norbold

Ooops. Yes. Quite right. I'm off to change it now...

Stan Stevens. Now you're talking! Brilliant.

I think you might be underestimating Hoskins role at West Maitland. As far as I know, it was his idea to organise motor bike racing as part of the entertainment. It's just that it wasn't the first time it had happened.

The start of speedway is a minefield! Johnnie Hoskins, of course, always claimed he started it at West Maitland in December 1923, but the Americans had a similar sport just after the first world war - 1919 and early 20s - only it was on longer half mile and mile tracks. There is a report of a similar sport in South Africa in 1909. The earliest reference to motor cycles racing round an oval track comes from Ipswich, where a meeting took place on the Portman Road ground on 2 July 1904 on grass. Although Hoskins claimed he invented it there is evidence to suggest that, even in Australia, motor bikes were racing round oval circuits before 1923. As I said above, the Americans, in the shape of Maldwyn Jones and Eddie Brinck, are credited with inventing broadsiding well before the West Maitland meeting. Curiously though, in an article in a 1933 American motor cycle magazine, Sprouts Elder, an American, said that he visited Australia in the mid 20s and that was where he learnt the art of broadsiding. When brakes came off the bikes is still the subject of research and is uncertain. Like all these things, the sport evolved over a number of years from different beginnings. It is not as simple as saying Johnnie Hoskins invented it at West Maitland in 1923.

As a former New Cross and West Ham supporter, it pains me to say that I would have to go along with Hackney as the track that produced the best racing! It always semed to be well prepared and there was lots of passing. Mind you, all tracks seemed to be better prepared in the 60s...or is that the old rose tinted nostalgia spectacles again?

Frank Arthur and Sprouts Elder were at their best in the mid to late 20s. Maldwyn Jones is the man who is said to have invented broadsiding in America in the early 20s, so I suppose, at the time, there could have been no doubt that he was the greatest speedway rider in the world as he was probably the only one!

Yes, I'm so sorry. It is Vic Harding. I don't know how Barney Kennett got his name on the caption! I've just changed it.

For all you Hackney afficianados out there, I have just added a Hackney Album to my Webshots page. 37 photos in all ranging from the 30s to the 80s. Something for everyone! Even Uncle Ted for Shazzy... http://community.webshots.com/user/norbold

Exactly. Where are Frank Arthur and Sprouts Elder, not to mention Maldwyn Jones...

Thanks Shoddy, that's very interesting. However, as I said before: Apart from making that 1960 instead of 1980. No Vic Duggan or Tom Farndon......

Yes, Steve Hone.

I can correct you on the spelling of Howe - it should be How - but not on whether he was captain or not. There certainly was a team called the Speedway Riders XI who played charity matches as iris says, but I can't remember who played for them or who the captain was.

I didn't know they'd actually held a meeting at Horsford. I know they had some trials there in the 60s organised by Maurice Littlechild and Jack Thompson. I would also like to hear about any meetings there. There was a meeting in December 1976 at Hevingham organised by Cyril Crane. Cyril and Violet Child built a banked 350 yard track capable of holding 15,000 spectators and organised a full-scale meeting to convince the planning authority to grant planning permission for the following year. It was a full-scale 20 heat individual meeting mainly for juniors. The winner was the 14 year old Andy Buck. David Crane also took part. The meeting was held without the sanction of the Control Board and some, John Berry of Ipswich in particular, thought the 'strongest possible action' should be taken against the organisers as his view was that an unlicensed meeting would give the sport a bad image and adversely affect others when applying for planning permission. In the end it didn't matter as planning permission was not granted anyway. I was talking to Cyril Crane a couple of years ago about his attempts to get speedway back in Norwich. He told me that since 1964 he had put in 28 planning applications and all had been turned down.

You could try contacting one of the Forum members, # Name Removed #. His father was Bert # Name Removed #, a former Saints rider.

Not Sullivan?

That's not the point. Until it is decided to enter separate teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the team represents the whole of Great Britain. It may be that it will only consist of English riders for the next 50 years, but that doesn't make it any less representative of Great Britain as a whole.

No, it's the Great Britain team It just happens that currently the best riders are English, but the team represents the whole of Great Britain.

Let's just say it cost more than £120.

Very good. Just the sort of photo I like. What camera have you got? Sorry. Only just seen this. It's a Sony digital DSC-P10

Good in his day though.

I'd better have a go at this as I see I only have 8 points on the official prediction league table, having forgotten to post my prediction for Cardiff, which, by the way, was going to be 1. Hancock 2. Adams 3. Richardson 4. Crump Anyway, Denmark: 1. Jason Crump 2. Greg Hancock 3. Nicki Pedersen 4. Tony Rickardsson

That must be mine. It's good isn't it Gem?

I agree as well. I was filling in a copy of the programme yesterday to give to a friend of mine who couldn't get to Cardiff and I was reliving the evening as I was filling in the results. It brought back to me just how impressive AJ had been and that he was very unlucky not to make the final.

I did get a picture of a little bit of the back of your head....

Not many, but like I said on another thread I did take more video... Cardiff 2004