norbold

I'm back. But what is it I should correct? I think Wessex Wanderer has it right.

No, the world champion Fred Williams didn't start racing until after the War.

It was definitely Cliff Watson in the 1949 Final. Are you sure about Split Waterman's year of birth, Knowle? In my copy of Tom Morgan's "Who's Who in Speedway" published in 1949, someone has manually crossed out 1921 and written in 1924.

In fact they are nearly all English. There may be the odd Scot or Welshman or maybe Australian, but probably well over 90% were English.

BOLTON Norman Dawson Fred Greenall W. Howard Joe Palastrand Jack Wood

Thank you for that, speedyguy. Do you know if I can enter the competition?

Squire Francis P.S. You mean what IS his real name. He is still alive!

The first track was outside the greyhound track, the second was on the field behind, later the go-kart track and the third was back at the greyhound track but inside.

There have been three different tracks at Rye House. You really ought to invest in my books, Parsloes...

Ideal for the next Speedway Eggheads team then, Gem!

Excellent. Yes, I've spoken to Terry many times. As you say he is a great bloke. Did he tell you the story about Split Waterman and the gun in the New Cross changing rooms...?

Touching the tapes was an excludable offence right from the start. After the successful experiment with starting tapes at Crystal Palace in 1933 the Control Board announced that starting gates were to be installed at all tracks for the purpose of clutch-start racing. The only difference to the Crystal Palace experiment was that riders were to line up two feet behind the gate instead of one foot. Any rider touching the tapes would be sent back and, if they repeated the offence, they would be excluded from the race. This rule meant that the tapes were only lowered as the riders were at the line. Most starters were anxious to avoid broken tapes so they were raising the tape almost as soon as they were lowered. Knowing this, riders were now edging forward as soon as the tapes came down, letting in the clutch a split second later. In one race in the Crystal Palace versus Wembley match, all four riders shot forward before the tapes had risen and had to duck underneath. To get round this, the Control Board introduced a new rule which said that the tapes were to be lowered before the riders reached the line. However there didn't seem to be any consistency regarding exclusion as, reading reports of different matches, some referees excluded riders for the offence and others didn't.

I think we're going for four decades at least as there would be too many who managed three decades.

Aub Lawson, definitely. 1930s - 1960s.

There you are, Parsloes. Buy a copy and make an instant profit. Can't say fairer than that!

Out of the Frying Pan - retail price £12.99 - has been out for just under two weeks. I have just come across a bookseller called "anybook-uk" selling it second hand (!) for £38.18 (even more !!!s)

Quite right. He retired at the end of the 1977 season.

Nigel Boocock would be 50s, 60, 70s, 80s. What about Mike Broadbank(s). 50s-80s as well? Ronnie Moore 40s (in Australia) and 50s - 70s.

Absolutely right, sotonian. How could we forget dear old Phil, the man who is said to have broken every bone in his body.

I did have to leave out the Crystal Palace bit but Johnno's career at Crystal Palace does get referred to on more than one occasion. Sorry I'm not sure what the p&p to Germany is. I can find out for you if you're interested... Yes, of course, you're quite right about Squibby. I'd forgotten he had a few outings at Southampton in 1939, so that gives him five decades, the same as Johnson. I'm not sure when Geoff Pymar first rode. He certainly rode at Norwich in 1930 but whether he rode anywhere before that in the 20s I'm not sure. I'm sure Bryan will know. He continued until the 60s of course, so if he did ride in the 20s that would give him five decades as well. I'm fairly sure Wal Morton didn't ride in the 20s. I think he started somewhere round about 1932 or 3.

I haven't written his biography, but Tommy Price himself wrote in "Tommy Price's Speedway Mixture", published c. 1950, that his first speedway race was at Harringay in 1934 after he had been spotted riding grass track at Barnet by Frank Arthur.

If he rode from the 40s to the 70s that's four decades - one LESS than Johnson, so how does he hold the record?

I don't think Tommy Price was around in the 20s. He started about 1934/5. I think the longest decade spanner has to be Ron Johnson, who first rode in Australia in 1926 and had his last outing at New Cross in 1963, so that's five decades. From the time he arrived in England in 1928, practically the whole of that career was with the Crystal Palace/New Cross set up. (You can read all about it in a new book just out I believe. )

Yes, he rode in two matches and was swapped for Reg Trott (Wimbledon). Bit of a mistake by our Bob there!

Ken McKinlay, Reg Trott, Sverre Harrfeldt, Brian Leonard, Norman Hunter, Malcolm Simmons, Tony Clarke, Ted Ede Also Ray Wickett, Stan Stevens and of course, Dave Wills, who was tragically killed before he had a chance to make his mark.