steve roberts

Per was an inspirational signing for Oxford making a good side into a great one!

Personally I don't think it would get thru' noise restrictions? Cars tend to be much louder than bikes.

I recall seeing Hans as a seventeen year old riding for Wolves at White City (think he scored 7 or 8?) and it was obvious he was going to make it in the British League but who would imagine then how he would go on to dominate things as much as he did? Remember one classic race at Swindon when Hans was a "Brummie" and he and Phil Crump passed and re-passed each other many times over the four laps...great stuff! Personally I felt that Martin Dugard could have gone further in the sport and I think moving back to Eastbourne was a mistake. Similar with Gordon Kennett who I felt should have moved to Swindon after the closure of White City? Or "ifs and buts".

People ask me what did I find different working in a University Department for 17 years and how it evolved? Put simply when I first started the group that I worked with would swap ideas seeking advice amongst themselves as regards their particular line of work/research...lots of banter. At the end of my career (albeit working with different people) the emphasis had changed dramatically. Computers had really taken hold and although some conversations took place the office had become much more quiet with people staring into computers with much less interaction taking place.

We used to have some great tussles with the "Witches" none more so than the 1985 Knock Out Cup Final second leg at Cowley...probably one of the greatest nights ever at Oxford!

Unfortunately I never went to the speedway during the sixties which is to my eternal regret as the track was just round the corner from where we live and I would have been old enough to have attended. However the seventies were great years and during my teenage years speedway was all that I was interested in as I soon preferred it to football. Thursday nights at Cowley were magical and my early heroes were Garry Middleton, Oyvind S.Berg, the Lovaas Brothers and Gordon Kennett. Dag was the master of the adverse camber on the pits bend at Cowley with his majestic swoops and who could forget Gordon's white line riding when battling from the back. Great memories!

Unfortunately I have to agree with those sentiments. Always amazes me when we go out for a meal and couples aren't engaging with each other instead both looking into their phone devices (at what goodness knows?) as society seems hell bent on succumbing to technological gizmos which often requires a solitary existance rather than socially mixing and interacting. Very rarely on the bus I talk to anyone (pre-covid) as they're all staring into their devices same as in the staff room where I work. Okay the world has strunk but at what cost?

Suffered a recent heart attack and had a stroke a couple of years ago which has stretched his finances to the limit and can't afford the physio required as treatmet is private in Australia. Story was covered in the recent "Backtrack" magazine.

You beat me to it! Sad news indeed and I would also like to congratulate Tony Mac for his initiative. A worthy cause. I recall on my first visit to Arlington in 1972 watching Allen achieve a sublime 12 point maximum beating all that the "Eagles" could throw at him. Considering that included the likes of Malcolm Ballard, Gordon Kennett, Bobby McNeil and Roger Johns that was some feat! Great memories!

I would travel from Oxford every week following the "Rebels" after their re-location form Cowley. I got to see the best of both worlds. British League action at Wood Lane and National League at Cowley...great days!

Would be interesting to know? We had a Tony Brooklister ride at Cowley once...turned out to be Colin Meredith incognito!

I still have my White City programme board from 1977 however I later designed and painted my own boards and even sold a few!

Martin talked at length about it in an edition of "Backtrack" a couple or so years back. He was less than impressed with the way that it had been dealt with and how it left him high and dry as promoter at Blackbird Road at the time.

Ah! The good old Second Halves! I used to enjoy them!

Recall David Steen as a "Cheetah" in 1995 hanging off the fence!

Local derbies between Oxford, Reading and Swindon. Great rivalry. Second Halves at Cowley with the riders from Eastbourne & Peterborough taking part. Trips to Eastbourne on a Sunday afternoon preceded with a picnic at Beachy Head. Teams predominantly filled with English/British riders with the odd exotic foreigner thrown in. Trips to White City after school on a Wednesday much to the jealousy of some of my class mates..."What going to London tonight?" Being able to mix with the riders in the pits after the meeting attempting to collect autographs. Adding to my vast programme collection by visiting the souvenir shops on my travels. Riders in easily recognisable leathers, helmets, masks etc. Simple race jackets before they became emblazoned with sponsors etc. Bikes prior to silencers and that throaty roar and the smell of Castrol 'R'. Riders who became associated with a team before yearly 'merry go rounds' became the norm and averages dicatated the make-up of a team. Interval rides for children with their favourites. Telephone at the starting gate allowing 'interaction' with the referee in front of the fans.

Alf's Fish and Chips at Weymouth was always a popular haunt with riders...still there now!

...much to the disgust of Leicester Promoter at the time Martin Rogers!

Remember visiting both Exeter and Newport and dodging the shale and Olle Nygren passing me within inches as he was so far back I had forgotten about him as I stuck my head over the fence at Exeter!

Enjoyed his exploits as a "Cheetah" for two seasons at Cowley...one of the best exponents of that long lost art of 'team riiding' as well as his lightning reflexes at the gate!

Of course that was often the common practice years ago but things have changed fundamentally now as speedway slips its way down the slippery slope. I recall that George Hunter used to drive a HGV wagon from his midlands base to Immingham Docks and then returning home before then venturing up to Edinburgh to ride that same evening.

...and Wimbledon on the Thursday!

The National League produced some loyal riders who basically remained with the same team forgoing the opportunity of moving up full time to the British League. The likes of Steve Wilcock and Barney Kennett instantly come to mind.

Yep...remember one particular weekend awayday. Peterborough on the Friday, King's Lynn on Saturday followed by Boston on Sunday!

I used to attend White City on the Wednesday, Oxford Thursday and Swindon on Saturday with the occasional Reading on Monday thrown in!