norbold

Being from the area and therefore having a number of books on Hackney, I thought I would delve into this Bovril controversy a bit more. It would appear that Bovril was at one time manufactured in a factory in nearby Shoreditch and that when the Olympic Park was being constructed, dozens of old Bovril bottles were found on the site and it is thought that there must be literally thousands of old Bovril bottles buried in Hackney Wick on the site of the old refuse tip there. Maybe the smell was still coming up out of the ground!

As well as, not instead of.

Also a large Clarnico factory. I wonder if they were experimenting with Bovril flavoured chocolates....

Yes, he won two races in the West Ham v. Glasgow match in 1968. In the first he beat George Barclay, Barry Crowson and Brian Whaley and in the second he beat George Barclay with Oyvind Berg falling and Stan Stevens having e/f. In his other two races that night he came last.

West Ham v Glasgow April 1966... Bill McMillan 3 rides, 4 points. West Ham v Glasgow August 1965...Bill McMillan 3 rides 2 points. West Ham v. Glasgow August 1968...Bill McMillan 4 rides 6 points

I was going to say much the same thing. Like you, I must have seen him a number of times. I'm sure stats don't lie and you must have a good reason for saying he did well at West Ham, Beirao, but I don't really remember him there or any stand out performances.

Yes and she did. That's why I can't understand it!

Talking of Facebook's strange quirks. I have just been informed by them that a comment on a site I administer has been take down because it goes against community standards. This is the post in question: "We left in 1982, it was a great place to grow up and have fantastic memories of being there with my mum and dad Rose & Lou." This was on a post about Jaywick. As you can see this undoubtedly breaks all sorts of rules, though I have to admit I am not quite sure which ones at the moment. In addition, the comment was posted in February this year, so it has taken them four months to get round to removing it. Who knows what damage and mental anguish could have been caused to members of the page I administer by this scurrilous comment before they took it down?

Interesting point, Chunky, and got me thinking about the winners of the World Final when it was held at Wembley. If you include the (British) Riders' Championship held in the immediate post-War years, there were 14 finals held at Wembley when it was also an active league track. Of those 14 finals, five were won by a Wembley rider. Interestingly, I would say that in any list of the "best", the three riders concerned, Lionel Van Praag, Tommy Price and Freddie Williams, would come pretty low down and certainly would fill the bottom three places of those from 1936-1956. Freddie Williams in particular is generally thought to have won twice only because of home track advantage. Not sure what all that means and how it can be extrapolated to the present time, but I thought it was interesting.

Well done, Dan, especially as this has been the first time for many years that all the top British riders have actually taken part.

Just to add that Young, Williams and Moore didn't meet together in any heat in 1951. Nor did they meet together in any of the earlier rounds.

No. Which Facebook page is it on?

I can send you a scan of the relevant pages in the programmes if he continues to argue!

Well you're in luck, Chunky, because I have all the World Final programmes from the 1950s. In 1950, 51 and 52 he is shown as representing Australia; from 1953 onwards it's New Zealand.

Ellis is due to ride for Ipswich tonight. See how he goes....

When Hackney opened it was quite a dilemma for me. I was born and brought up in Hackney and, as I said, the speedway was in walking distance of my home but by then I had become a New Cross supporter and, of course, New Cross re-opened (after a year's break) the same year as Hackney and in the same league. So, in the world of local derbies, Hackney became the enemy! Although New Cross then closed, West Ham opened the following year, so I had no option but to transfer my allegiance to West Ham as I couldn't contemplate supporting the old enemy however near to me it was! From then until 1972, I was a regular at both tracks every week. After West Ham closed I continued going to Hackney but could never bring myself to actually support them, especially as, by then, I had moved away into the deep recesses of Essex (Loughton).....I effectively became trackless in terms of support until moving to Clacton in 1979 and falling into the welcoming arms of Ipswich.

Is that a yes then!?

As far as I know he is still in the land of the living.

I remember Tiger Beech very well. Rayleigh and Rye House mainly. His real first name was David. An average 5/6 point second string.

There's been no loss of commentary at all on Eurosport.

I see Kelvin's maths are as good as ever.

My main memory of Hackney is walking across Hackney Marshes to get there. It was the only track in my 60 odd years of speedway that I have lived in walking distance of!

As Oxford can only get 43 points with three fives, why do Leicester still need one point? Oh dear, Kelvin.

Kelvin can't do maths.

It was Imperial Echoes. (I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles was/is the football team's song.)