steve roberts

Tragic!

Yes I thought that it's a very good concept and both Spencer Timmor & Lee Kilby really got into the swing of the thing. I hope that a return leg can be arranged...I'd look forward to it. Well done to everyone involved!

Great stuff!

...and also having to deal with Clark Osbourne.

Hmm...and still counting!

Yes I started this thread 5 years ago!

I thnk that he was maybe? He was often an assistant and/or Team Manager. Not sure that he was ever a Promoter in his own right? I know that the five were Reg Fearman, Danny Dunton, Len Silver, Maurice Littlechild and, I think, Ron Wilson?

Sad news. Often associated with Wally Mawdsley and his many tracks/promotions. RIP

John Berry as honest as he can be answering some rather awkward questions.

Fabulous!

I remember the World Team Cup Qualifier in 1979 that really should have been abandoned and watching the gutsy Gordon Kennett battling against Kellly Moran without his goggles.

I've sent you a personal message.

Apparently he was a difficult character to deal with on and off the track. Tragically died with brucellosis when he was raising pigs afrer he retired.

I was forgetting Reading.

Reidar Eide - Coatbridge, Wembley, Poole, Sheffield, Newport, Leicester, Exeter, Eastbourne, Swindon, Wolves.

Yes the Oxford "Cheaters", Reading "Berks" and the Swindon "Budgies"...what days!

Yes you blighters back in the early seventies but we got our revenge when Dag Lovaas joined us and he was the first "rebel" to defeat mighty Mich round Cowley I seem to recall. With the re-birth of the "Cheetahs", however, we more or less held our own against those "Berks" from Reading!

Yes I have plenty of memories of the "Cheetahs" turning them over on their own patch plus the fact that the "Rebels" were the first visiting team to win at Smallmead (albeit a Challenge Match) when based at Cowley!

It was a good shape modelled on Ipswich (?) if I remember but often far too slick...probably to suit Jan Andersson! I recall the first Easter Triangle in 1984 and the circuit resembled a dust bowl and was as slick as hell

If I recall there was a Post Office complex adjacent to the site? We used to travel to it from Oxford via Pangbourne I remember.

Personally I felt that the stadium when it opened was a credit to those involved during a struggle getting the place ready (remember that the 3 day week delayed construction) but it seemed to go down hill very quickly. General upkeep and maintenance appeared to be disregarded and it showed pretty well early on during its short existance. I actually preferred Tilehurst personally. Reminded me of Cowley Stadium!

It's a while since I read the book. I'm struggling remembering when he vacated Smallmead. Was it prior to the commencement of 1979 season which would make his presence there only four seasons? I recall reading that there was much animosity at the time which led to him selling his share to the remaining members of the consortium. Whoever was to blame it was a massive blow to have a lease reduced so significantly.

Interesting reading Reg Fearman's book where he felt that the incumbent promotion after his departure re-structured the lease hence the eventual closure of the stadium.

Another tragic loss to speedway. Stadium that has apparently not been developed and the site laying dormant. Where have we read that before?

Remember when at Hackney behind glass my brother blew the klaxon horn that were all the rage during the seventies & eighties and was promptly told where to go! We still got to beat the "Hawks" though!