Parsloes 1928 nearly

Nice to as well! Not sure I totally followed all of the last posting but I think have to take some issue with the comparison between Chris Morton & Anders Michanek. Michanek was surely the best rider in the world in '73, was an outstanding winner of the World Final in '74 and dropped only one point (to winner Olsen) in finishing second in '75. Mort couldn't in truth claim any of those things in any year...

As much of this debate sems to hinge around semantics, then i need to point out that the word 'junior' when used in this context does NOT imply age exclusively. Indeed a dictionary definition of 'junior' includes "Lesser in scale than the usual" and "lower in rank or length of service". In other words a junior competition is as much for novices, starters, people of far less experience etc. than it is about age. Which makes sense. Think about it, Michael Lee was riding top division Speedway at 16; he'd hardly have turned out at that stage despite his very youthful age, for the equivalent junior league sides of that era. Look at Boxing too... The 'Junior middlewight' division means light middleweight not that it is young people competing.. I can tell you that as far as the Anglian Junior League is concerned there is no issue about the age of riders - it's NOT a Youth League it's one for novices, riders moving up from amateur status, starters and yes this includes some very promising schoolkids and other youngsters but also some riders who are 'junior' in the sport's terms but less junior when it comes to age..

IMHO the greatest rider in the '70s era never to be World Champ was John 'Tiger' Louis... Not sure he has really had the place due to him in the history of our sport...

Excellent posting from DaveG - a very perceptive account of that era. I loved Gordon Kennett and he was superb around White City (which I also loved) but he was never in truth World Champ material - even though, of course, he did fantastically make second in '78. Dave Jessup was to me actually a lesser star than Gordon (but that was probably just me!) - but the facts speak for themselves and he was desperately unlucky never to be world champ...

Some fair points - but I can't really see why the Olympics would mean a reduction in the crowd at the SGP in Cardiff..?

Don't know WHY the unique different position for start and finish line was brought in but I do know WHEN. It was for the start of the 1968 season. It meant of course that no longer could the track size really be described properly as a one lap measurement but as a four lap one and this was 1,239 yards (considered therefore 327 yards a ‘lap’): and so a fairly significant reduction on the old length of 355 yards. The only time after that right up to closure in '91 this arrangement of a different starting and finishing position wasn't utilised was in June 1983 at a World Team Cup qualifier. Coz this was an FIM meeting that arrangement wasn't allowed apparently. Which is a little odd coz the Internationale was an FIM meeting too and it was allowed at that meeting for decades! I remember vividly my first meeting at a packed and magical Plough Lane at the 1974 Wills Internationale - the first time ever the sixty-second mark was beaten around the track! By my all-time favourite rider, Peter Collins!!

And you had that hat on (about which no further comment shall be made... ) too!!!! Cheers for this!

tbh, for last night (Friday) no, I DON'T have heat details. If anyone else can contribute them I too would be very grateful. Have an admission to make, rather embarrasingly (but hey, Sittingbourne fans of old and Wimbledon prog readers will recall I HAVE been known to get the odd thing wrong! ) it's NOT the JUNIOR Hammers but 'tis indeed the YOUNG Hammers!!! Anyhow, another great win for the lads tonight at RH and for that I DO have the full details (er, well minus a winning time for heat 4). What happened was the Pocket Rockets only had two riders so we loaned them Simon and a three-a-side four heat match (within the rules of the AJL) was raced. With the following outcome: Rye House Pocket Rockets 11 1) Tom Braddock 5 2) Danny Verge 3 + 1 3) Simon Pearce 3 + 1 Lakeside Young Hammers 13 1) Mark Baldock 8 2) Martin Pearce 1 + 1 3) Jack Kingston 4 Heat 1) Braddock; Baldock; M. Pearce; Verge 65.1 3-3 [3-3] Heat 2) [rerun] Kingston; Verge; S. Pearce; M. Pearce (f.exc.) 63.6 3-3 [6-6] Heat 3) Baldock; S. Pearce; Kingston (f.rem.); Braddock (f.rem LPD) 72.5 4-2 [8-10] Heat 4) Baldock; Braddock; Verge; Kingston 3-3 [11-13] :approve:

That's NEVER been out of fashion, speedy!!

Result & scorers from last night: Junior Hammers 21 Fen Tiger Cubs 14 Lakeside JHs Mark Baldock 7 Martin Pearce 2+1 Jack Kingston 7+1 Adam Sheppard 5+2 Mildenhall FTCs Niall Strudwick 1+1 Joe Graver 3 Nick Laurence 9 [M] Martin Knuckey 1

Slight change of topic. Last ever meeting at Crayford in October 1983... The Newcastle Diamonds number 7 was a J. Clayton...? Well according to my prog. but I can find no record of such a rider appearing for Newcastle that year... Was it possibly by chance, Clayton Isbel (a name I'd never heard of but have now seen mentioned in the stats)??

Cheers geez!! Certainly not referring to the great Master Hooper...: one of my all time favs was the peerless pugalist!! And as for Just William..: guess you mean Bill Archer...! Thanx - that must be him!

Have the Rye House Pocket Rockets line-up now for Saturday (after the Plymouth PL match). The Pocket Rockets are (nb. as above in alpha NOT riding order): Tom Braddock Joe Exley Nick Lee Danny Verge

No, the reference is to the KL AJL team hosting the Lakeside Junior Hammers on the 30 May. This WAS going to be after a KL vs. IoW NL fixture but now the main fixture that evening appears to have changed from that IoW NL match to an EL match between the Stars & the (senior) Hammers.. Complicated innit!!

.. in 1980 by the name of S. Brooker. Anyone know his first name? And same question about a second half rider at London Rd. the following year ('81): D. Cooper

Season finally gets underway for the Lakeside Junior Hammers this weekend with home match vs. Mildenhall later today (Friday) and an away match at Rye House on Saturday. JH team for both fixtures (NB. listed alphabetically NOT in riding order) as follows vs. Mildenhall Tiger Cubs (H) Mark Baldock Jack Kingston Martin Pearce Adam Sheppard vs. Rye House Pocket Rockets (A) Mark Baldock Jack Kingston Martin Pearce Simon Pearce The Mildenhall team competing at Lakeside (also in alphabetical not riding order) is: Joe Graver Niall Strudwick Martin Knuckey Nick Laurence Don't know the RH team atm

Were you rushing off to catch last orders in the boozer, Phil?!

Gosh - only just saw this posting. Best wishes to Chris from all involved with the AJL

Brilliant as ever Mike! I've known you for, what, over 10 years now and I STILL don't know how you know everyone in the western world's date of birth!!!!

Is there any update on how Adam is? After his awful misfortune getting injured in, what I seem to recall, was his very first ride of last year's NL season, I'm sure we all hope there's no kind of length of lay-off this time around...

it does, but disappointingly, the A-Z has not been updated at all for anyone for 2012... Knuckey not Knuckley I believe.. Rode two matches last season for the Newport Hornets in the NL. Hails from St. Austell and a former mascot for that much missed Cornish side, the Trelawney Tigers

That's a total sickener... Bloody typical sadly of London Borough of Newham... :mad:

Niall is indeed Lee's cousin. I understand that though spelt 'Niall' it's pronounced 'Neal': at least this is what I was once told! Niall appeared in Wimbledon second halves from as early as 2004 - as speedyguy says. Niall was even track reserve (got a couple of outings..) in the 2005 Conference Pairs.. A meeting about which I REALLY should learn not to even mention slightly in a posting on this Forum!!! Actually Niall did once ride for a winning 'team' at Wimbledon in the only 4TT staged there '02 to '05 in Sept. '05: Scott’s Speedsters 28 (Scott James 10; Grant MacDonald 10; James Clement 7; Rob Smith 1; Niall Strudwick 0);

Which was something once being suggested. Still a hope that the rebuilt Eastway at Temple Mills/Ruckholt/Eton Manor after the OGs MAY contain a Cycle Speedway facility...

Hmm, what the team which WON at Buxton on Sunday do you mean..?!