norbold

What Hackney heritage at the site? The Olympic Stadium is not where Hackney used to ride.

Coventry: John Deeley, P Elwell, Wilmot Evans, TOM FARNDON, 'Dilly' Gittins, Lew Lancaster, Cyril Lord, Stan Mauger, Norman Parker, Bert Perrigo, George Povey, Arthur Saunders, Arthur Sheene, Bill Stanley, Arthur 'Tiny' Tims, 'Bunny' Wilcox, Fred Wilkinson. Jack Parker was their 'Star' rider. Hall Green: George Allbrook, Tommy Cross, Joe Dallison, Jimmy Gent, Arthur Johnson,Cyril Locke, Les Patrick, Arthur Sherlock, Bill Stanley, Cyril Taft, Harry Taft, Arthur Westwood, 'Bunny' Wilcox, Nev Wheeler Perry Barr: Ivan Anslow, Bill Ashcroft, George Britt, Joe Dallison, Joe Hassell, Arthur Johnson, Johnny Lloyd, Wally Lloyd, Cyril Locke, Tim Reid, Geoff Siddaway Southampton: Cecil Barrow, Frank Bond, Cecil Bounds, Reg Bounds, Vic Collins, Tommy Cullis, Don Durant, Clarrie Eldridge, Jimmy Hayes, Eric Lister, Ernie Rickman, Col Stewart, Albert Wakerley.

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Harringay were Canaries, Tigers, Racers New Cross were Lambs, Tamers, Rangers

What John meant was that the trophy awarded to Oxford was an imposter. Thanks for the info and pics, speedwayondisc, that's brilliant.

I presume it's the REAL original National Trophy and not the one given to Oxford in 1964, which was the pre-War World Championship Trophy.

If you'd ever read that brilliant book, "Speedway in the South East", you'd see that Rochester is mentioned as a Kent league speedway team. By the way, did you know there was speedway at Rochester in 1931 and 32 as well? though not in any league.

Latest from John: "Let's get this straight. There were never two National Trophies - only one, the Daily Mail one. "I believe that there was a rather deep plinth on the original World Championship trophy, which would have contained the names of the pre-war winners. I have inspected it at a British Championship event, and the original plinth is not there, so no original names, though all the other markings on the upper trophy remain. "The trouble with the BSPA is that they do not seem to have any sense of history. Not only that, they don't seem to care at all."

Another email from John: "The Daily Mail National Trophy IS valued at £30,000. I had it in my hand and the security man was on my elbow. I was told by Lord Rothermere himself so have no reason to doubt it. "The so-called 'national trophy' given to Oxford in 1964 was not the National Trophy at all but a 'league championship' trophy. It was/is in fact the original 1936 World Championship trophy of which both Jack Milne and Bluey Wilkinson were given a replica (I have seen them both) and I remember Jack was very put out because he didn't get the full sized trophy. Now that trophy is given as the British Championship trophy which, in my opinion, is sacrilege. If you like I can put pictures up of the 1936 and 1938 presentations - if I knew how to do it."

I've just received this email from John Chaplin: "The Daily Mail still has the original National Trophy. I managed to persuade them to bring it out when I made the first of the History Of Speedway videos. We filmed in the Mail buiding and a security man was always within arms length because they told me the trophy is worth £30,000. Then I almost got it on loan for the Barry Briggs museum at Doningto Park, but the plug was pulled on that as you know, so I never got it. I have continually tried to ask where the original trophies are. You may know that the one they foist on us as the British Championship trophy is actually the orginal World Championship trophy."

Yes, I think I was probably thinking more of 1960 and 61 than 1958. Youngie was still heat leader class but not the same class as he was in the early 50s. However, I did see him several times at New Cross during that period and I have to say I will never forget the two individual meetings he won towards the end of 1961 - the King of the South Cup and the Tom Farndon Memorial Trophy. To win both meetings he had to beat the Big 5 plus most of the other leading riders of the time. I felt it was a real privilege to see Youngie in those two meetings as he rode as he must have done at his peak in the early 50s.

That's very interesting, frenchy, thanks. Without the figures in front of me I hadn't realised Youngie had been so successful in 1958. Perhaps I wrote him off too soon!

He came back in 1958. He stayed at home in Australia again in 1959, then came back for two more years, 1960 and 61. He rode for Coventry in all three years.

Yes, definitely Rochester Bombers. Pete Lansdale was an ex RAF gunner and suggested the name. A competition was held in Rochester's local paper, the Evening Post, to design the body colour. There were 23 entries.

My understanding of the position at the end of 1955 was that Youngie announced he would not be returning from Australia for the 1956 season as he was missing his family and wanted to see his children grow up. It was only after this announcement that West Ham closed its doors as the management knew that without him they were up against it. Even with him they had finished bottom of the league and crowds had dropped alarmingly; without him they had nothing much to offer and feared an even bigger drop in the gate, so they shut up shop at the end of the 1955 season. Why he returned in 1958 I'm not quite sure. Maybe he'd had enough of seeing his children grow up by then! But, of course, although he was still a good rider, he was not the dominant force he had been from 1950 - 55 and it's not really surprising that Brian Crutcher was able to beat him twice at Coventry. By then, Crutcher was one of the top riders in the world, just a shade behind Fundin, Briggs, Moore and Craven.

Glad to be of help, dukes. You've done a good bit of research there. Interesting stuff. Though I think the newspaper is wrong in saying that Stewie St George was an Aussie. I believe he was actually a New Zealander.

I believe the first meeting held at Halifax was on 2 may 1928 at Thrum Hall Cricket Ground. It was the first meeting in this country to be held under artificial light.

I think it really happened once four rides became the accepted norm and cmas were based on four rides per match. In my books I always refer to a reserve's maximum if a reserve wins both his rides. (Edit: Ooops! Just noticed the missing apostrophe....)

Though, in fact, the last time Plymouth were in Glasgow was on Tuesday, 3rd October 1950 and the score was Ashfield Giants 52 Plymouth Devils 32 (National League Division Two) Full results near the bottom of this Speedway Researcher page: http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/docs/plymouth/1950.pdf

Do you mean at Ashfield or whichever was last out of Ashfield and White City...before I start looking?

Johnnie Fitzpatrick rode for New Cross in 1961, averaging 4.46 in 13 meetings. I believe he is still going strong and living in West Hendon.

"freakishly" "unconsciously predicted" "Mystic" Great cover up for the mistake, Jeff. Blame the supernatural. Works every time.

"word choice error". Very good, Jeff. Is 1932 a year choice error?

Also, it was in 1933 not 1932.

iris is absolutely right. The quote is not factual. What it actually says is, "Fred Monkford invents the original starting gate in 1932 for use at New Cross" He did not invent the starting gate in 1932 for use at New Cross.