britmet

I don't recollect another rider, BUT at the same time, 1960, Canadian Jack Scott sang "What in the World's Come Over You" ino the UK hit parade.

Aussie John Woocock, seen in 1967 in Cradley colours, for whom he rode 3 matches. (He wore a blue shirt over his leathers, I recall.

In 1961 Jack Scott, on loan from his parent club Southampton, had been the phenomenon of the Prov’l Lge. with Plymouth Bulldogs, having invested in new equipment from a UK pools win after 2 struggling years at Banister Court. He scored 212 league point, second only to Ivor Brown with 213pts, (though he disappointed in the Harringay PLRC, - but was the only PL rider to get thru the NL rounds to the British Final of the World Chmpshp at Wembley. Quite a feat.) On such form he ought to have earlier reverted to the NL, but the SCB refused it, declaring S’ton, with new men Briggs and Knutsson, to be too strong. It cost S’ton the 1961 NL title ! With a NL place guaranteed, Scott failed to return to the UK in ’62. It was 1967 before he returned, despite attempts by everyone, every year, to sign him up, when, as current Aussie Champion, Cradley made a coup and lured him, - on a 2-year contract at that ! The preceding year Cradley had signed the new Aussie champ, Chum Taylor. Their need for a former NL heat-leader in the amalgamated British Lge had become obvious, and former World Finalist and WTC rider Chum was to be that man. But at 38 years old, the Coca-Cola Kid, (Chum’s employer, who’s logo he bore on his tank, and of whom he loyally would speak, -“Pepsi ? no comparison”,) disappointed, with an average of just 6.3 and had to take much criticism. That was to be his last year of UK league racing, I think. Undeterred, Cradley again signed the newly-crowned Aussie Champion, - Jack Scott. With visions of his 1961 performances still in mind, surely he would do better than last year’s champ, we all thought. Scottie flew in, and for the first month used Ken Wakefield’s Rotrax-Jap whilst his ESO was on the high seas, (the norm back then.) He did …? (well, - not too bad, ) “ But wait till his own bike arrives” we said. He proceeded to get some double figures, then had a couple of falls and blown motors, and in early June he walked out of a mtg. and wasn’t seen for a few weeks! Scott and his wife had been living in the Midlands near the track at Quarry Bank. She was getting homesick, we learnt: they went down South to familiar territory and put up with fellow Aussie Geoff Mudge and his wife. Two weeks later they were sailing back to Aussie, having sold his equipment to buy tickets home ! Chum Taylor was now lauded for his loyalty in staying the course through the season despite poorer than expected results, ( 34 appearances, ave. 6.3, c.f. Scott’s 16 appearnces, ave. 6.5,) and Jack Scott was never forgiven, – nor chased by any British promoter again. Notwithstanding, I’m sure all UK supporters who remember Jack wish him well thru the heart operation and trust he will revert to better health. (Any update ?)

Tough guy Ron Mountford in action, Nat.Lge v Prov.Lge W'ton 1963

I’ve not read the Boocok book, but have to defend Ivor Brown, Cradley’s most loyal rider from a time, 1961-1968, when it wasn’t all about money, - anything but: no sponsorship, etc then. Every rider who’s got to the top, - the Fundins, Maugers, Nielsens, etc - , didn’t do so by being nice guys, and all would become booed by everyone except there own fans, (and some of them as well, - e.g. Penhall at Cradley in ’81 !) Ivor Brown didn’t get to such elevated positions, but he did top the Prov’l Lge averages consistently, yet never had much success in big meetings, IMO because, as a team man, he gave of his best at every mtg, - there being nothing in reserve to be pulled out at Indiv’ls. So many other likenamed put their own success before their team’s. Come the formation of the BL in 1965 Ivor Brown didn’t feature so well, but then that horrific crash in the first days of the BL, in the Wimbledon Internationale of 1965, (see pics) when Fundin cut in front and took his front wheel from him resulting in a fractured lower spine and split nether region, would have seen any other 38yr old hang up his leathers. With the Heathens desperate, Ivor was back within weeks, though he shouldn’t have been. How he’d have fared in the merged BL otherwise we’ll never know. Yes, he was 34 when he came to Cradley in 1961: 41 when retiring, so with his experience he had trackcraft and guile and wasn’t readily intimidated on the track and could hold his own, though was very mild off it. Even Mauger, in “Triple Crown Plus”, though not liking him, acknowledges he had respect for Ivor, “for not taking the coward’s way and shutting off….. but duelling right up to the fence". As a white-liner, his trademark move was to forge thru on the line on the last bend, even when there didn’t seem to anyone to be the room, a manoeuvre which only the toughest could withstand. That’s probably why his track-craft surprised many, (incl’g Ron Mountford, tough guy recently discussed on this forum, seen captured by Alf Weedon thumping IB, when he clearly thought P.Lge. upstarts shouldn’t pull one over on N.Lge. heatleaders; -“NL v PL”, W’ton 1963. )

PROVINCIAL LGE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP, 1960 – Cradley Heath ! I was a teenage schoolboy at that first PLRC, and attended every one, i.e. ’60 to ’64, as well as the follow-on BLRCs at Belle Vue over the rest of the ‘60s decade. As rightly picked up, the first PLRC was indeed in 1960 at Cradley Heath. ! The league was ACU-SCB approved, 1959 having been the year of the ‘pirate’ mtgs, at Bradford, Liverpool and Cradley, as well as a student-union run mtg at Edinburgh Old Meadowbank, which may have been ACU-licensed. LOCATION: Cradley was chosen for this first PL championship for 2 reasons, (- neutrality didn’t arise, but see below,) i) it was a Saturday night track, ii) being in the Midlands, it was considered central, clubs that year ranging from Poole in the South to Edinburgh in the North. The fact that it was also pretty much a ‘fair’ track, at 367yds (when 320yds was considered a small track, and ‘large’ tracks then were over 400yds.) probably had some consideration. At the time that it would have been being considered, earlier in the season, viability of the new league would have been uncertain, so keeping riders travelling expenses down and optimising supporter attendance - to the Midlands; on a Saturday evening - , would have been paramount in the PSLPA’s mind. Stadium facilities would have been less important, (Cradley’s never progressed beyond those put in in1947. For the following year the Final went to the South, (London,) and in ’62 it went in turn to the North, to Manchester. This rotation about the country brought in track neutrality, Harringay club racing having finished in 1954, and Belle Vue being a National Lge track. Most importantly of all, the B.V. Zoological Gardens and fairground, together with their regular October firework displays made PLRC day, and subsequent BLRC days, a full day out for the whole family and ensured excellent support for many years: even non-speedway grandmothers were taken along ! RESULTS. So though not strictly ‘neutral’, Cradley in 1960 was still an even venue for all the riders that day! Local star Harry Bastable had returned mid-season from Nat’l Lge racing with amazing success to the track of his upbringing and was practically unbeatable around Dudley Wood. After the qualifying rounds in the South, (incl’g at non-lge Plymouth,) - Northern tracks had nominated their top scorers whilst a few others, Reg Reeves and Clive Featherby, were considered deserved ‘opt-ins’ to fill non-availabilities - , qualifier Bastable couldn’t get a return flight from Spain from a pre-booked end-of-season holiday. The field was open ! As we’ve heard, ex-Wembley Lion Trevor Redmond went thru thru card, Ken Middleditch beat Eric Hockaday in run-off for 2nd place, and Tony Robinson followed up with 11pts. In ’61 at Harringay TR looked to be set to repeat his success but a shed chain in ht 17 handed the trophy to another veteran, Reg Reeves. Maurie Mattingley, noted frame builder, was 3rd, also on 12pts.. These mtgs had been the conventional 16 rider/20 heat format of the World Championship, but in ’62 at Belle Vue, with the increasing size of the Prov’l Lge, a unique 24-rider/ 24-heats-plus-a-final format was operated. With just 4 rides each, the top 4 qualifiers, Craven, Featherby, Bagley and Silver were seeded not to meet in the heats, and the 4 top-scorers to meet in the final. Result: Silver, Briggs, Craven, Allott . (All family names with a speedway pedigree, siblings and descendents, these particular 4 being Len, Wayne, Brian and Guy respectively! - Qualifier Featherby was father Clive F. ) The 24/24 format was repeated in ’63, but reverted to 16riders/20hts for the last PLRC in 1964. The only ever-presents in the 5 PLRCs were Redmond (for Bristol, Wolves, Neath, St.Austell, Glasgow in turn) and Ivor Brown, (Yarmouth,-1960, and Cradley.) Winner in both '63 and '64 Finals was a certain PL newcomer, I. Mauger Having it’s genesis in unlicensed mtgs back in 1959, this final Prov'l Lge Riders Chmpshp was concluded without an ACU-SCB license, ’64 being the break-away year for the Provincal Lge., out of which rose the 18-team British Lge which ran successfully, later with a second division, right up until 1990.