norbold

What's that supposed to mean?

Updated weather report form Clacton just over 25 miles south of Ipswich, at 15:55 . Blue skies, sun shining, roads have dried up. Such a shame. Would have been a good night for speedway if they could have moved Foxhall a little bit south.....

Turned out nice again down here in Tendring. P.S. The sun is now shining, the birds are singing and all is right with the world...

Meanwhile just south of Suffolk in North Essex, we've had a bit of rain - not much - and it's stopped now. Edit: Ooops...it's just started again. Maybe they should call it off!

It's on the Ipswich Website that it's been postponed. Seems a bit premature though as the forecast is that the rain will clear by 4 p.m. I was actually planning to go tonight as well.....

More on Wilbur Lamoreaux:

I was replying to BL65's post not yours, which is why I quoted it.

Split (Squire Francis) Waterman

I thought you might have mentioned Squire Francis Waterman, Split!

Thanks for that, Chunky. Yes, the earliest record I had to hand was from 1952 but I assumed the three lap tradition must have gone back to when they re-opened after the War. It is interesting though that some races were four laps. I knew that pre-War, four laps had been the standard.

The tradition of running three laps at Rye House dated back at least to 1952 (probably earlier to the late 1940s) when it was just a training track. This was the original track which was 440 yards long. When the new track opened in 1958 it was only 325 yards but initially the races were still held over three laps. However, after just two weeks the traditional four lap races were instituted. The first four lap track record of 70.0 seconds was set up by Tommy Sweetman on on 17 August that year.

A 5-1 for Australia then.

How do you know? I thought you were boycotting it.

Will you please stop talking about it!

No I didn't….

But did he get away with it?

I wonder if Zagar has a club. Kelvin hasn't said.

Lebedevs? Well I never…

And I saw them win all three!

You'll be telling us next that Johnnie Hoskins didn't invent speedway either……

….and invented football.

Chelsea (Stamford Bridge) are still in the Premier League, though they are having a bit of a rough time this year!

Yes, you're quite right. Sorry. I was going from memory and had forgotten he was in our team. Sorry, Tommy!

My first race was on 11 May 1960. New Cross v. Norwich. Result: 1. Aub Lawson 2: Jimmy Gooch 3. Split Waterman 4. Harry Edwards. Neither any of the riders nor the teams still with us. Out of the 16 riders in that match, I think only two are still with us today, Ove Fundin and Reg Luckhurst (nos 4 & 11resepectively in the Oldest Surviving World Finalists list).