Parsloes 1928 nearly

Thanks Brian. But I think I'll take back my admission of being dim. There was virtually no clue as to the site being referred to until you provided this info..!! See you in the Rye House PH before the meeting on Easter Monday..?? D.

Umm, am I being incredibly dim ( ) but have we actually been told what the address of this site is..??!!

Hmm, yes, it's the anniversary of when I had "around a hair" too...!!!!!

And not listed in the fixtures for Good Friday in today's Star either...!!!

I take it from your postings that Ice Racing is acceptable to you whereas Flattrack (Short Track) isn't..??!!!

Hmm, have you been inhaling the smoke on the top deck of the bus in Streatham again..??!!

And Justin Elkins..???!!!!

Around the same time he struggled without success to break into the Wimbledon side too didn't he..?? Just goes to show that no-one needs to be an overnight success to make it to the very top in the end....

Such bitterness..: mind you, I can understand it as clearly that Charm School you enrolled in really ripped you off...!! So norbold has seen all the riders and teams he writes about too has he..??!! I've met him and though admittedly he's a bit of a nervous car passenger, he's not THAT old...!!

In these days of squads I've had to go with an all-time 1-12 rather than just 7.. 1) Paul Woods 2) Trevor Barnwell 3) Steve Naylor 4) Barry Thomas 5) Alan Mogridge 6) Pete Wigley 7) George Barclay With, completing the squad: Paul Bosley, Kevin Teager, Bob Young, Dingle Brown & 'Red' Ott.... What's that..?? They all rode for Crayford too..?? Oh, yes..!!!

Dear, dear..: did you get out of the wrong side of bed this morning, iris..!!! Sorry for mentioning the article..: you are, of course, perfectly at liberty to ignore it..!!

I've written an article on 'Money for Speed' in this month's 'The Speedway History Magazine' (e-mail oriolecy@btinternet.com for details of how to subscribe or purchase single issue). The following month, 'Britannia' will feature. And who knows, the series of Speedway in the TV & Movies may eventually get to 'Honest'...!!!

Still doesn't get a mention in the fixtures listing on the BSPA site..??

Hmm, can you imagine Mr. Golding given charge of a laser gun..??!!!

Does anyone know if/when the details of this meeting may be announced..? Read in the Star that Plymouth are staging one of the QR's on Good Friday..: will this be an evening meeting do we know..??

Now, now Kenny..: as we both know the weather is ALWAYS good at Iwade.. (Hmm, this is easy for me to say as I'm always tucked up nice and warm in the announcers box whereas you're a-top another of the gun turrets freezing your proverbials off..!! ) August 19th. looking favourite then..??

Hmm, for a man who doesn't drive, a surprising concern about car parking!!?? Of course one of the beauties of Crayford was its proximity to the station which had an excellent service into London and all those suburban stops on the way. The greatest tragedy of Speedway in the south-east has been the loss of accessible public transport links to tracks. No one could, in all honesty, say that getting to Eastbourne, Sittingbourne or Arena (er, Lakeside..!) is easy by train. In the days of Crayford, Hackney, White City & Wimbledon one could - and as a teenager, I did.. - easily get to watch Speedway from any part of London at all those trackswithout having to worry about needing a car. Sure Bryn still manages it now; but essentially one has a car or one doesn't go!! This has excluded kids who want to or had to go without parents and many OAPs too. Rye House is close to a station, though, and that gives it IMO a big advantage for many Speedway fans over other tracks in the region...

RR: see above. You must have missed this earlier posting of mine. Explains the 'technical' reasons why a Speedway track couldn't possibly be located in the new 'stadium' (sic)

Thinking about that Crayford reunion as a possible event during one of Sittingbourne's matches this year..: has anyone a preferred date among the following: July 1st. (when Plymouth are the visitors) August 19th. vs. the 'old enemy' Rye House September 2nd. vs. Oxford The Rye House match has an obvious appeal..: and I guess Uncle Len (once Crayford's co-promoter..) would be in attendance plus maybe Steve Naylor.. But then the fact that none other than the legend that is Bryn Williams is the Oxford CL team's Chairman (and, he's asked me to say, 2005 CL winning Team Manager..!!) might make September 2nd. a good date...? There are other CL dates at the Old Gun Site obviously but thought summer might be better and gives more time to organise..: and maybe get sponsors for a proper commemorative second half event..: perhaps for the Del Lewis trophy..?? Any old Highwaymen/Kestrels out there..: it's your event, what do you think..??

As I think I posted earlier in this thread..: Paul Whittaker was too young (ie not yet 16) to ride for Crayford or indeed, in offical second half races at London Rd...: but I've always believed (though could be wrong...!!) that he was the youngster who rode some practice laps after the final match in the '83 season and became therefore the last rider ever to rider on the Crayford track..? I think that is correct, Bryn isn't it..???

The new stadium (well built in 1985 so not exactly 'new' anymore!!) is an entirely functional animal. Indeed, I wouldn't really go as far as calling it a Stadium at all. There's effectively just a dog track (and a small one at that) encompassed on three 'sides' (alright an oval can't have three sides, but you get my drift!? ) with just the boundary wall; and the only viewing area is offered by a (reasonably plush with restaurant facilities included) grandstand and a small bookies and standing area outside at the front of this stand. The lighting stanchions have out of necessity to be placed on the centre green and the location of these more than anything else (plus the too small size) make putting in a Speedway circuit inside the dog track a literal impossibility. When this travesty happened it was the first custom-built new dog track to be built in the UK for a few decades. As far as I know the 'model' hasn't been replicated elsewhere. BUT: there was talk last year of something very similar to replace the Abbey in Swindon and I'd bet a sizeable chunk of my life that before too long it's this kind of idea the GRA moot to LB Merton to deal with that Council's resistance to any plans to redevelop Plough Lane...

Having had the pleasure of seeing Lee Complin in action in last year's Short Track UK championship last year (he's back to defend his title in '07 over seven rounds at Kings Lynn, Eastbourne, Peterborough, Mildenhall and a brand new track!! - details to follow: don't miss 'em!) - I honestly wouldn't be surpised if he won the Wayne Carter meeting..!!

Excellent Bryn. Back from all that harmful sunshine and booze in Oz and contributing the expert knowledge we've been coveting to the best thread on the BSF!! As you know, I wasn't a Crayfordite 'til 1975 but have checked the London Rd. career records of Dave & Arthur and they read: Parry, Dave 1968 4 12 8 2.67 Price, Arthur 1968 3 9 6 2.67 As you say nearly identical!! D.

Can't believe you don't mention Simmo's finest moment in domestic Speedway..: team managing the mighty Crayford Kestrels in 1983...??!!!

You make it sound like it was a group of rather mischievous boy scouts she was joining up with..: it was the Nazi Party, for goodness sake! And these “few silly comments” included changing the lyrics of hymns, replacing God’s name with Hitler’s.. Remember at the very same time she was caught doing this, the object of her devotion and admiration was masterminding sending literally millions to their deaths in gas chambers.. Comparison with today isn’t at all relevant; but seeing as you mentioned it, the same sort of – what you appear to regard merely as oddball – far right groups spawn the likes of David Copeland, who bombed Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho murdering and maiming people in the name of the fascist, white-supremacist beliefs of the BNP.. I’m sure everyone on here, speedyguy, has great respect for you and of your knowledge of, devotion to and opinions about Speedway past and present (I know I do, despite our occasion ‘hand-bags’ over your view on the Plough Lane situation..!): so I really hope you don’t lose that respect by leaping to the defence of this person and her vile views and behaviour in years gone by.. And with respect, those in the crowd at New Cross in 1948 wouldn’t have had, like we do now, access to the hugely incriminating MI5 records on Taylour’s views; and I’d guess the majority on the night wouldn’t ever have heard of her not-much earlier internment. If they had, I doubt very much that any would’ve wanted her anywhere near the stadium, let alone to be lauding her as a heroine…