steve roberts

...and if I recall Oxford's Jens Rasmussen picked up an injury whilst guesting for either Reading or Wolves and was unable to ride in the evening fixture at Monmore Green between Wolves and "The Cheetahs". We won anyway (utilising Alan Grahame as a guest) which was a regular occurrence in those days when Oxford visited Wolves!

1985 if I remember.

Take care!

Keep safe The White Knight!

Spare a thought for those who haven't got a garden. It's driving me mad (as I would imagine many others who have no access to a garden) and not being able to fish at my local lake (5 minutes drive away) which is the ideal self-isolating activity as regards good mental health. How people must be coping in high rise flats in inner cities I can't begin to imagine.

...which is the conundrum facing the sport.

Great race however!

...and he was an ever present during many of those also.

...and Jimmy Squibb!

I recall Dave Morton saying that his home track had placed a "band of grip" that only the home riders were aware of...or something similar.

You'll not be disappointed...try and obtain some of the back copies if you can?

I was there! Great race again.

Never really a Long Track fan but a great race nevertheless,

I have to say I didn't get to see much of Shawn as Oxford were in the National League during the early part of his career. When Oxford re-joined the British League (1984) Shawn never truly excelled around Cowley and it was a track that he himself admitted in an interview he had problems with. However i did see a lot more of Kelly as I used to pop down to Eastbourne and watch them and on their travels.

Alan was one of those dependable riders that speedway so desperately needs.

Brilliant race...never seen it before! Who could forget commentator Clive Fisher!

Romford - Kevin Holden & Mike Sampson Previous entries amended accordingly.

...as did Mike Sampson of course!

Thank for that! As I mentioned in an earlier post I'm basing my obserations on my memory...which fails all too regularly! I guess that Alan falls into that category of riders who commenced their careers in the upper league forgoing the less demanding route.

I remember Billy Wall being thrown in at the deep end on occasions and, of course, Martin Ashby's brother, David, rode for a number of years for Swindon with very limited Second Division experience (I think he had a run out at Peterborough?)

It was displayed with the usual PA announcement (I remember Coventry did the same) given out my Dave Hammond who was the best in the business in my view!

I may be wrong and my memory playing tricks but I think that Oxford tried to give results on the totaliser (Grade Listed apparently) but didn't last very long...and I certainly didn't bother referring to it if it did.

Of course Mark Loram started off in the upper league as Hackney's compulsory junior and did fairly well but dropped down a league to aid development. The compulsory junior ruling was an odd one in my opinion but it did generate a few worthwhile riders who made names for themselves in the lower league. Paul Fry instantly comes to mind.

I've always thought that whatever the era the standard of racing varied depending upon the track. People are sometimes critical of speedway past and that the racing is generally better nowadays but some of the tracks riders were expected to perform on in the past would create similar difficulties today...in my opinion. Poor old Somerton Park always gets its fair share of criticism but I would defy riders today managing any better round what was a technically challenging, almost, square, track...although Phil Crump had it mastered but even he admitted that it was a poor track due to constraints forced upon it surrounding a football pitch as it did and a retaining wall.

If memory serves that was the situation when they were first introduced (1995?) but of course the authorities succumbed and they found their way into the domestic programme.