tigerowl

Having said that I felt depressed about reading this thread, I went to Leicester last night and really enjoyed it. It isn't what it was in the 1970s and 1980s but it can still be a nice night out.

I suppose Cardiff is the closest we get to that in this country now, but even that's not the same. I remember being at a BLRC at Hyde Road in the early 1980s stood on the back straight and it was so packed I couldn't get my arms up to fill in my programme, they were just pinned to my sides. I feel like the fabric of the sport in the UK is under threat now with tracks like Poole and Wolverhampton struggling in the post pandemic world. I don't think it will disappear completely here but might end up like it is in Germany with a bit of a league and some open meetings. I am sure we will never see the packed houses like the BLRC and British Final night at Coventry again.

This thread makes me feel so sad. I feel honoured to have watched the sport in the 1970s and 1980s but it's so depressing to feel that those glory days are well and truly over and it's never coming back. At least I've got all my speedway magazines right back to the 1930s and can read about it at my leisure, but it was a massive part of my childhood and teenage years and I sort of feel a sense of bereavement about speedway as it is today.

What was the Wolves average home crowd in 2019 out of interest?

Really enjoyed it tonight. Good crowd, full strength sides and some really decent racing for a first night, especially when some riders are getting back into the groove after so long out. I thought Wolves were unlucky. It was probably the right decision to exclude Douglas when Holder came down in Heat 7, but I've seen them go the other way plenty of times and Bates couldn't really get off the track when he crashed. Wolves would have probably had a 5-1 there which might have changed things. I was really impressed with Luke Becker. He looks the next USA Grand Prix rider to me and after taking one heat to get used to the track, he was excellent. The rest were solid with Morris being the pick of the bunch, but not enough heat winners cost the Wolves. The lockdown has made be realise how much I like the sport and I think I took it for granted before. It was great to be back.

Mine arrived at 4:15 a.m. A satisfying sound of it dropping on the doormat stirred me from my slumber and I turned over for another four hours in bed. Much better then waiting until the postwoman arrives just as the sun is going down, or even worse, having to wait several days while the Royal Mail decide to deliver it. I would also echo the earlier comments of bellevueace re the content. Absolutely outstanding this past year, great content and always an interesting and informative read.

Great to see third tier speedway back in the north. Much needed chances for lads like the Millars and George Rothery and great to see George in double figures. Scottish speedway has a great tradition for producing some amazing speedway talent and it would be great to see that starting to trickle through again.

Sad to hear this. Rod was in the first meeting I ever saw in 1974.

Hi, I produced the discs with Hugh Vass (stats) and John Somerville (photos). A few years ago there was an issue at work which prevented me from continuing with the discs and I started the website. However, there were some software problems that I couldn't resolve and I got so busy with other things the domain name expired a few years ago. The 1960s disc was just about done but will need tweaking to bring the biographical info up to date. I have checked with John Somerville re the photos and he has very kindly agreed, and I am happy to send out the 1960s document as a PDF to anyone who wants it. If you want to send me a message or email on mattjackson68@btinternet.com I will sort it out. I'll need a couple of days to check the biographies though.

Fred passed away in 2016 sadly.

Sorry to see Olle Nygren depart from this illustrious club. I'm not sure about the dates of birth of Olle Andersson and Ulf Ericsson, or if they are still with us but I think they were born about 1933. This is the oldest 20 World Finalists with the two Swedes included. Arthur Payne 30/08/1924 Dick Bradley 28/11/1924 Chum Taylor 04/04/1927 Eric Boothroyd 26/04/1927 Derick Close 13/05/1927 Ray Cresp 25/08/1928 Billy Bales 06/06/1929 Jack Geran 10/12/1929 Ian Williams 04/08/1931 Per Tage Svensson 16/10/1931 Peo Soederman 29/10/1932 Olle Andersson 1933 Ulf Ericsson 1933 Ove Fundin 23/05/1933 Jim Lightfoot 11/11/1933 Dan Forsberg 25/03/1934 Josef Hofmeister 17/06/1934 Brian Crutcher 23/08/1934 Mike Broadbank 25/09/1934 Barry Briggs 30/12/1934

RIP Olle. NYGREN, Harald-Olof Ingemar (Olle) Born: November 11, 1929, Stockholm, Sweden. The success of Sweden as a speedway nation was one of the stories of the 1950s, as the country emerged as the main power in the sport. Riders like Fundin, Sormander, Soederman and Knutsson dominated the headlines along with a rider who was the pioneer of this transition, Olle Nygren. A fantastic all round motor cyclist who excelled at any two wheeled discipline, Olle came to the attention of the British public in 1949 when he showed impressive form in the World Championship rounds held in the U.K. and almost reached the final qualifying stages of the competition. He was a much sought after rider with the British promoters and, in 1951, became the first Swede to race in the National League when he signed a short term contract with the Harringay ‘Racers’. For fans brought up on a diet of British and Commonwealth riders, with the occasional American thrown in, the arrival of Olle was like a breath of fresh air and his appearances showed that a new force in speedway was developing across the North Sea. He ended his eleven match stint with the ‘Racers’ with a paid 18 point maximum against Norwich in the National Trophy, and an average approaching nine points per match was a brilliant effort. His next appearances in the National League came with Bristol in 1953, showing sensational form in the West Country, and his average at the end of the season was the second highest in the league, with only Ronnie Moore achieving better figures. Despite his undoubted position as the number one rider in Sweden, the honour of being the first Swedish World finalist fell to Dan Forsberg, but Olle reached his first final in 1953 and lost a run-off with Geoff Mardon for a place on the rostrum, finishing fourth with twelve points. He covered for the injured Ronnie Moore at Wimbledon in 1954, but for the next few years British fans had to be content with seeing Olle ride in World Championship and international events as he refused numerous approaches from league clubs. He was not a rider to give speedway his full attention as he competed in other forms of motorcycle sport, even missing the 1956 World Final to compete in a T.T. event in Sweden, but he was so talented that he could still live with the best in the sport and was a consistent threat in World Championship finals. His best effort came in 1954 when he finished third but, surprisingly, he did not reach another final after his appearance in the 1959 event at Wembley. A notable 1960 season saw Olle return to league racing with Southampton and he scored a maximum as the Swedes won the inaugural World Team Cup at Gothenburg. Eventually, past his peak and well into his 30s, Olle became a regular in league action in the U.K., initially with Norwich, but more memorably with Wimbledon. Joining the ‘Dons’ in 1965 for the first season of the British League, Olle was immediately a hero at Plough Lane, topping the ‘Dons’ averages and proving himself to be amongst the top ten in the league. He had four glorious years with the ‘Dons’ and, when he led the club to a knock-out cup triumph in 1968, it was the first trophy the fans had seen since the glory days of the early part of the decade. Nearing 40, Olle joined West Ham but his enthusiasm and point scoring capabilities showed little sign of decreasing for a number of years. He finally called it a day in 1975 after a spell at King’s Lynn and his long and illustrious career was at an end. The development of Sweden as the major power in speedway would have probably happened without Olle, but he was the leader of the revolution and their transition from also ran to World Champions would have taken a lot longer without his influence. Had he followed the path of Ove Fundin and had a complete dedication to speedway, combined with regular league rides in Britain at the pinnacle of his career, Olle could well have become World Champion. Year Club Division M R P BP TP CMA FM PM 1951 Harringay NL1 11 45 91 9 100 8.89 1 1 1953 Bristol NL1 11 50 128 6 134 10.72 2 2 1954 Wimbledon NL1 7 31 57 5 62 8.00 - - 1960 Southampton NL 12 60 134 7 141 9.40 - 1 1962 Swindon NL 2 8 19 1 20 10.00 - - 1962 Norwich NL 5 20 46 3 49 9.80 1 - 1963 Norwich NL 27 118 251 9 260 8.81 1 3 1964 Norwich NL 14 62 128.5 4 132.5 8.55 - - 1965 Wimbledon BL 37 157 386 15 401 10.22 8 2 1966 Wimbledon BL 41 182 463 10 473 10.40 13 2 1967 Wimbledon BL 36 158 367 9 376 9.52 7 1 1968 Wimbledon BL1 40 180 408 11 419 9.31 9 - 1969 West Ham BL1 21 94 180 6 186 7.91 2 - 1970 West Ham BL1 34 150 332 19 351 9.36 1 1 1971 West Ham BL1 36 170 333 13 346 8.14 1 1 1972 Ipswich BL1 36 144 262 18 280 7.78 2 1 1973 Ipswich BL1 35 128 171 17 188 5.88 - 1 1974 Ipswich BL1 26 97 120 30 150 6.19 - - 1974 Coventry BL1 9 33 28 13 41 4.97 - - 1975 King’s Lynn BL 9 32 27 11 38 4.75 - - Individual Honours: World finalist 1953 (4th), 1954 (3rd), 1955 (8th), 1958 (7th), 1959 (4th), Swedish Champion 1949. International Honours: World Team Cup winner 1960, World Team Cup finalist 1968, Swedish international – 90 caps, 798 points. Team Honours: National Trophy winner 1963, British League Division One Knock-Out Cup winner 1968.

Roy started out at Caerphilly in 1932 and had second halves at Cardiff before making his debut in 1936. He died around 1973 I believe.

Full meeting details on Speedway Researcher site http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1968record.pdf

Mine was Sheffield v Hull 15 August 1974 Sheffield - 5 of the 7 are still with us - Bob Valentine, Reg Wilson, Doug Wyer, Craig Pendlebury and Rod Haynes. Bob Paulson and Arnie Haley have passed away. Hull - I think all 7 are still alive - Jim McMillan, Bobby Beaton, Tommy Roper, John Harrhy (guest), Robbie Gardner, Mitch Graham and Tom Owen

Andy Milne was from Musselburgh, Scotland. I can be sure he was born there but I am almost certain he was Scottish.

NORDIN, Göte Born: July 2, 1935, Falun, Sweden. A Swedish speedway legend and one of the best riders in the world never to win the World Championship, ‘Gentleman’ Göte Nordin was a complete stylist and was much respected by fans throughout the U.K. He had started his career with the famous Gentingarna club in the mid-1950s and quickly progressed to the international side, making his debut for his country in October, 1955 against Poland at Stockholm. It was not until the early part of the 1960s that he became an automatic choice for his country and he made his league bow in Britain in 1960, joining Belle Vue and averaging over six points per match in the National League for the ‘Aces’. He hit the big time the following year - despite riding just one match for the ‘Aces’ - as he qualified for his first World final – the first ever to be held outside its traditional home of Wembley. The final took place at Malmö and Göte crowned a superb night for the host nation as he finished third behind the champion, Ove Fundin and runner-up Bjorn Knutsson. He was now firmly established as one of the top riders in the world but rarely appeared in league racing in Britain as he preferred to concentrate on domestic speedway in Sweden and the lucrative continental scene. Further World final appearances followed in 1962 and 1963 and he was part of the Swedish World Team Cup side that dominated the competition in the early part of the decade. Finally, in 1964, Göte was tempted to ride a full league season in the U.K., joining Wimbledon as the ‘Dons’ looked to fill the gap left by the retirement of Ronnie Moore. He had a superb season at Plough Lane, averaging 10.33 points per match and finishing second in the league figures behind Barry Briggs. The non-resident Swedes were frozen out of the newly formed British League in 1965 but Göte was back the following year for what was probably his most memorable season in the U.K., riding for the Newport ‘Wasps’ at Somerton Park. He was absolutely magnificent that year as he proved to be almost unbeatable at home and regularly chalked up double figures on away tracks, boosting his average to almost ten and a half points per match and drawing in the crowds wherever he rode. His beautiful style and impeccable fairness won him the deserved ‘Gentleman’ tag and the next team to benefit from his point scoring abilities was Poole, for whom he again turned in an excellent season. By this time Göte had reached his mid-30s and his chance of the World title had passed, with the 1967 campaign at Poole being his last as a full-time British League rider as he quit the ‘Pirates’ after just one match in 1968 to take over the running of the JAWA franchise in his home country. Over the next few years Göte faded from the international scene somewhat and became a man that British clubs would turn to when they needed an experienced and accomplished rider to get them out of an injury crisis with short spells at Coventry, Wembley, and finally Halifax in 1972 where he replaced the broken leg victim, Dave Younghusband. His last appearance for Sweden came in the World Team Cup final at Olching that year and soon afterwards the curtain was brought down on the career of one of the finest and most popular Swedes ever to have graced the sport. Year Club Division M R P BP TP CMA FM PM 1960 Belle Vue NL 15 69 91 18 109 6.32 - - 1961 Belle Vue NL 1 5 7 0 7 5.60 - - 1962 Norwich NL 2 9 26 0 26 11.56 1 - 1964 Wimbledon NL 14 60 154 1 155 10.33 4 - 1966 Newport BL 32 146 367 14 381 10.44 10 3 1967 Poole BL 34 147 356 11 367 9.99 8 - 1968 Poole BL1 1 4 11 1 12 12.00 - 1 1969 Coventry BL1 3 13 25 3 28 8.62 - - 1971 Wembley BL1 11 46 101 3 104 9.04 - - 1972 Halifax BL1 12 51 97 7 104 8.16 - - Individual Honours: World Finalist 1961 (3rd), 1962 (8th), 1963 (5th), 1966 (6th), Swedish Champion 1965, 1971. International Honours: World Team Cup winner 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967, World Team Cup finalist 1965, 1966, 1972, Swedish international 45 caps, 379 points.

I can only speak for myself, but my enthusiasm for speedway has been restored in the past year. I've been watching since 1974 and had become disillusioned in recent years. I have kept taking the Star (fantastic work Mr. Rising), but my visits to the track had dwindled. I've now realised how much I've missed the sport and will be going more regularly as soon as I am able.

Well, I'm relatively confident of a gradual return to normality over the course of next year. I think there may have to be elements of social distancing and mask wearing indoors in certain situations until the end of the summer, but even the pessimistic Chris Whitty who predicted no vaccine until the middle of next year (if ever), thinks there will be a gradual relaxation from the spring. There will be elements of society who won't come out from hiding behind their settees but if that's how they want to live their lives, it's up to them. From what I saw at Scunthorpe this year, there is still a large enthusiasm for speedway, even in the older end of the population and I woudn't be surprised if all elements of social activity, including speedway, saw something of a resurgence.

I don't think the length of the immunity has been established yet.

Really? I think it's great news that one vaccine is already here and hopes are high that the Oxford one will be approved before the new year. The NHS managed to vaccinate all the over-65s who wanted the flu jab inside a couple of months and the roll out for the vaccine will be massive. We don't need the whole population to be vaccinated before life returns to something like normal, just the most vulnerable who have to go to hospital and who are at the most risk from dying. The prospects are good for this by Easter and I think that outdoors events will be ok for the spring and summer months.

Next to the Bassets Licorice Allsorts factory, and a bakery.

I've not heard of any more riders passing that featured in the April update.

I've had the pleasure of seeing it after the film maker got in touch with the Speedway Researcher. It's well worth watching and would highly recommend it.

That would be brilliant. I am best contactable through the link on the Researcher site (Matt).