norbold

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.)

And now 91 and still looking as fit as he did in his prime. Happy birthday to my hero and good friend, Ove.

Speedway out of the top drawer.

You must be as thick as me….apparently!

Except, as I said, if you report porn videos on a speedway page.

Facebook is a law unto itself. Several months ago there was a spate of porn videos posted on the New Cross Supporters page. I reported them to Facebook and they replied that they did not go against their community standards!

Yes. Now please enlighten me.

What's that supposed to mean?

Updated weather report form Clacton just over 25 miles south of Ipswich, at 15:55 . Blue skies, sun shining, roads have dried up. Such a shame. Would have been a good night for speedway if they could have moved Foxhall a little bit south.....