Parsloes 1928 nearly

Crickey, such a long time ago even before Holly was in the Barracudas team..!!!?? My first Canterbury match was vs. Long Eaton the following season ('72). Gary Cottham (senior) rode in that match for the Crusaders..: keep meaning to ask him, was it his first match..?? Does anyone else know..??

I'm massively impressed KB!! Have you similar for '83 when the Mighty (Junior) Kestrels actually won this competition..??!! Incidentally, that fella over in Oz surrounded by an ever-growing pile of empty beer-cans, might like to note that his then club managed to track sides in a southern-based Junior League competition WITHOUT putting in established League riders and Kiwi mercenaries and still came out on top..!!?? Times sure have changed..!!!

That's awful: I never knew that Nigel had been killed.. When was this?? John Hooper was a great fav. of mine back in the late '70s. He actually made 135 appearances for Crayford: his only club, I think... Richard Davey is 4th. in the all-time appearance list, one place ahead of Hooper. 'Red' Ott on the other hand, managed only eight appearances for the Kestrels..: memorable more for his name than any exploits on the track... I can't recall Les riding again after that early season spell with Crayford in '75, though he was into other motor sport so maybe that took his attentions..?? I’ll ask George, as I understand Ott at the time they rode together for the Kestrels worked for him…

7 was an early start time but not so early - I recall with misplaced pride - that I couldn't leave a game at Highbury, get back to Orpington on the train, meet my mate Keith at the station for a jet-powered drive to Kingsmead and we STILL had time for a pint before the meeting..!! No, I don't know how we did it either..!!!

Putting aside the controversy of 'Goodwingate' , there are a few obscure-ish names in that list, KB..!! Here’s a challenge..: what about, whatever happened to the 14 riders in Highwaymen/Kestrels history with three or fewer league appearances..??! You’ve already mentioned Richard Newnham and Keith Cornell with just two official appearances each as Kestrels; as did Richard Willis in ‘75. In the earlier incarnation, someone called Ian Spencer appeared twice for the Highwaymen..: did he pop up later at Kingsmead..?? Those with three appearances only are Tony Brooks and three far more famous names: Arthur Price who went onto to win the Second Division Riders champs with Boston; Dingle Brown ( a recent associate of mine in Womble-land but soon, I hear, heading for sunnier climes..!!) and the late Vic Harding. There were a handful riders in Crayford league history with just a solitary appearance to their names. Anyone know what happened to this famous (or maybe not so..!!) five: Peter Gay, Cyril Hathaway, Terry Barclay, Nigel Sparshott and Ian Fletcher. I can fill in details of Terry..: he’s one of the brave boys in blue in Sussex. No, not a Brighton & Hove Albion footballer…!!!! Which leaves just one on the list and this is THE enigma I’ve puzzled over for over thirty years!! In the Kestrels’ opening two matches in ’75 (away at Crewe, home to Boston) the rider at number seven (scoreless in both matches) was named as Dave Howard. Yet when the team photo was taken at that same opening NNL home fixture the guy wearing the no. 7 race-jacket is most certainly the rider who appeared there for most of the rest of that opening season, Bill Archer. Whilst I can understand why Howard lost his slot to Archer, I could never fathom out how come the team photo taken that day before the match included Bill and not Dave Howard..!! And I seem to recall when the Star printed the team pic on the inside back cover some weeks later he was named as Howard. I’ve always wondered, were they, in fact ,one & the same person; and for some reason Archer called himself Howard in those first two matches…!! Any thoughts..??!!

QUOTE(spin king @ Dec 18 2006, 08:56 PM) Did Martin Goodwin ever ride for Crayford? Er, this was your posting, Kev following on from the chain above…. Perhaps no wonder that KB and I both assumed you were talking about Martin Goodwin…??!!

Interesting....!! Good to see that the Dagenham Girl Pipers were there!!! I always understood only Belle Vue ran during the war. Seems this track in London carried on , for a while at least, too...

For more info. on the venue and the event see a terrific two page article in this week's 'MCN' (pp 42-43): cover-date 19/12/06. You'll see from that, we're talking a half-miler and that's a size of circuit not seen for dirt track racing in this country really since the early days (bar the odd Long Track event on similar Trotting tracks over the years..). BTW, the correct name for the venue (slight mistake in the otherwise outstanding ‘Motor Cycle News’ article with the spelling..) is Amman Valley and there are ambitious plans for the place. See www.ammanvalley-trotting.co.uk for more details: check out in particular the page titled. ‘Redevelopment’… Whether these plans could include Speedway is something open at this stage only to conjecture…. For now, I say come along on June 16th. for a unique event and an appropriate way to celebrate (almost to the day..) the 80th. anniversary of ACU-approved dirt track racing in the UK.

On the subject of the greatest living Kentishman, Sagey.. My pal, namesake and near neighbour (he keeps telling people he's my grand-father but then they retort I look older than 'im..!!! ), 'Gentleman' George Barclay told me the other day that Alan was round his gaf (as we say here in Dagenham!!!!) the other day fixing, I think it was the boiler..: or perhaps another plumbing job... Am hoping to organise a Crayford reunion (along the lines of the one expertly put together by shazzy bird the season before last..) at the Old Gun Site sometime this summer. Bryn tells me a regular visitor there is Jack Bibby but that he's lost his flowing locks and so difficult to recognise.. I don't know, premature hair loss..?? Might happen to me one day!!??

Well, this is certainly news to me..!!!! Neither could've been League fixtures as Martin Goodwin defo didn't appear for the Kestrels in any NL matches. Late in November in '81 must have been a leg of the Kent/Herts Trophy: a 'triangle-event' with a traditionally uninspired name involving, er, the two Kent sides and that bunch from Herts!!! Does seem a tad early in Martin's career though, as he didn't made a pukka debut until Arena Essex did in '84.. We need help from the boyo Williams here...!!! EDIT: Or are we talking about Keith Cornell here..?? He DID have two NL matches in '81 & '82 without scoring. I'm confused!!!!!!

Yep..: I'd say that's right.. Mind you, in Andy's day there was an arrangement between Crayford & Iwade which saw the Old Gun Site club as an official 'nursery' for the Kestrels - so on that basis I'd say Mr. Galvin can be claimed as Crayford's own...

Hmm, that's true.. You'll have to forgive the old fella..: but when you start on your first Bundy before 11am wot can one expect..??!! Paul Whittaker, though, does have the distinction of being the last rider ever to have appeared at Crayford Stadium..: riding a few demonstration laps aged just 15 after the final meeting there in October 1983. Like Mark Loram after him, Paul qualifies (in my mind at least..!!) as the great Crayford discoveries that never were...!!!!

Is it just me but wasn't £5k an extremely large amount of money for 1928..??!! Especially as - as we've mulled over at some length already..!! - there was already something approximating to a cinder 'track' in position..??!! I wonder how this sum would translate in current money values with the cost of laying a track today.. - especially as, ironically, about a year ago negoiations were underway with the modern day Corinthan Casuals (the merged incarnation of the two previous football club tenants of CP) to put in a track 'round their current home..??!!

Hmm, okay..!! I was thinking more of riders returning or dropping down to the 'second division'..!! Ken McKinlay certainly outdoes Mike Broadbank in that respect...! But with Scunthorpe able to gain one-up on a Kentish club here (and remembering the bashings the current Scunny incarnation gave to Sittingbourne this past season.. ): gives me a chance to strike back for Kentish pride by recalling these two results..: 17/7/79 Crayford 60 Scunthorpe 18 (NL) and 18/8/81 Crayford 60 Scunthorpe 18 (NL) Happy days!!!!!

Someone referred previously (can't seem to find the reference now..) to a photo of the 1929 Southern League Crystal Palace team on page 113 of Ron Hoare's excellent 1979 book, 'Speedway Panorama'. The team shot is on the centre green and ground markings suggest (to me) that this doubles as a football pitch or similar. The trees in the background bear a striking resemblance to the aerial photo of the Crystal Palace FA Cup Final venue stadium in White & Lilliman's 'Football Grounds of London'. That aerial shot shows that even some years later part of this ground remained tree-lined. I'd suggest that the pic in 'Panorama' is strong evidence (if more was needed..) that the Speedway track was indeed around that once famous football pitch. As the redevelopment of that ground to be replaced exactly by the current Athletics Stadium is a matter of fact (rather than conjecture), I would say that suggestions that the Speedway circuit was located elsewhere in the CP Park grounds are off the mark… It’s interesting, though, isn’t it how quickly details like this can be lost or become confused.. We owe a big debt to the likes of Robert Bamford and John Jarvis (even with the odd error..: I think it’s Clapton/Lea Bridge they may have got wrong, is that right norbold..??) for producing their ‘Homes’ book and to all the track-specific histories to keep the details alive for generations well into the future when no-one will actually remember the tracks in question…

Both myself & Steve Eversfield are working on the project: I think Steve knows how to set up the site and both he & I have plenty of photos and info. for it. Just finding the time is the prob..!!! Your help, Brian (and of course anyone else's) will be much appreciated..! Am about to change my ISP so when I have new email address will give you this, Brian, in a PM.. BTW, there is an issue of the Defunct Speedway Tracks series devoted to Crayford. 24 pages full of facts, figures and pix and a full narrative dealing with the history of Crayford Speedway. Available from Speed-Away Promotions – email oriolecy@btinternet.com or ‘phone 01253 733288. That book refers to a web-site that I started with my daughter’ help but which hasn’t got very far (and will be replaced by Steve’s one in due course). To see what are literally a handful of pix on that site visit, www.Crayford-Speedway.piczo.com

Actually he did make an effort to ditch the 's' when he reached the pinnacle of any rider's ambition..: a heat-leader role with Crayford...!!!

Of course that should read Broadbank... Mind you, the superfluous 's' is apparently on all seven of the FIM World Final medals he gained.. You'd have thought after the first one he'd have corrected them; but then I guess Broady wasn't one to make a fuss!!?? I asked on a previous thread (in connection with his year at Crayford in '76..) was/is Mike the rider with the most World Final appearances to have ridden in the 'Second Division'..?? With seven appearances he must be in contention..??!!

This must be the 'track' used for the Path Racing: the forerunner to the Speedway.. I thought we'd established that the actual Speedway track was certainly around the old football ground and therefore exactly under the site of the current Athletics Track..!!

This was IMHO, the greatest Speedway meeting ever..!! PC literally 'walked on water' at this stage. What a tragedy that that freak injury suffered a week or so later denied him a (certain) second World title in Gothenberg..

Well, no actually - but now I've dug the prog. from out the loft, I'd guess that the missing words were, "top scorer with 11 points and winner of the top scorers' race"..!!?? So who inflicted his only defeat on the night..? Clue: it was, I'm guessing, the rider with the most World Final appearances to have appeared in the Second Division..?? Wasn't it great in the days when a 4TT had a top scorers' race and they called it "Top Dogs Tear-up"...!!!???

oooh heck, it's been 24 hours since shazzy laid down the gauntlet and I've clearly been struggling...!! Best I can do for now, is to recall the occasion in June '76 (hmm, seems just like yesterday...!!??) when the apparently mighty Crusaders returned a meagre (being generous now!!) total of six to the mighty Kestrels' thirty in a round of the NNL4TT at God's own Speedway track.. Trouble is, I know said Sharron will retort with the fact that despite this, her uncle Ted was on the winning side that evening with the Rockets.. Come on Williams, put down that Bundy, come in out of the sun and help me out here...!!!

Hmm, now how did I guess that you'd make this particular posting, iris..??!!! The Press Release is aimed, I guess, at attracting youngsters interested in the Road Racing side of motorcycling hence these riders getting a mention.. But I can tell you that there's been interest in the CCM Youth Cup already from riders from a grasstrack and youth Speedway background. Coz the STUK rounds happen on Speedway circuits the sport's already relatively high profile within Speedway circles..: hence the publicity being geared more to others from different backgrounds..

A ha! I can't tell you how happy I am you asked this!! And that Bryn is getting all Bundy-ed up in Oz so I can get the answer in first!! It was home rider, Barry Thomas on 15 June 1982 with a time of 56.4 seconds. Strangely, Thommo also held the track record the first time Crayford closed down. Then a Canterbury rider, his time on a bigger circuit was 60.0 set on 12 August 1970.

Short Track UK, CCM Motorcycles and the A.C.U. have come together to form a unique single-manufacturer championship to run alongside the prestigious Short Track UK Championship. Short Track (known as Flattrack in the USA) is where many motor cycling champions have cut their teeth. Nicky Hayden was a flat track champion in his native States, as were many other greats such as Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Randy Mamola and Eddie Lawson; even Valentino Rossi has a short track oval which he uses for training back home in Italy! The Short Track UK championship is contested by big names from across Europe from a diverse range of motor cycling disciplines including Motocross, Supermoto, Enduro, Speedway, Grasstrack and Road Racing. Short Track UK will be starting its third season in 2007 - with more riders wishing to compete. However, to build a solid structure for a sport which will continue to grow, Short Track UK realises that it must encourage youth into the series. So, in collaboration with CCM Motorcycles and the A.C.U., STUK can now offer 12 to 15 year olds the chance to take part in the 2007 seven round championship. The racing will take place on the same bill as the prestigious senior UK championship on seven Saturdays from April to September in 2007. Racing under floodlights will take place at some of the best stadiums around the country - including two rounds at the BMF Show at Peterborough in front of 30,000 spectators! CCM Motorcycles have an excellent 230cc, four stroke machine which will be supplied ready to race. There will be no further tuning of bikes allowed and they will be checked at every round to ensure that all machines remain equal. The A.C.U. will be promoting the race series through their Academy and they will also be supplying bio-ethanol (a green alternative to petrol), which all bikes in the Junior Cup will run on. This is a fantastic opportunity for a complete package that will cover the racing expenses for a youngster to take part in a full season’s championship racing. The Full Package is: CCM 230cc Short Track flattracker machine – ready to race A set of made to measure Scott Leathers Racing Boots Full face Helmet Tyres and Fuel Entry to all seven championship rounds (see below) All this for a total price of £2495.00 Dates and venues for the 2007 championship are: Saturday 14th April Norfolk Arena, King's Lynn Saturday 19th May BMF Show, East of England Showground, Peterborough Saturday 16th June brand new dirt track venue in South Wales: details to be confirmed! Saturday 14th July Norfolk Arena, King's Lynn Saturday 11th August Arlington Raceway, Eastbourne, Sussex Saturday 15th September BMF Show, East of England Showground, Peterborough Saturday 22nd September Mildenhall Stadium, West Row, Suffolk For details contact Peter Boast on 01507 313829