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Even though none of the three fulfilled their potential, I would put Nicholls as the best of the bunch, followed by Harris. Realistically, Nicholls would be the only one who I would even consider including in a list of the Top 30 British riders, not that I've thought about it that much... Steve

Think you're being a little harsh on Doncaster; a regular 9-point man in a strong BL, and a World Championship bronze medalist... Steve

I came very close to mentioning Maido, but didn't want to appear too biased (although his best years were at Hyde Rd, of course) and Mountford. Good call with Forrest too, and to confirm, White Knight, he was the 'Black Prince'. Another few who haven't (I don't think, anyway) been discussed include the Grahame brothers, Jim Lightfoot, Chris Pusey, Tony Davey, George Hunter, Alan Hunt, and Jimmy Gooch. Others who merit inclusion here are Roy Trigg, Steve Bastable, Eric Boothroyd, Howard Cole, Dick Bradley, and Ronnie Genz. And yes, sidney, Bill Kitchen. Steve

Good call! Let's not forget Donkey either. Others worth a mention include Mike Broadbank, Brian Brett, Les Collins, Dick Fisher, and of course, Split Waterman. This is what scares me; look at all the names we can rattle off with ease, yet how many modern era (post-1990) merit inclusion? Steve

I think it boils down simply to home track advantage. While this still obviously applies to a degree, in those days, riders weren't riding in different countries on a regular basis. The Poles couldn't master British tracks, and vice versa. Sweden, I feel, relied more on team strength than home advantage, but it was still noticeable. Steve Louis, Boocock, and Kennett definitely. While the others mentioned were very capable, I would put a number of other British riders above them, including Tatum, McMillan, How, Hedge, McKinlay, Davis, Crutcher, and Norman Hunter. Steve

For me, I would have to include - in no particular order - Lee, Farndon, Collins, and Craven. The fifth spot? Either Jack Parker or Nigel Boocock,. Steve

We say exactly the same about darts; we're not not getting the youngsters we used to, because everyone wants to sit at home. Your last sentence says it all. Remember when you were young, and what it used to be like Christmas morning? All the kids were OUTSIDE playing with their prezzies, like bikes, skates, footballs etc. Strange thing is, we are now better set up to produce riders, with the lowering of the legal racing age. Of course, that is negated by the fact that speedway is no longer "cool". Kids have absolutely no interest in speedway,either as as spectator or as a participant. Why that is, I really don't know, but it makes me very sad. Steve

Ummm, I don't think so; would have been a little young, I fear... Steve

As compost said, Charlie Monk was BL in 65; the last year of the Provincial League was 1964. Steve

Quite agree. Makes you wonder what would have happened had he not had that layoff. and AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH! Please don't get this one going again!!!!!! Where's sidney??? Steve

Quite a well-known figure in British speedway, Bob. Had a pretty lengthy career in the lower leagues, with some odd appearances in the EL. I do recall one live EL match where Buzz (real name Mark) was guesting, and Millard didn't have a clue who he was, even though he'd already been around a while. One of the most exciting riders you'll ever see, and had quite a cult following during his spell at Plough Lane. A true crowd-pleaser. Steve

As far as Kennett, he certainly could ride the biggies pretty well for a small-track rider. I do remember him scoring a 21-point maximum at Swindon, which is better than "decent" I would say! Comparing Bast to Penhall and others is not as easy as it sounds. Obviously a small-track expert, and a very accomplished motorcyclist, I'm still not sure whether he would have had the same impact. He never had the same ambition and drive as many of his compatriots, so it is difficult to judge. The fact that he preferred to be a "big fish in a small pond" indicated that money (and the Californian lifestyle) was more important to him than the desire to prove himself internationally. I think that he was remarkably comfortable with his success and reputation in his own back yard, and didn't feel that he needed to prove anything to the rest of the world, or more importantly, to himself. Steve

It's pretty much the same with darts. There are so many more events these days, and while the rewards may be there, so too are the expenses. It's okay if you actually win, and it's okay for the top few, but for the others who need to travel in order to qualify for the majors, it's very very difficult. If it's that hard for European-based players, you can imagine how hard it is for Americans or Australians, say. Of course, this is not far off what has happened for some of the GP riders, even going back to Billy Hamill. Then, there was also the ill-fated attempt at running the old World Team Cup on a similar basis! Steve

I'm not saying that either. What I'm querying is why he would open up snooker to more qualifiers, but then do the total opposite with darts; the PDC was never intended to be a closed shop... Steve

That's all well and good, but what I'm saying is that the PDC runs very differently. Even though there are now a total of 128 tour cards, it's basically a closed shop, with all the players that Barry Hearn wants. Steve

That sounds very strange, particularly in light of his ideas as far as darts is concerned. The PDC is now more of a closed shop than it has ever been, and it is clear that certain individuals are very much favoured over others... Steve

But he didn't.though... Thing is, actually "changing nationality" is a different matter. If an individual emigrates or perhaps chooses nationality according to parentage etc (Ronnie Moore, Mitch Shirra, Tadeusz Teodorowicz etc), it shouldn't be a problem. Even from my understanding of the Rune Holta situation, I don't have a problem. I myself emigrated 19 years ago. Although still a British citizen, I represent the United States in international competition. However, I live here, I own property here, and I pay taxes here; that is sufficient. I also had to wait for a period of time to become eligible. I do not agree that a simple change of licence should be enough, and certainly not for immediate consideration (Marvyn Cox, Andy Smith etc). Steve

I have no problem with the host nation being allocated at least one place in each GP, and I had no problem with them receiving allocations in the old days. The same as the host nation receiving automatic entry into the World Cup finals. What I had an issue with as far as the World Finals was that the number of allocations changed constantly. Six places was too many; one or two would be too few. However, the fact is that the riders were not generally "seeded" into the World Final according to "commercial value". It was left to each nation to decide their qualfiers, and both the British and Swedish qualfiers came from "open" qualifying rounds. Only the Poles decided on simple selection. There is - and always has been - a case for including defending champions. That is still different from hand-picking a number of individuals based on the aforementioned "commercial value". That was simply a commercial excercise, most of the Poles were of a standard no wher near good enough to merit seeding. It was recognised that a World Final without Craven, Briggo or Moore as defending champions was less of a commercial puller, hence they were given places. I do not disagree, but the same applies to most sports. I do not agree with the modern concept of, "I'm not good enough to qualify via my own nation, so I'll take out a foreign licence and get in like that!" Steve

Sorry, I don't agree at all. While it is a business - and unfortunately, I think that this has ruined many sports - why do we even have any kind of qualification system, then? I'm not just talking about speedway either. Yeah, let's just make a new Premier League, and kick out all the unfashionables like Wigan, Stoke, and whoever? First and foremost, sport - all sport - is about performance and achievement, and championships should not be hand-picked. I don't have a problem with one or two wild cards, particularly (as in the case of Sayfutdinov) if someone was "robbed" of their rightful place due to injury, but nobody should be able to say, "We don't want you, but we want him" and get away with it. Steve

Yep, got that one also. I believe Garry actually started at King's Lynn in 1967, before switching to Belle Vue and then Wimbledon. He then rode a handful of matches for Newcastle in early '69 before his career really took off at Hackney. Steve

Thanks for a fascinating post, Philip. I remember talking to Dave Lanning about him some 10-12 years ago, and even Dave wasn't sure about the rumours. He did admit though, that he was a very difficult man to deal with business-wise. My favourite Speedway Star cover pic is that B&W one from 1969, with Garry leading Clive Hitch. To me, that photo is what real speedway is all about! Steve

Briggo's record in the Silver Sash : 1966 - 13 times. Beat Arne Pander. Retained against John Dews, Reg Luckhurst, Brian Brett, Ivor Hughes, Sverre Harrfeldt, Arne Pander, Ray Wilson, Doug Templeton. Lost to Olle Nygren. Beat Olle Nygren. Retained against Ray Wilson, Terry Betts. Lost to Eric Boocock. Beat Peter Vandenberg. (spent winter as holder). 1967 - 25 times. Retained against Eric Boocock, Trevor Hedge, Hasse Holmqvist, Sverre Harrfeldt, Olle Nygren, Gote Nordin, Nigel Boocock, Arne Pander. Lost to Ray Wilson. Beat Malcolm Simmons. Retained against Charlie Monk (by default), Nigel Boocock, Jim Airey, David Crane, Alan Jay, John Hart, Reidar Eide, Wayne Briggs, Bengt Jansson, Cyril Maidment, Jon Erskine, Wayne Briggs, Charlie Monk, Allan Butterfield, Norman Hunter, Terry Betts. (spent winter as holder). 1968 - 6 times. Retained against Eric Boocock, Ronnie Genz, Nigel Boocock, Dave Younghusband. Lost to Bengt Jansson. Beat Reidar Eide. Retained against Ivan Mauger. (spent winter as holder). 1969 - 2 times. Lost to Eric Boocock. Beat James Bond. Retained against Chris Bass. Lost to John Boulger (by default). Barry Briggs was Silver Sash Champion on 46 occasions, and spent three winters as holder. Steve

I've never complained about them; I was merely responding to a couple of posts. Were I going to Cardiff, I would probably do something like that if I found hotels too expensive, although I don't know the Cardiff area - or public transportation system - the same as I do London. Steve

You know, if it's a choice between spending silly money to stay within a 10-minute walk, or having to sit on a train for 45 minutes in order to save 50 or 60 quid, I know what I'm doing... Steve

So, what about all the hotels I've just searched for that are well under a hundred notes? That includes a number in the Heathrow area. Steve