norbold

I hope not as Tich Read died earlier this year.

I'm just back from the Annual Eastern region WSRA dinner at Norwich where I caught up with Len Read once again. At 97, he is still very fit and sprightly. Is he now the oldest former speedway rider still alive? He started riding in 1946. Are there any others still around who started in 1946? Split Waterman? Anyone else? https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154351542414129&set=ms.c.eJxljEEOACAIw35kHGwI~%3B~%3B~_YiQcT8dq0xYTogjxDBauBSyqLD6GZvw5ndAeLncTqH2X7GPE5p9o4WSBE.bps.a.10154351538129129.1073741855.620694128&type=3&theater

I was there, Bob. Don't remember seeing you though.

In fairness I should point out that that is an extract from "Speedway's Classic Meetings", which I co-wrote with Chris Broadbent and that particular passage was written by Chris.

Yes, the Prinsloos were definitely from Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. Born in Gwelo.

Zimbabwe: Mike Ferreira

Fiji: Graham Warren & ? Japan: Jimmy Ogisu &?

You can collect your coat on your way out....

Irish rider - Dom Perry Channel Islands - Hugh Saunders.

Presumably that's Freddie Williams in your Wales selection, Joe. I think his brother Eric is by far the obvious choice for no. 2 though. Qualified for four World finals and came fourth once (after a run-off for third place). Morris has nothing like that record. Oh, and South Africa I'd go for Henry Long and Doug Davies, also both World Championship Final qualifiers. Another Czech to throw in - Vaclav Verner.

Doug maybe in with a shout, but not Willie. There's also Tommy Miller of course. Sverre Harrfeldt definitely. Reidar Eide? Runa Holta?- or is he Polish!? Czech. Which Kasper and which Tomicek!!!??? They like it to run in families over there!

We could also split up the constituent parts of GB. England,much the same, except no consideration of Freddie Williams. Wales: Freddie and Eric Williams Scotland: Ken McKinlay and ? George Hunter, ?Jim McMillan, maybe Haggis?

I was thinking about country best pairs when you started this thread, Joe and was going to post something. It's not easy to come up with a definitive best pair for most countries,though funnily enough, probably the best of them all with multiple world champions is the easiest. That is Sweden. Has to be Fundin/Rickardsson. My second would have been New Zealand with Mauger/Briggs, so it's funny that you have said Mauger/Moore. Not so self-evident after all then. I guess Denmark with Nielsen/Gundersen also speaks for itself, though you would have to consider Ole Olsen and Nicki Pedersen....hmmm, maybe it doesn't speak for itself after all! After that it gets more difficult. USA, maybe Penhall/Hancock but what about Jack Milne? Britain - Craven and ? Plenty to choose from, starting with Tom Farndon and working through Eric Langton, Tommy Price, Freddie Williams, Split Waterman, Peter Collins, Michael Lee, Tai Woffinden. Poland? Gollob and ? Again plenty to choose from Woryna, Waloszek, Plech, Jancarz, Hampel. Australia is probably the most difficult of all. No dead cert no. 1 Vic Huxley, Bluey Wilkinson, Vic Duggan, Jack Young, Aub Lawson, Jason Crump. And then there's Russia, Norway, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic), etc. It's getting late.....

I think they would been too busy trying to knock each other off than concentrating on winning!

When you say "basis of the track", what do you mean? The shape was there, except for the corners, but there was no track laid. Yes, I know.

Not between 1957 and 1969 nor after 1971 it wasn't.

Aldershot 1950: Trevor Redmond, Basil Harris, Doug Ible, Jack Rodwell, Doug Papworth, Ivor Powell, Bob Harrison, Pat Flanagan, Ken Smith, Bill Grimes, Bob Bunney, Ron Burnett, John Dore, Jack Peck, Allan Briggs, Johnny Guilfoyle. (Sorry, compost, I just happened to have a note of the 1950 Aldershot riders for some reason! I'll leave you to deal with 1951-60!)

Just to be pedantic, Briggs should be 4 not 2.

Hackney were in the BL Div 2 in 1991 but didn't complete the season, closing in July.

If only I had the money. By the way that's Billy Lamont on the left!

Thank you, chr, but I think I should say that Chris Broadbent wrote half the book so I can't claim all the credit for this one. I was at the Wimbledon v. West Ham meeting in 1965 as well. I can still remember it much clearer than any more recent meetings. It was undoubtedly the best meeting I have ever been to. What are your memories of it? (By the way, why didn't I see you there? )

West Ham had closed at the end of the 1971 season, but had a short reprieve in 1972 when Romford moved the Bombers to West ham on the forced closure of their stadium and, yes, they operated in the second division. But they didn't last long at Custom House and moved off to Barrow. The Southern Rovers were originally a team without a home track as the name suggests and in 1956 had operated as a sort of wandering club using different tracks for their "home" matches. It proved to a be a very difficult logistical problem for the team and at the end of the 1956 season, it was hoped that they had found a permanent home at Earl's Barton in Northamptonshire.but when that fell through, Vic Gooden, the Rayleigh promoter, gave them a home as their Southern Area League team, Rayleigh.Rockets, had gone up to the National League. So they then operated as Rayleigh Rovers. After being out of speedway for two years, 1958 and 59, Rayleigh made a triumphant return to speedway, winning the inaugural Provincial Leage with a team consisting of Reg Reeves, Eric Hockaday, Alan Smith, Pete Lansdale, Stan Stevens, Clive Hitch and Roy Craighead. John Leggett and Wally Mawdsley also turned out for them during the season. The 1961 team had Harry Edwards, Reg Reeves, Bob Thomas, Stan Stevens, Roy Craighead, Pete Sampson, Geoff Penniket and Terry Stone.

My prefab had gone by 1970 :(

See my opening post.

Yes, I can certainly agree with Hawk that Ipswich get good coverage on local radio and in the local press. I haven't listened to BBC Essex in some time but they used to give Arena Essex/ Lakeside good coverage, though I don't know what it's like now.