tigerowl

It may well be true. There are results from the meeting on the Speedway Researcher website but there are gaps to fill and Norman doesn't appear in those results.

DH could be Derek Hobson who was a respected Sheffield based engine tuner in Arnie's day.

That wasn't really the point I was trying to make. I was trying to point out that most of society is good on the whole and there are a few rotten eggs that take a disproportionate amount of the headlines, and that is the same for speedway. I wasn't trying to make a point about equality in society. However, speedway is one of the few sports where women are able to compete on equal terms with men and I would hope that if gay men or prospective riders from minority ethnic groups were more prevalent, speedway crowds are largely decent people and would welcome them accordingly.

I've never met the lad and there can't be any on here who feel any sympathy at the sentence which is well derserved in my opinion, but he was an entertaining rider and a decent heat leader in the second tier. Speedway is just a reflection of society though. The huge majority of riders are dedicated hard working professionals from good families but there will always be the bad apples and speedway is littered with riders who have fallen foul of the law. I'm currently researching the pre war years for the speedway researcher website and it's amazing, even in the 1920s and 1930s how many riders appeared in court for stealing vehicles, breaking and entering etc. We've had murderers, safe breakers, drug smugglers, burglars, riders stealing bikes from other riders, all sorts. Some of these riders served their time and came back to the sport, others disappeared. Jason will be in his early 30s when he comes out and will be young enough to make a comeback, but I can't see any promoter taking a chance on him.

John Priest was 48 when he rode for Sheffield Prowlers at Ashfield in 2000 in the same team as his son, Luke. It was John's first league outing for over 20 years.

Wilf Jay made an appearance for Sheffield in 1964 against Long Eaton with his sons Alan and Derek in the same side.

I started watching in 1974 and Pogo was one of the riders I wished I had seen, along with Plechanov and the like. I feel very envious of you who saw him ride.

Renewed my subscription today. The staff at the Star have done an amazing job with the content during the pandemic and I cannot praise them enough.

The pandemic and lack of meetings has made me realise how much I have missed speedway and took it for granted. My enthusiasm has been fully rekindled.

My Tommy Miller profile with stats... MILLER, Thomas Ogilvie (Tommy) Born: February 22, 1924, High Blantyre, Scotland. Died: 1975 One of the greatest speedway riders Scotland has ever produced, Tommy Miller burst onto the speedway scene in 1950, having had a handful of second half rides at Glasgow at the end of the previous year. He had spent the winter in practice at the Bothwell Training Track and was given a place at reserve in the ‘Tigers’ team for the start of the new decade. After taking the early season regional cup competitions and challenge matches to settle into his new role, Tommy’s scoring suddenly took off and he recorded a string of sensational scores that made him the talk of speedway. He quickly became almost unbeatable around his home White City track and his average was only reduced by some lower scores on circuits that he had never seen before. His dominance around his home shale was demonstrated by him smashing Graham Warren’s track record in June and by recording an 18 point maximum for Scotland in a representative match against an unofficial England side which included the likes of the legendary Jack Parker and World finalist Louis Lawson. As with all overnight sensations, the acid test would be the second season and Tommy answered all those questions with a sensational run of scores which propelled him into third position in the league averages behind Jack Young, who became World Champion that year, and Young’s fellow Australian Bob Leverenz. He dropped just eight points in 16 league and cup matches around his home track and showed that the experience he had picked up on away tracks the previous year had been put to good use, as he lifted his average to a figure of ten and a half points per match. This season also saw Tommy make his debut on the international scene and, although he was a true Scot, his appearances came for England who drew upon Scottish and Welsh riders, despite not labelling the team as Great Britain. He won his first ride in the Union Jack body colour, beating the Australian pair of Warren and Arthur Payne on their home track at Birmingham, and went on to score nine points in one of the few bright spots in a heavy 16 point defeat. His best season came in 1952 when he dominated the Second Division, topping the league averages with a figure just short of eleven points per match, recording 22 maximums in 49 official fixtures and adding to his international tally with two further appearances against the Aussies. After another amazing season in 1953, Tommy was on the move in 1954 and many expected him to head south to join one of the First Division sides, with Belle Vue and Wimbledon both reported to be interested in securing the services of the brilliant Scot. However, Tommy elected to join Glasgow’s local rivals Motherwell and he formed a formidable spearhead at the Milton Street track with Derick Close. Whilst he had been a hero at Glasgow, Tommy was not as popular amongst the ‘Eagles’ fans and he failed to settle at his new home, riding in only nine official matches for the club before moving and joining up with the Coventry ‘Bees’. His first season at Brandon was a good one, recording almost ten points per match, but it was soon clear that his best days were behind him as his average slumped year on year, and a move to Oxford mid way through 1956 failed to reverse the slide. He appeared at the press and practice day at Cowley at the start of the 1957 season but soon packed up and returned home, ending the career of one of the finest riders of the decade. Tommy did not manage to reach a World Final and never rode in the top flight of British speedway, but the fact that he was chosen for the international side at a time when the selectors rarely looked beyond London or Manchester, let alone beyond Division One, demonstrates what a remarkable rider he was at the peak of a short, yet fantastic, career. Year Club Division M R P BP TP CMA FM PM 1950 Glasgow NL2 31 130 281 15 296 9.11 6 4 1951 Glasgow NL2 32 131 339 5 344 10.50 12 2 1952 Glasgow NL2 49 208 564 4 568 10.92 21 1 1953 Glasgow NL2 39 171 462 3 465 10.88 23 - 1954 Motherwell NL2 9 39 82 1 83 8.51 2 1 1954 Coventry NL2 10 40 97 2 99 9.90 2 - 1955 Coventry NL2 35 180 321 22 343 7.62 - 1 1956 Coventry NL2 17 78 118 15 133 6.82 1 - 1956 Oxford NL2 7 32 35 2 37 4.63 - - Individual Honours: Division Two Match Race Champion August 1951 to September 1951. International Honours: England international – 5 caps, 15 points.

PAJARI, Antti Born: August 27, 1932, Sippola, Finland. When Antti Pajari signed for Coventry at the start of the 1959 season he became the first Finn to race in league speedway in Britain. He was an accomplished performer on both shale and ice and had been involved in speedway for around nine years in Scandinavia, having to return to action after breaking both legs in an ice-speedway crash in 1952. By the latter part of the decade Antti was Finland’s top trackman and claimed three successive national speedway titles between 1956 and 1958. His reputation was excellent and he soon endeared himself to the Coventry fans with his own spectacular brand of riding, scoring ten, paid eleven, in his second league match against Norwich. Some of his form in the early part of the season was outstanding but he suffered a confidence sapping run of machine problems which reduced his average to below five points per match. He was struggling with the smaller and slicker British tracks and made it known that he would not be back for a second season at the end of the year. After leaving Brandon Antti’s standing in Scandinavian speedway dimmed somewhat and he never really reached the same heights domestically again, losing his place as Finland’s number one to the up and coming Timo Laine. Year Club Division M R P BP TP CMA FM PM 1959 Coventry NL 12 46 45 8 53 4.61 - - Individual Honours: Finnish Champion 1956, 1957, 1958. International Honours: Finnish international – 14 caps, 58 points.

PENNIKET, Geoffrey (Geoff) Born: May 22, 1936, Merton, London, England,* Geoff had a career spanning over a decade and was based mainly in the south of the country. He was an armchair stylist and often under rated but could regularly turn in some decent performances against some of the leading riders in the sport. He started out as a rider in 1960 at Rye House and Rayleigh with his league debut coming for the Essex side the following season. He was understandably inconsistent in his debut year but showed what he could do with a paid maximum at home to Middlesbrough in mid-season and an 11 point score at Newcastle towards the end of the term. After spending the majority of the 1962 season without a team place Geoff joined New Cross and, after the mid-term closure of the ‘Rangers’, had a spell at Long Eaton before finally settling at Newport in 1964. It was at Somerton Park that Geoff really made his name and he was a popular member of the side that won the Provincial League Knock-Out Cup in the club’s first season. He continued that popularity in the British League with the ‘Wasps’ in 1965 and rode at the top level of speedway for the first time. A maximum against Wimbledon proved that he was a respected performer and, although he never made an international appearance or got near to reaching a World Final, he was the kind of rider that opponents knew they had been in a race with and were glad to have beaten. After leaving South Wales at the end of the 1966 season, Geoff’s career went into a gradual slide until he dropped into the Second Division with Long Eaton in 1969. He proved to be a great asset in that division, initially for the Station Road club and then for Romford and Workington, showing the way to the younger element and supplying some first class scoring in the process. Geoff’s career was sadly brought to an end by serious arm injuries suffered in a crash at his home Derwent Park track on May 14, 1971. Year Club Division M R P BP TP CMA FM PM 1961 Rayleigh PL 12 37 40 5 45 4.86 - 1 1962 Plymouth PL 1 2 0 0 0 0.00 - - 1963 New Cross PL 19 72 82 11 93 5.17 - - 1963 Long Eaton PL 6 22 17 3 20 3.64 - - 1964 Newport PL 24 97 135 27 162 6.68 - - 1965 Newport BL 35 134 164 33 197 5.88 1 - 1966 Newport BL 37 154 186 23 209 5.43 - - 1967 Poole BL 38 129 120 31 151 4.68 - - 1968 King’s Lynn BL1 35 117 106 21 127 4.34 - - 1969 King’s Lynn BL1 1 2 0 0 0 0.00 - - 1969 Cradley Heath BL1 3 7 3 0 3 1.71 - - 1969 Long Eaton BL2 24 107 215 6 221 8.26 3 - 1970 Romford BL2 7 28 57 2 59 8.43 - - 1970 Workington BL2 28 119 195 20 215 7.23 1 1 1971 Workington BL2 7 27 26 2 28 4.15 - - Team Honours: Provincial League Knock-Out Cup winner 1964.

Thanks for all your input everyone. It's really appreciated.

I've not seen anything apart from the mention in the Homes of British Speedway (in the loft at home). I've looked though some of the on-line newspapers but haven't been able to find anything as yet.

Has anyone any details of the unofficial meeting? Any info greatly received.

I think there was something in the Homes of British Speedway but I've never seen any actual evidence.

Perfect, thank you Norbold.

I'm looking at doing a new file for the Researcher for Eastbourne 1928. I think there was a meeting held at Arlington in September but does anyone have the date or any details. Also, were there any subsequent meetings that year? Thanks for any help. Matt

Charlie New?

GEORGE, Anthony (Tony) Born: August 28, 1950, Bristol, Avon, England. The star pupil at the Weymouth Training School in the winter of 1967-68, Tony had no previous experience of motorcycling and immediately his progress attracted the attention of the British League clubs. At one stage Tony looked bound for West Ham but eventually signed for Exeter who loaned him to Plymouth in Division Two to gain much needed experience. In the early weeks of 1968 he hit paid double figures against Reading and Nelson and continued to impress throughout the year with some solid scores. A spectacular racer, Tony averaged over six points per meeting and complimented his experience with three outings for Exeter in the top flight. The links with the Exeter promotion who owned his contract meant that Tony was on the move to Romford in 1969 where Wally Mawdsley and Pete Lansdale were in charge, but the year was to be a catastrophe. It started solidly enough but he was to suffer a broken leg on his return to Plymouth and he was out right until the very end of the season. He was around the Romford scene again in 1970 but the injury had a real effect on his scores and he hardly featured at all for the ‘Bombers’. By the age of just 20 Tony’s career was sadly over. Year Club Division M R P BP TP CMA FM PM 1968 Plymouth BL2 19 75 98 17 115 6.13 - 1 1968 Exeter BL1 3 7 1 1 2 1.14 - - 1969 Romford BL2 7 27 37 3 40 5.93 - - 1970 Romford BL2 5 17 10 1 11 2.59 - -

Eric Boocock Richard Knight Andy Smith Larry Ross Jerzy Szczakiel

McNAUGHTON, Harold A Hastings based garage owner, Harold was a late starter to speedway and made his debut at the Sussex track in 1949 whilst in his late 30s. Despite this belated beginning, he wasted no time in making his mark on the sport, scoring eleven points from four rides on his second appearance for the ‘Saxons’ at home to Yarmouth, and recorded an average of over five and a half points per match in his debut season. This turned out to be the last season at the Pilot Field track and he moved along the south coast to Southampton in 1950 where he performed most creditably in Division Two. He was going so well in 1951 that, when Southampton pulled out of league racing in mid season, he was taken on by New Cross but found that the step up in class was too great and joined Ipswich for the start of 1952. Finishing as the second highest scorer behind Sid Clark, Harold had two productive years at Foxhall Heath and was due to continue his career in Suffolk in 1954. However, on the eve of the season Harold was forced to pull out of the side, reportedly due to a heart complaint and was not seen in the sport again. Year Club Division M R P BP TP CMA FM PM 1949 Hastings NL3 26 82 98 15 113 5.51 - - 1950 Southampton NL2 19 67 86 15 101 6.03 - - 1951 Southampton NL2 9 38 52 6 58 6.11 - - 1951 New Cross NL1 12 30 20 3 23 3.07 - - 1952 Ipswich SL 37 152 269 7 276 7.26 1 - 1953 Ipswich SL 28 108 164 24 188 6.96 1 1

1984 for me. I was 16 and went to watch a lot of Sheffield away meetings on the Supporters Club coach. The British League was pretty good that year and I went to places like Newcastle and Exeter for the first time. I was also doing a few after the meeting rides at the time and to be in the pits at the same time as the top riders was amazing.

Thank you for the update. I didn't realise Ray was still with us but I'm delighted that he is. Sorry for the typo with Derick Close, that is the correct spelling with one r and ick at the end 1. Arthur Payne 30.8.1924 2. Dick Bradley 28.11.1924 3. Chum Taylor, 4.4.1927 4. Eric Boothroyd, 26.4.1927 5. Derick Close, 13.5.1927 6. Ray Cresp, 25.8.1928 7. Billy Bales, 6.6.1929 8. Olle Nygren, 11.11.1929 9. Rune Sormander, 29.11.1929 10. Jack Geran, 10.12.1929 11. Ian Williams, 4.8.1931 12. Per Tage Svensson, 16.10.1931 13. Peo Soederman, 29.10.1932 14. Ove Fundin, 23.5.1933 15. Jim Lightfoot, 11.11.1933 16. Dan Forsberg, 25.3.1934 17. Josef Hofmeister, 25.6.1934 18. Brian Crutcher, 23.8.1934 19. Mike Broadbank, 25.9.1934