star ghost

So we have invented a new Competition for Fantasy Speedway. A Four-team tournament for the "Crufts Trophy". Competing teams Bristol, Birmingham, Reading and Plymouth.

If Bristol and Birmingham made comebacks the league could have 3 "Bulldogs" teams ...... Bristol, who were the Bulldogs.......Reading, who are the Bulldogs.......and Birmingham who were the Bulldogs (The Original ones at that)

Malcolm Simmons had a season promoting at Kings Lynn with Bill Barker under the Quailmist banner but resigned his position during the next close-season. The figures for his two match "spell" at Lynn are correct. It was stated at the time that he was too experienced to act as a number 8 rider for Lynn.

The info on Dick's death is correct. Dick and Tom were second-halfers at the Firs and Dick rode in some of the Junior matches that Norwich ran against Southern Area League teams in those days. I have mentioned these two riders as they were South Africans in British Speedway. They were also twins, something of which I can only recall one other pair, the Cox's at Kings Lynn

Fritz Dirtl from Austria was due to ride for Norwich at one time but when his Continental bookins became known he would not have been available very often so the idea was dropped. Did Robert Funk ever come to U K to ride? The Killmeyer brothers, Karl & Leopold, both rode at Norwich I recall. South Africans - Alan Chambers who was an Englishman, naturalised, I think. Tom & Dick Sayer, twins, who were riding at Norwich for a while. Dennis Newton, another of the naturalised riders from the past. Naturalised riders will always be a problem as to where they fit in. Bert Spencer and Tiger Hart are called Aussies but were born in England as was Ron Johnson up in Scotland. Nowadays Andy Smith and Rune Holta just chose to use another nationalities licence and this is not the same thing.

I always thought Arne Hendricksen was of Dutch parentage. First Post-War Dane was Keihn Berthelsen at Norwich in 1952

The figures do not do full credit to Paddy. They are for League matches only. My figures are full for the League, Cup and Trophy matches Paddy rode for the Stars. I understand he started at Crayford and Dagenham in the mid 30s then rode under his own name, Horace Burke, at the Leicester track when it was unlicensed. He rode under the name Paddy Mills at Leicester in 1937 but the team withdrew from the Provincial League after a few matches, Paddy scored 6 in his 4 matches. He was at Sheffield in 1938 scoring 42 in his 15 League matches. In 1939 he kept improving and got 60 in 12 matches. Wartime came and Paddy joined the R A F during which time he was awarded the B E M for his rescue of airmen from a crashed blazing bomber in the South of England. After the War he was selected from the Pool by Dick Wise for Norwich. He had a superb time with the Stars. In 1946 in all matches he scored 370 from 44 matches. In 1947 it was 462 from 52 and in 1948 he took 558 from 60 matches. 1949 he was selected for England but a crash resulting in a fractured skull cost him this honour. Scoring 317 from 39 matches he kept up his form and in 1950 he rode 45 times and scored 329. In 1951 he followed with 313.5 from 54 as Norwich took the title for the second time. 1952 saw Paddy and the Stars in Division One at last. An injury plagued season saw Paddy and most of the team struggle. He rode 20 matches for 52 points. In 1953 Paddy helped out at Stoke on a few occasions but he only totalled 10 points. 1954 found him promoting at Brafield in the new Southern Area Sunday League. Mid-season he left and started up at Long Eaton but this track was unlicensed so Paddy and his riders were all suspended. He was at Norwich in 1960 for second-half rides for a few weeks but didn't follow up on any come-back. During his time at Norwich he ran a Decorating Business in the City. Local cartoons often showed Paddy "paste-ing" the visiting teams after he had scored yet another maximum. Many tales of Paddy abound but that is another story as they say. I think he still has a son in the Midlands somewhere.