norbold

Yes. Briggo joined later in the year so was not in the first match I saw. As I said above, Billy Bales was riding and is still alive and I met up with him at the Norwich lunch last October.

Yes. I met up with him in October at the Norwich WSRA Lunch.

And then there was Bryan Elliott, who actually still was a second string with Leicester when he qualified for the World Final in 1960, having a five point average.

I'm afraid to say I don't have any particular memories of Jim Lightfoot. I saw him several times of course at New Cross, West Ham and Hackney when he rode for Coventry and in various individual meetings, including the 1963 World Final that jrs mentions, where he came 14th. But I don't have any outstanding memories of him other than the fact he was a good competent rider. Sorry, Bob.

Yes. Sport not included.

I can't think of any off-hand.

As andout says, the first meeting at Wimbledon was in 1928, 28 May (Whit Monday). I don't know who won the first race but there is a great description of the evening's Gold Helmet final, in the Speedway News: "As two riders, one wearing red and the other yellow, tore to the front, a startled gasp went up from the thousands of spectators: "Would they weather the bend?" Even while the question was being asked, a figure in blue tore through on the inside of the track and passed the leaders like a flash of light. Desperately Lamont and Huxley attempted to hold off the challenger. Three determined riders broadsided in a terrifying manner round the bend and into the back straight. Neck-and-neck Frank Arthur and Billy Lamont drove their screaming motors up the straight with Vic Huxley only a few feet behind." Speedway was, of course very much in its infancy in Britain at the time, so this could have been the most exciting race ever seen up to that point. Sadly, Lamont blew a tyre, though he continued with the race, while Arthur and Huxley continued their battle, with Arthur just proving the victor. The fourth rider was Cec Brown who passed Lamont following the latter's blown tyre. The final event of the evening saw Vic Huxley beating Roger Frogley 2-1 in a series of match races. Other events that evening included the Wimbledon Handicap, won by Frank Arthur from Jim Kempster and Eric Spencer, and the Sidecar Scratch, won by Freddie Brackpool. Jack Parker also rode in the meeting, which was held before a crowd of 11,000.

Lot of work to do. The track isn't there any more, though you can still see the outline of where it was.

No, the stand was still there then.

Thanks. You've made me feel really old now as I've seen speedway at all of those!

http://speedwayswapshop.co.uk

Back in the 1950s, most of the top riders advertised Astorias cigarettes! Sorry, iris, just noticed you mentioned the cigarette adverts.

Thank you, Steve. That would be great. Look forward to hearing from you so I can see what this book is all about.

You gave the details yourself on a previous New Cross memories thread but someone seems to have deleted that thread…….

Thank you for that, iris. Apart from the three or four mistakes, not a bad summary.

Yes, but with a much better team that got even better as the season went on with Malc's rise to heat leader status. You couldn't say the team that finished the season looked anything but the best team in the league.

Peterborough 2021!

28 May, 1928. Frank Arthur narrowly defeated Vic Huxley in the Golden Helmet final in a time of 89.3, with Cecil Brown third, Billy Lamont having blown a tyre on the second lap. This was followed by an "International Match Race" in which Vic Huxley beat Roger Frogley 2-1, the losing rider falling in each race! Then came the Wimbledon Handicap, in which the final was won by Frank Arthur from Jim Kempster and Eric Spencer in a time of 96.4. There was also the Sidecar Scratch, won by Freddie Blackpool.

I saw Les at New Cross in NL days.

Les (or Legs as he was known!) McGillivray springs to mind.

Seen all but Arthur Payne, Josef Hofmeister and Brian Crutcher.

Syd, Star Riders' finalist in five consecutive years, 1930-34.

Kennett? Dugard?

I am interested in your 1930s rankings, BL. Over the course of many years and many books, I have spent a lot of time researching the 1930s, reading the contemporary speedway press. So, my own top 10 is more based on a general feeling from the first hand reports of meetings plus news stories about riders and meetings rather than strictly based on statistics, though, of course, they play a part. On that basis, I have to say I find your inclusion of Jack Parker at no.1 very surprising. My own impression from everything I have read is that the dominant riders who lasted the whole decade were Bluey Wilkinson and Eric Langton. There is then a split between Vic Huxley and Tom Farndon dominating the early part of the decade and the three Americans plus Lionel Van Praag dominating the second half, with riders like Jack Parker, Max Grosskreutz and Frank Charles just a shade behind the dominant riders in each half. On that basis, my Top 10 would be: 1. Bluey Wilkinson 2. Eric Langton 3. Tom Farndon 4. Vic Huxley 5. Jack Milne 6. Cordy Milne 7. Wilbur Lamoreaux 8. Lionel Van Praag 9. Max Grosskreutz. 10. Jack Parker. If you were to include 1928 & 1929 in the decade, Vic Huxley would be no. 1.

Yes, definitely agree with the top 8. I think the only change I would make is Harrfeldt for Pander.