norbold

Technically, he was the best rider I ever saw. He could do anything on a bike! I think the only thing he lacked that prevented him from winning more World titles was that ruthless killer instinct as typified by riders like Fundin, Briggs, Mauger and Rickardsson. He was too much of a gentleman! And he always put his team first before his own individual ambitions. Although, as I said, he was the "enemy", being the star of our closest rivals, I really came to admire him over the years.

Yes, sadly, he was very good at New Cross. Wimbledon being our local rivals and all! But then he was good everywhere!

Stop it - it's bringing tears to my eyes! I saw my first speedway meeting at New Cross on 11 May 1960. Ove Fundin scored an 18 point maximum and Aub Lawson 16 paid 17 for Norwich but New Cross won and Jimmy Gooch was our hero as he managed to beat Lawson in one race. After that first meeting I was a regular there till it finally closed in 1963. The days of Split Waterman, Barry Briggs, Eric Williams, Jimmy Gooch, Leo McAuliffe, Reg Luckhurst, Doug Davies, Tommy Sweetman, Jimmy Squibb, Reg Reeves, Bob Dugard, Stan Stevens.....oh dear, I've got myself going now... Although Briggo was, of course, top man in 1960, he didn't cope with it as well as some others, Sidney, and I think, from memory, it was his worst year for many years averagewise. The real master of New Cross was Ove Fundin, who was almost unbeatable at the Frying Pan except for the memorable night when Split Waterman beat him three times. Another rider who was a real master of the track was Jack Young. And, iris, I think the name the Frying Pan was coined for the track rather than any pre-existing feature.

There were 93,000 at the 1938 Wembley World Final.

To paraphrase = he may have been a grasstracker, but he was most certainly a local scramble star when John Berry asked him if he would like to ride for Ipswich.

But that isn't the question, which is, " I wonder which today are the stadiums which have the biggest capacity..." There is nothing about comparison with Years Gone By.

It's an interesting question, but is it really a subject for "Years Gone By"?

Silly me. Of course FIFA takes world precedence over the United Nations.

Well now, look at this way...can England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland join the United Nations in their own right?

Northern Ireland is not a "nation" it is an integral part of the United Kingdom.

I did. A great win for Ove Fundin.

I didn't go to any others because a) I was only 12 at the time of the first PR and b) I supported New Cross and then West Ham in the National League. I only took a passing interest in the PR. I went to the 1961 PR because it was at Harringay and I'd always wanted to go there as my dad and my brother used to support Harringay and go every week. By the time I was deemed old enough to go to speedway by my parents it had closed! So, I really went to see Harringay not the PR. Though it was a good meeting and as I said elsewhere on another thread, it finished in the race I still remember the most, not because of its quality, but because of how unlucky Trevor Redmond was and the great injustice of it as I felt at the time.

Happiness is 40-38...Though normally that was meant to apply the other way round!

And Stan Stevens beating Barry Briggs at West Ham.

Sounds like the name of a good book to me....

I have been inspired to start this topic by something E.I. Addio wrote and also something I wrote. E.I. mentioned how well he still remembered two races between Christer Lofqvist and Reidar Eide at West Ham in 1970 and I wrote about a race I saw at Harringay in 1961 in the Provincial Riders' Championship when Trevor Redmond unluckily lost the title in his last race because he threw a chain on the last bend. Because of the drama of the race , I can still remember the race vividly, even though it is now nearly 60 years ago! So, I was just wondering if there is one race in particular that people can still remember from years ago. It doesn't necessarily have to be the best race they ever saw (like the one in my case), but just a vivid memory.

I was at the meeting and I have just got my programme out to see if I wrote anything on it as I sometimes did if there was anything worth recording. However, the only thing I wrote was on Heat 13 where I wrote, "Christer from behind." I don't particularly remember those races like you do, E.I., but I was always very impressed by Reidar Eide at West Ham. He rode it very well and it was always a bit of a surprise to me that he never quite made it to the big time the same way Sverre did.

No, it was won by Reg Reeves. Trevor Redmond should have won as he was easily the best rider on the night. After four rides each, Redmond and Reeves both had 12 points. When they met, Redmond was well in front when his chain broke on the last bend and he finished last. He then beat Maury Mattingly in the run-off for overall second place.

That's the only one I saw as well. Trevor Redmond was desperately unlucky not to win. He was easily the best rider on the night and was well in front of Reg Reeves in their last ride when he shed his chain on the last bend.

An application to run speedway at Charlton Greyhound Stadium was made in 1938 and again in 1948. Both were turned down by the ACU. In 1965, Wally Mawdsley, Pete Lansdale and Len Silver made another attempt to enter a Charlton team in the newly formed British League again at the greyhound stadium. They signed up Denis Newton, but nothing came of it.

I don't know about Frank Arnold but Croydon Speedways Ltd applied to run speedway on its original site in 1948 and 1950. Both times the local Council turned down permission due to objections by local residents protesting about the noise.

Although I never saw speedway at Walthamstow, I knew the stadium very well. My school sports' ground was close by and the start of our route on the dreaded cross country running was to run round the stadium (outside!) before heading off for the forest...

Ah, I can beat you there as the only one I missed out on was Walthamstow. Managed to get to all the others!

No, but thanks for pointing that out. I shall have to go in and correct Wiki.

No, the rider who won the World Championship was Bjorn Knutson. However his name was often spelt wrongly with two s's for most of his career.