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Hi Berto7 I am looking for a copy of the Speedway Mail dated 8th October 1976 which I think is Volume 4. Can you please let me know if you have this issue available and how you would like me to make the payment. Many thanks Paul Elford

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. Does anyone know the best places to look out for the Wally Loak recordings? I too recall Colin Richardson winning his first race of the night in 1977 in 60.0 and this was greeted with a huge roar when the time was announced over the tannoy. I also remember the final race of the night which was effectively a title decider between Colin, Martin Yeates and Tom Owen. If my memory serves me correctly, Yeates made the best start and led for about a lap before Colin lined him up on the home straight and overtook him on the bend where the pits used to be. The race was effectively over then and nothing could stop him from winning the championship with a brilliant 15 point maximum. As a regular at Crayford, I was also lucky to see Colin Richardson break the track record there twice in 1977. The first of these was in June 77 and the second took place a month later. The track record was broken for a third time that year in August by the then current World Champion, Peter Collins who visited Crayford with his Belle Vue side in a Challenge Match. Happy Days! Paul Elford

Hi Does anyone know if there were any tape recordings (visual or audio) made of the above three meetings please? I can't find anything on You Tube but am hoping that someone was covering meetings at Plough Lane around this time. Thanks for looking and for any information that you can provide on this. Paul

Hi Does anyone have an unmarked programme in good condition for sale for the above meeting which was held at Wimbledon on the 24th September 1977? Thanks for taking the trouble to read this. Paul Elford

Here's a photo of the great stadium during its better days.

Many thanks Robbie B for confirming that. I will now try and purchase a copy of both magazines. Regards Paul

Thanks to everyone who has viewed my post and in particular I'm very grateful to Robbie B for the information/dates he has provided. I've had a quick look on ebay and I've found a copy of the magazine dated 5th November 1977. However, I can't find one dated 2nd November 1976 but there are copies dated 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th November 1976. Can Robbie B please recheck the date on his copy and advise whether it is in fact one of the four that I've listed? Thanks and kind regards. Paul

Can any of you devoted speedway lovers please help out with the following question which relates to the New National League Riders Championships in 1976 and 1977. The following two photos appear to have been on the back covers of two issues of the Speedway Star magazine and most probably appeared shortly after the meetings at Wimbledon on the 2nd October 1976 and the 24th September 1977. Does anyone have the relevant magazines and, if so, can you please let me have the dates they were published? I think the Speedway Star was issued every Saturday back then. Many thanks in advance for any help that you can provide.

Steve Thank you so much for doing all the typing this week. I will fill in the Double Header scores into my programme over the weekend. As others have said on here, you really are a credit to both speedway and this forum. Best Wishes Paul

Many thanks, Steve

Hi Steve Thanks for the Ellesmere Port scores. I always looked forward to the visit of your team because they along with the likes of Newcastle and Eastbourne were one of the top sides in the mid 70s. I do remember Steve Finch having a really good night in the above meeting. As you say, John Jackson was less successful around our small circuit although I was always surprised that he never featured in any of the Kentish Times Trophies. In fact, the best I ever saw of him was at the 1975, 1976 and 1977 National League Riders Championship at Wimbledon. We used to travel to this event each year on the Supporters Club coach and I've got a feeling that I saw your man come 2nd or 3rd one year. Paul

Thanks Steve for agreeing to post those scores. For what its worth, my programme for the KTT in 1977 has Vic Harding down as scoring 6 points and Barney Kennett 2. However, I might easily have made a mistake following the sensational penultimate Heat 19 which featured all three unbeaten riders in Tom Owen, Colin Richardson and Martin Yeates. Heat 20 was therefore something of an anti-climax!! So Parsloes your scores may well be correct. Paul

On the KTT, it all comes down to who won heat 20. One of Barney Kennett or Vic Harding actually won the heat whilst the other one was replaced by Garry May. Steve, are you able to post the scores for the following blank programmes which I have recently found at my parents house? Crayford v Ellesmere Port on 26th May 1977 Crayford v Edinburgh and Berwick D/H on 30th August 1977 and Crayford v Teeside on 6th September 1977. Many thanks in advance. Paul

Many thanks Parsloes for making the offer to venture into your loft. Steve, thanks for providing the additional details re Stoke and the KTT so quickly. Over the weekend, I will look out the 3 new programmes I've acquired and list them in case you can help out with these. Thanks to both of you again for your assistance Paul

Many thanks for your help, but please don't run the risk of injuring yourself by climbing into the loft. I moved from Crayford to Sevenoaks in the early 1990's, so I'm not too far away from Sittingbourne and I might try and get there sometime in the summer. Paul

Many thanks Parsloes for the quick reply. I've tried to work out the details of the 3 heats against Stoke from your information so that I can fill my programme in. However, its not straightforward as the programme lists Colin Farquarson at No.1 for Stoke and the No.2 spot has been left blank. Also with Stoke only scoring 5 points from 3 races one of their riders must have fallen etc when on course for a third place. Do you know if the following is correct: Heat 1, Laurie Etheridge, Trevor Charley, Richard Davey and Tim Nunan Heat 2, John Hooper, Mike Bessent, Ian Robertson and Robert Dole Heat 3, Alan Sage, Steve McDermott, Stuart Mountford (Did not score) and Garry May (last) Also, do you have the heat times although I would imagine that these would be well over 60.0 seconds given the wet weather. Thanks for any further light that you can shed on this short meeting. Paul

Hi Steve I'm back and need your help again if that's ok. I have three new programmes for which I will need your assistance with the full heat details etc. However, before that I have the following two minor queries which should hopefully not take up too much of your time to answer. 1) Crayford v Stoke on 26th April 1977 - Was the meeting abandoned without any heats taking place? 2) The 1977 Kentish Times Trophy on 9th August - Do you have the result of the last race which was heat 20? Also what were the final scores for both Barney Kennett and Vic Harding? Absolutely no rush for this, but grateful for any help that you can provide. Many thanks Paul

Steve Thanks, that's good enough for me. I will fill my programme in accordingly. Cheers Paul

Hi Steve I've just gone to fill in the heat details for the Workington match in 1977, and noticed that on the back of every subsequent programme right up to the end of the season, the score is recorded as 50-28. Your scores do add up to 56-22 and virtually all the riders you have listed were printed in the programme. I suspect that there was a printing error in the programme which was subsequently never picked up. I was wondering if you could double check your source to see if the result was changed based on some sort of appeal? However, I suspect the programme printed the wrong score in the first instance. Thanks Paul

Steve Many thanks for all your help with the scores over the past few weeks. Thanks to you all my Crayford speedway programmes are now filled in. I have the odd programme missing between 1975-1977 so I will try and pick these up on somewhere like ebay. I might give you a further shout if any of these have not been filled in. Finally, I would like to support and echo the views of the White Knight at message 11 above and say what a great credit you are to this forum. Best Wishes Paul

Thanks, Steve

Hi Steve I'm halfway through my 1977 Crayford home programmes, and I'm glad to say that I filled most of these in at the meetings. However, I have blank heat details for Crayford v Coatbridge on 28th June 1977 and Crayford v Workington on 2nd August 1977. I don't think the Kestrels hit the 65 or 63 mark as referred to above! No hurry at all, but if you do have the information and the time to list the heat details etc, that would be much appreciated. Thanks again Paul

Thanks again Steve for your help. I do not have the programme for the restaged meeting but I know that a new one was produced. If I ever acquire it I will take you up on your offer of the heat results. I'm going away for most of this week, but when I get back I want to sort out the programmes for 1977 which is the last season that I'm missing some scores from. I may give you a further shout in due course if that's alright. Regards Paul

Steve Further to my message above, I am pleased to say that there is only one meeting in 1975 on which I would welcome your help. Can you please confirm that the Crayford v Canterbury, Kent Cup match on 30/9/75 was either abandoned without any races taking place or provide the usual score details if any heats did take place please? Many thanks Paul

Hi Steve I am extremely grateful to you for providing the scores etc from these meetings in 1976 so very quickly. I have now filled in my programmes with all the details that you have kindly provided. I have just had a look at my Crayford programmes for 1975, and there are a couple which are blank, so I may give you another shout in due course, if that's ok with you. Many thanks again for all the help you have given me already. Best Regards Paul