norbold

Talking of Dave Jessup just missing out, it is often forgotten that in the year Ove Fundin first won the World Championship, 1956, that, after four rides, Fundin and Ken McKinlay were joint leaders on 10 points. In his last race, Hurri-ken got a great start and was well in front when, with no real pressure on him, he fell, handing Ove his first of five victories, with Ken missing out on even a podium place.

I was there in 1965, BOBBATH, and supporting our former captain. Yay!

Technically there have been three tracks at Rye House, but all within the same overall stadium area.

Hi BOBBATH. I'm younger than you, but saw all of the riders I mentioned.

Do you mean my list, Arnie, the one that does include Brandon and also (by default), Kirky Lane? Also, the point I was really making there was that those tracks I mentioned have missed very few seasons in all those years; the ones you've added had much longer fallow periods.

....er....excuse me, but speaking from personal experience, may I say you do not need to be 80 years old - or even 70 years old - to have seen Peter Craven and Brian Crutcher or even Jack Young, Split Waterman, Aub Lawson and Ron Johnson.

As if to prove Grand Central's point, along comes Starman.....

Either the official concerned was a properly authorised official or he wasn't. Either the testing equipment used was properly calibrated or it wasn't. What do the F.I.M. hope to gain by postponing the date of the hearing? I can't help feeling that neither of those reasons are the cause of the delay.

Surely whether he was an on duty or an off duty cop has no bearing at all on the matter. What matters is whether he was officially appointed by the F.I.M. to carry out the test. I can't imagine he was just some off duty cop who happened to wander into the stadium with his breath test kit and decide to take breath tests at random! And, even if he was, where was the official tester? P.S. Great minds, Arnie. We were posting at the same time!

You're obviously a Poole hater, Gavan.

Although not continuous in the sense of every year like the examples you give, Arnie, I think the point should be made that some tracks like Coventry (Brandon) have been operating since 1928, Eastbourne since 1929 and Rye House since 1935 with very few breaks. Also, of course, there is Belle Vue, the club having been operating continuously since 1928 (including the War years),albeit at different tracks.

Well that sounds like everything to do with luck to me. Where the stadium happens to be. Anyway, even your answer doesn't answer why there is now no speedway at Sunderland and Yarmouth just to give two examples.

I think I'd go along with iris. Plecahnov and Waterman. But, of course, there was also our very own Sverre, CHR.

Interesting response, Lioness. #howdoyouknow

Luck?

While I agree with the sentiments, CHR, there is already a thread on this, started on 3 January.

If, as you have done, you're including World Champions to be as well, the Internationale Final 1961 had six world champions riding, five of whom had already won the World Championship. Jack Young, Ronnie Moore, Peter Craven, Ove Fundin, Barry Briggs plus Bjorn Knutson. The Tom Farndon Memorial Trophy at New Cross in 1961 contained Jack Young, Ronnie Moore, Bjorn Knutson, Barry Briggs and Peter Craven. I expect, in answer to your question, it has happened reasonably frequently.

Why, were Chris Harris or Darcy Ward involved in any of them?

CHR, do you remember the match race between Briggo and Bjorn at Custom House towards the end of the 1964 season? It was held to settle a difference of opinion as to the best way round the track. Bjorn always maintained it was the white line; Briggo, the outside. So they lined up with Bjorn in 1 and Briggo in 4. As the tapes went up they promptly crossed over and Bjorn rode the outside, while Briggo took the inside line. If memory serves me right, I believe Bjorn proved Briggo right by winning!

Sadly, yes.

Snooker. Although the automatic qualification for the finals is decided on the previous year's rankings, the qualification for the other places goes on during the same year. And I believe even the automatic places based on the previous year is being seriously curtailed now.

Oh, I'm sorry, Mick, I must have misunderstood Tony's request. I hadn't realised he only asked me to compile a Top Ten of 1951 - 1956. I thought it was of the whole 1950s. Oh, by the way, you can't count Freddie Williams's 1950 World Championship because surely you can only compare the records in the years they both rode. So that's one win each.

1. Nigel Boocock 2. Ken McKinlay 3. Peter Craven 4. Mike Broadbank 5. Eric Boocock 6. Ron How I had Ray Wilson at 8, Terry Betts at 9, Trevor Hedge at 11 and Malcolm Simmons didn't make the top 20. I think Wilson, Betts and Simmons best decade was the 70s. Just to fill in the couple of blanks, I had Martin Ashby at 7 and Dave Younghusband at 10. And a Merry Christmas to you too. No snow in Clacton either! It's not just how they performed in World Championships though, Mick. Peter Craven had a far superior record in League, Test and Golden Helmet to Freddie Williams.

My nos 1-5 were: 1. Peter Craven 2. Freddie Williams 3. Split Waterman 4. Brian Crutcher 5. Ken McKinlay The first four more or less picked themselves. It was much closer for the next four places with Hurri-Ken and the Black Prince just shading 5 & 6 over Alan Hunt and Tommy Price. Oh, P.S., I had Ron How at no.11. I think his best years were the early 60s. In a similar article I put him at no. 6 in the 60s.

Well, I can't tell you from personal experience, sidney, as he retired in 1959 and I started going to speedway in 1960. However, from his record he was certainly very good indeed. Between 1955 and 1965, only four riders managed to break the "big 5" dominance of the World Championship rostrum places and Arthur was one of them, so that must say something. Back in 2010, Tony McDonald asked me to write an article on the Top 20 British riders of the 1950s. I placed him 6th.