tigerowl

Just read on the old time speedway message board that Henry is still alive. I think he was born in 1925 which would put him 6th or 7th on the list.

Wells was publicly blasted in the Speedway Star track review in the winter by the team manager due to his attitude and yet he was back in the side this year. If the stories are true I have no sympathy as the management only have themselves to blame. It is systemic of a once proud club that is slowly falling to bits.

My god, do we need some new riders. This team is worse than last year and that is saying something. Six new riders might just see us right.

But why use Knight in heat 12 and Koppe in heat 13. They had an interval after heat 12 anyway.

Some strange moves by the team manager tonight. The people I was stood with were all complaining about the way Koppe and Knight were used. Not sure if things were going on in the pits that we were unaware of but it did seem odd to give Jake five rides.

Had a big downpour in town about two ish but came through Hillsborough about 4:30 and it was dry. The sun is out now and it's looking good. I predict a close one tonight. If Joe and Damien ride like last week we could win but the key men for me are Schrammy and Jake Anderson. If they outscore our reserves, we could be in a spot of bother.

Hi, I am aware that some of you have bought the 1940s and 1950s editions of the Speedway A to Z series. The last disc came out about four years ago and I have had some e-mails recently wondering when the 1960s disc will be ready. It has been about ready for some weeks now but there has been a problem which i will not bore you with that prevents me from selling it and publishing. It has nothing to do with the speedway side at all but is more to do with issues at work. Anyway, in the absence of a disc, I have decided to upload all the information for free onto the website which is being redesigned at the moment. I will be uploading the format gradually over the next few days and will start uploading the rider profiles shortly afterwards. I am going to include the pre-war riders as well and there is scope to eventually have a profile for every rider to have ridden in a league or cup match in Britain since 1929. I hope this is OK for everyone but, at the moment, it is either the website or nothing I am afraid. I will post the 1960s riders as a priority and John Somerville has kindly given permission for me to use his photos. Please keep checking www.speedwayatoz.co.uk for updates. Any issues, please let me know. Matt

It didn't seem to me like Eddie was taking the mick at all last night. He missed the gate off the outside in Heat 1 and couldn't make up the ground. Missed it again in heat 5 but battled past Richard Hall, won heat 11 easily, finished second to Simon in heat 13 which is no disgrace and won heat 15 easily. He was never going to live up to that average but appeared to be giving 100 %.

Berwick weren't bad to be honest. Sheffield have looked awful in recent weeks but Steady was back and in top form and they just happened to meet the Tigers when Joe Haines and Damien Koppe hit form. Eddie Kennett made a slow start but looked good towards the end of the meeting, Aspregren rode well, Smith and Wethers were unlucky and rode much better than their scores suggest, Barrett had bike problems in his last two rides and Starke was well on the pace. The main disappointment was Bellego for me. I would echo DukesGreg with his praise of Koppe. I was convinced that he wasn't going to cut it in the Premier League but I take my hat off to him and if he proves me wrong I will be more than happy.

Ron James was a former Rye House junior. He made four appearances for Ipswich in the Southern League in 1952, Hope that helps.

Thanks for that - and he would have been number one on the list had he appeared in a World Final.

Good luck to the boys tonight. However, the Star quotes our team manager as having thought long and hard about moving Facu to number 5 as he will be alongside Richard Hall who is a great team rider. What a great idea. Except that Richard rides at number 4 and Facu lines up with the reserves in three races and Steady in his last race. Numbers 4 and 5 haven't ridden together since god knows when. Good grief...

With apologies for any riders on the list who are no longer with us I reckon the list would now read: 1. Cyril Roger - 91 - born 27.12.1921 2. Split Waterman - 89 (27.7.1923) 3. Danny Dunton - 89 (13.5.1924) 4. Arthur Payne - 88 (30.8.1924) 5. Dick Bradley - 88 (28.11.1924) 6. Fred Brand - 88 (3.2.1925) 7. Chum Taylor - 86 (4.4.1927) 8. Eric Boothroyd - 86 (26.4.1927) 9. Derick Close - 86 - (13.5.1927) 10. Geoff Mardon - 85 (24.11.1927) 11. Billy Bales - 84 (6.6.1929) 12. Olle Nygren - 83 (11.11.1929) 13. Rune Sormander - 83 (29.11.1929) 14. Jack Geran - 83 (10.12.1989) 15. Bryan Elliott - 83 (12.4.1930) 16. Ron Johnston - 82 (31.12.1930) 17. George White - 82 (24.5.1931) 18. Ian Williams - 81 (4..8.1931)

Just read the match report on the website and it states that the meeting was pulsating. Well, if half a dozen passes in 15 heats is pulsating then I am watching the wrong sport. Full credit to the Lions on a much deserved win and thanks to Olly Allen for 100% effort. If only the 'real' Sheffield team men had followed his example we might have got something out of it. I don't want to harp on about Ricky Wells - but - yes, he might be good on away tracks but we are spending £60 per month each of hard earned wages to watch him at home and he completely infuriates me. I don't care what he does away to be honest but I want to pay my money to watch someone give 100% effort and I don't think we are getting that. As for the rest, well, Richard does work hard, Joe hasn't got a clue if he misses the gate, Facu is great at following back wheels but rarely looks like making a pass (and punching the air when conceding a 4-2 against James Sarjeant and Robert Branford isn't going to change my mind), Jake is not ready for this level and Damien isn't going to be good enough. There are loads of grumbles about the team and loyalty to rides is all well and good, but it's time the fans were shown some loyalty. When we were crap in early 90s, we had good racing, now we are crap and the racing pretty much matches the results.

I have updated the site now with the amended results. Robert - thank you for sharing the file with us all. Matt

Phew, David Hoggard says it was just an off night. Thank goodness for that. I hereby retract my previous post as everything is clearly OK.

In the Star this week Neil Machin tips Ricky Wells to become one of the Premier League's class acts and that the crowd will love him now that he doesn't wear his Wolves kevlars. Well, good luck with that. We have a superb number one in Steady, and a second string who would have been in every combination that I would have put together in Joe Haines, and Richard would have made little difference to the end result. Albin looked lost, Koppe is trying too hard and I fear he is not good enough and I have no complaints with Jake but it is a step too far for him this year. However, there has been no change with Wells from last year. He might get a few points away from home but I pay my £15 at Owlerton to watch him ride with all the passion of a wet fish after watching him beat Elite League heat leaders on Sky. It is clear that his heart lies with Wolves and, after the efforts of last season and the comments of Nigel Hinchliffe in the track review in the Star during the winter, he would have been on none of my team building combinations. I agree with a chat I had with Squall's dad where he says we should have gone for Claus Vissing when he was available and Simon Lambert who have been the perfect reserve. Too late now, the mistakes have been made and I hope that there can be some changes before the fans drift away again.

www.speedwayreasearcher.org.uk 1965-74 results on line plus loads of results from 1928 onwards and expanding all the time.

It's a difficult one for the Pirates. He is clearly a fantastic speedway rider, potentially a world champion, but to keep him doesn't reflect well on the family traditions the sport needs to uphold. I'm always wary of believing 'quotes' in newspapers but the Poole management need to come out and do some damage limitation at least.

Charlie Monk was good though.

I have dreaded waking up and looking at this thread this winter!

This is great news. Another season of a rider who turns up with a miserable look on his face in his Wolves kevlars, trailing round behind opposition reserves if he misses the gate, not bothering to acknowledge the fans with a lap of honour if he does manage to win a race. Can't wait for the season to start.

Despite the poor team last year and possibly this, Neil Machin has a talent for keeping Sheffield Speedway open - promoting for over 20 years - often against the odds, He has also brought the league championship to Sheffield for the only time in their history and has outlived many promotions at other tracks (including Peterborough). He is without doubt the best promoter Sheffield speedway as ever had even though I don't agree with the current team building.

I'm not a 'Wells hater'. It's just that I pay my hard earned cash at the turnstiles and the least I expect in return is 100% effort from the members of the team I support. I know they are not world beaters and I know they won't win every week, but if I go home knowing that the riders have put the effort in there will be no complaints from me. Ricky Wells proved at times that he is a talented rider but he didn't appear all that bothered about being a Sheffield rider. He scored more points and had a higher average than Chris Schramm but there seemed to be a world of difference in attitude and application. This is what bothers me. As a result, Ricky Wells would be the last name on my line up if I was building the team, especially as he is doubling up with his beloved Wolves again this year. I would rather see a rider who wants to ride for the club as a priority, not an afterthought. I have been watching the Tigers since 1974 and can count on one hand the riders who didn't look interested and I don't want to pay my money to watch them go through the motions. Rant over, Sorry

How Ricky Wells can demand increased money after some of the tripe he served up last year is beyond me. It is also beyond me how the management have offered him any more than a conker and a blackbird's egg to ride for us. Turning up in his Wolves kevlars and trailing round last on the wrong end of a 5-1 after scoring double figures for the Wolves made my blood boil at times last year. Get rid and get someone in that wants to ride for the Tigers rather than someone who's loyalties were often elsewhere.