California were pretty local. Still, even in the 80's, I was doing Crayford, Wimbledon, Hackney, and Rye on a fairly regular basis. Steve

You weren't the only one that felt that way. I was pretty devastated when I first heard, but it really turned out to be pretty good. Actually, my avatar is a picture of me at Hackney for the 1988 KOC Final. There was Russ Pittingale, but he wasn't blond... I was from Carshalton too, but I know we were pretty spread about. Mick the Gut lived at Rosehill, Gareth, Mini, etc lived at Pollards Hill. I don't know you from your name, but we probably knew each other, even if just in passing. I'm 49 now. Thinking about it, if you were at the Laurels in 1980, you may remember a Dons fan being carted off to St. George's after knocking himself out going down the steps? That was me... It is great to look back on this stuff, isn't it? Steve

Yeah, that's Steve Hickmott (worked for British Rail) you're talking about. Can't recall the names, but I'm sure I would have known Terry and Lee; certainly remember Jesus (used to hang out with Gareth, Bog-Brush, and Mini Cooper). Do you remember when Peter and Paul cycled to Belle Vue for the BLRC for charity? You should check out youtube, as there is one video which is a collection of photos of our supporters from back then. Oh, and you must remember Tiny? On the other hand, I was definitely a loony, although I only really became one in the mid-80's. I take it you were there the night he beat PC twice? DJ and Kai both left after 1983. We had solidity, certainly, but, Simmo, Davis, and Kennett were all past their best by that time, and as popular as Titman was, he averaged less than 6. Pity you didn't stick around after we went NL, as for me, they really were some of the best times at Plough Lane. Steve

Honestly, I feel that Eric has to be one of the most under-rated riders of all time. While I - like most others - would say that Nigel was better (largely because of World Final appearances and general performance at international level), Eric's brilliance and consistency in the BL was phenomenal. When you consider how strong the BL was in those days, keeping that kind of average for that period puts Eric up there with the VERY best (Mauger, Briggs,Olsen, Collins etc). Steve

Sorry, but I'm sure that 2a is not Cyril Roger; he never rode for the Hammers, and I don't think that the sport was stricken with a multitude of guests in those days. I do think that Sverre Harrfeldt is a good call, but I don't know about Colin Pratt. Steve

The only part of your post I agree with is the final sentence. I do believe that too much effort is spent on acquiring unknowns from overseas. However, while it is easy to blame it on the foreigners racing over here, but the only way to for a rider to reach a higher level is to compete against better competition, regardless of where they are from. If we closed our doors to foreigners, the overall standard here would drop, and British riders would not be able to attain the standard achieved by the Poles, Danes, Swedes etc, who would still be continuing to compete with each other. Unfortunately, kids today aren't attracted to the sport like they used to be; as I've said before, it doesn't seem "cool". Of course, there is also the expense. Going back forty or fifty years (here I go again!), a new rider could pick up decent used machinery at a reasonable cost, and could at least be competitive with that equipment. It doesn't work like that now. Steve

It's not just British tracks, but anywhere in the world. Charlie Biddle is the only one I've found so far. Although the track had a relatively short speedway history, it was during a period when fatalities were not uncommon, so it wouldn't surprise me if there were more. Having said that, I would have thought they would have surfaced by now. Steve

Think that Tony Clarke is a good call for his partner, and the Newport rider is Bob Hughes. Steve

O yes, the infamous "Rider Control"... Rather than imposing a points limit, and letting the teams sort themselves out, riders were not only forced out of teams where they had ridden for years, but even told them where they were going! Not sure when Rider Control actually ended (sometime in the mid-70's, I believe, but it did cause problems. There were some ridiculous decisions made, and many riders threatened to retire rather than be forced somewhere. One of the most controversial was when Tommy Roper was told that he was leaving Belle Vue for Newport, and Tommy threatened to retire. In the meantime, Chris Pusey broke his leg, and Tommy was allowed to stay. When Chris came back, Tommy moved to Oxford in place of Ronnie Genz, who went to Newport. Quite often, the situations were resolved by means of a triangular move like this. As sidney says, it was a merry-go-round with Martin Ashby and Bob Kilby, and I also remove the fuss when Reg Luckhurst was allocated to West Ham. Steve