norbold

Well I do.....but then I don't feel I am qualified to speak on behalf of "normal people"...

That's no way to talk about Liontamer!

High Beech is 19 February this year.

Wal Phillips rode in the first-ever Test match for England against Australia on 30 June 1930 and scored four points. I'll see what information I can dig out for you.

Sorry, Gem, I was at Brighton yesterday... Howard Cole was Kid Bodie. I believe he used the pseudonym when he first started because he didn't want his mother to know he was a speedway rider. I know nothing about George Cole. I have never heard of him so I didn't know if this was Howard Cole or someone entirely different. Sorry.

Good thinking, Bert. Take your time....

Any chance of explaining the explanation, Bert...

Gold smuggling, gun running...nothing too trivial for our Split.

Thanks Hazzman, you're a star!

I don't suppose there's any chance......?

Yes. It remained the track record until West Ham closed in 1972.

7 April 1969. Hammers first home match of the 1969 season v. Leicester. Ray Wilson recorded 70.2, beating the old track record held jointly by Norman Hunter and Sverre Harrfeldt of 70.8

Sorry, the name still doesn't ring a bell, but then if he rode mainly in France on grasstrack and longtrack, I don't suppose it would. You could always ask Alf Hagon if he remembers him...

er...sorry...never heard of Bill Savage. I'll see what I can find out though, unless anyone else knows.

According to Stenner's 1948 Annual. Wigan's opening meeting on 4 April 1947 (Good Friday) was the Easter Cup and was won by Clarke. Ron presumably.

There's a recent photo of Edgar Stangeland here taken at the 2004 VSRA dinner.

I can't remember the whole story off hand, but it was about race fixing as Grachan says and was in the Sunday People. Simon Wigg had apparently, naively, spoken to a stranger who turned out to be an undercover People reporter and told him how some races were "fixed". Wigg was suspended. I can't remember who else was involved. Perhaps it's all in Gareth Rogers new book. Tony?

Yes, I noticed that.

Well they weren't allowed to put their foot down and they did have brakes...

That's amazing Grachan. Thanks for finding that!

Co-author to the rescue, falcace... Alan Mogridge had signed for Canterbury at the beginning of 1986 but had asked for a transfer to Rye House. As a result of this Canterbury were given dispensation to use rider replacement. When Canterbury raced against Rye House, Mogridge was riding for Rye House while Canterbury were using r/r for him, so effectively he was riding for both teams.

By the way, it's Vic Gooden on the right and Archie Windmill in the centre...

Who could?

He lives in Newmarket. He told me he hasn't been to any speedway meeting, reunion or anything to do with speedway for about 20 years, but, apparently, he ran in to Pam and Trevor Hedge at a race meeting in Newmarket and they invited him to the dinner on Sunday.

I'm just trying to get rid of them. No correct guesses for the other two behind Stan Stevens so far; though Albert Steptoe is close. P.s. At the "do" on Sunday, Les Beaumont showed me a programme of the meeting at Norwich when he equalled the track record. Strangely enough it was during the George Formby Trophy meeting which we've discussed on here. With one ride each to go, Les and Arthur Forrest were unbeaten. In the race where they met, Les unfortunately "conked" as it says in his programme, leaving the Black Prince to win with a maximum.