norbold

I won't tell him if you don't...

I could send you some of New Cross...if I had your email address!

I've just come across an interesting formula in use in 1950 for the Spring Cup. It was 10 riders per side in a 20 heat match. I think I might suggest that to Terry Russell for next year's Elite League. That should keep the costs down!

Nick Nicholls rode for Coventry from 1959 to 1961. 1959: He scored 45 points at an average of 5.63 1960: 108 points at an average of 3.86. 1961: 140 points at an average of 3.78. He started 1959 at Oxford, riding in 9 matches for 60 points before moving to Coventry.

Yes, good idea Spinkox. We have already been thinking about doing that. As you say, it might be quite depressing though!

Eric Hockaday was a top man in the early days of the Provincial League. In 1960 he was second highest scorer for the league champions, Rayleigh, scoring 196 points at an average of 9.33 and was ranked 11th in the Speedway Star's end of season Provincial League rankings. In 1961 he moved on to Stoke where he scored 277 points in all competitions at an average of 7.91. He started 1962 with Leicester, scoring 28 points in four matches and then moved back to Stoke where he was the team's top scorer with 147 points at an average of 8.6. P.S. I should add that he is currently a member of the WSRA.

The following week, the West Ham programme referred obliquely to this incident just saying, "Thanks for all the letters we've received during the week regarding the Wimbledon match. Wonderful to know so many people are behind us." Of course, Olle Nygren was the big hate figure at Custom House at this time...and then, two years later, he was transferred to us, following Harrfeldt's retirement. It took a long time to get used to him!!! But we did.

I've just been going through Speedway News for 1948. Whenever there was a match race challenge it was really big news. Every month, there would be speculation on who would be nominated as the next challenger, when the nomination was made there was much editorialising over whether the right choice had been made, and then when the match races themselves took place, reporting on the races was always the front page lead. Can't see us ever getting back to those days...

Definitely Gerry Jackson in the background.

I was even luckier, seeing Sverre ride at West Ham every week from 1965 - 1968. He was electrifying. His dashes round the fence never failed to bring the crowd to their feet. He didn't always seem to get the best of starts and the spectacle of Sverre in full pursuit of the riders in front of him brought the crowds back week after week to see our hero, Hearththrob Harrfeldt. He was almost unbeatable round Custom House and his averages for the four years he was there were 11.08, 9.89, 10.25 and 9.79. And, of course, he was runner-up in the World Championship in 1966. After his horrific crash at the end of 1968 he was never quite the same again, but he did return to West Ham as team manager. I finally caught up with West Ham's hero in 2007 at the WSRA Dinner: See here

Belle Vue: Dick Fisher Coventry: Jim Lightfoot Norwich: Reg Trott Oxford: Jack Geran Swindon: Mike Broadbanks West Ham: Bjorn Knutson Wimbledon: Leo McAuliffe

Yes, I think you're right.

Yes, that's correct. (Except it was Allan Kidd)

Provincial League captains in 1962 were: Bradford: Ray Day Cradley Heath: Harry Bastable Edinburgh: Doug Templeton Exeter: Len Silver Leicester: ? Middlesbrough: ? Eric Boothroyd Neath: ? Trevor Redmond Newcastle: Don Wilkinson Poole: Geoff Mudge Plymouth: Cliff Cox Sheffield: Guy Allott Stoke: Ray Harris Wolverhampton: Graham Warren

I didn't know Hastings were operating in the Conference League, Youth Development and Academy League since 1980 to 2000, and National League since 1960 to 1980.

As well as the great New Cross Rangers, London also had Wimbledon Dons (1960 - 1964) and West Ham Hammers (1964) in the National League. Why are you interested in just the last five years of the National League by the way?

I hope for your sake, Keith hasn't joined the Forum yet!

New Cross Rangers. National League 1960-1961

The winner has kindly donated a copy of the programme to the Speedway Museum.

See: Here

The committee consists of the following: Peter Sampson (Trustee & Chairman), Steve Sampson (Director), Elaine McDougall (Secretary and Museum Manager) Terry Stone (Member), Dingle Brown (Trustee), Bert Harkins (Trustee), Pete Saunders (Trustee), Mick Lewis (Trustee), Mac McDougall (Member), Sue Jackson-Scott (Accountant), Stuart Towner (Member), Tony MacDonald (Publicity), Stuart Warburton (Curatorial Adviser) and Norman Jacobs (Archivist)

We had a Museum Committe meeting yesterday. Here are a few of the "highlights": 1. We are proposing to change the Museum logo as it was felt that the current logo showing Peter Craven in Belle Vue colours does not give the Museum enough of a universal appeal. Popular though Peter undoubtedly is, it was felt that any rider and body colours used should be non-specific. 2. We have appointed a professional curatorial adviser. He will advise on all aspects of collecting, display, documentation, conservation, education, etc. His name is Stuart Warburton and he is the Museums adviser for all Essex museums. Yes, I know the Speedway Museum is in Hertfordshire but his background is in transport and industrial museums and he is personally very keen to help out. He has been a curator for 17 years and, best of all, he is providing his services for free. 3. With Stuart's help we will be trying to gain official museum accreditation. Once gained, this allows the Museum to tap in to all sorts of funds from grant giving bodies who only give money to accredited museums. 3. We are looking in to forming a Friends of the Speedway Museum organisation which will help with fund raising and any volunteer work that might need doing. 4. We are part organising (with Andy Griggs) next year's High Beech event and are looking for a high profile guest to open the event as it is the 80th anniversary of the first meeting at high Beech. 5. We are hoping to produce a small booklet for sale at High Beech, and then in the Museum itself, giving a brief outline of the sport's first 80 years in Great Britain. 6. Following on from that we are also hoping to produce a guide book for the Museum itself to be ready for next Spring. 7. The Museum recently bought a complete bound set of Speedway Stars from 1950 - 2005. The money for the purchase was kindly donated by Paradise Wildlife Park. 8. The new Museum website should be up and running in a couple of weeks. In addition, I would like to add that I have to admit that this is the first time I have visited the Museum for about two months and I was very impressed by the changes that have been made to the displays by the new manager, Elaine MacDougall. It is starting to look really professional and the displays are much less cluttered than the were at the start and the object labels more uniform and with less mistakes! New backgrounds and cases have helped enormously. Elaine is about half way round the exhibition at the moment and I think it will be really very impressive once she's got round the whole lot. By the start of next season it will be a Museum we can all be even more proud of than we are now.

Opening Times Date Time 1st March to 31 October 09:30 - 18:00 1st November to 28 February 10:00 - 17:00 Ticket Costs Adult £12.00 Child (2 - 15 years) £9.00 Senior Citizen £9.00 Guest with disability £6.00 Family of 2 (1 Adult & 1 child) £20.00 Family of 4 (2 Adults & 2 Children) £40.00 Carer for above £6.00 You can't get a ticket just for the Museum; you have to pay the park entrance as above.

Oh dear, you probably won't be looking forward to this book then, as I am not really intending to say much about Crystal Palace in 1939. The idea of the book is to follow the CP/New Cross team's history.

In the early 60s it was a 15 heats 8 riders formula with a nominated riders' heat for heat 15.