History of Brandon. Little Boy Blue Arrives at the Hive

[Bee]

1959.

 

The National League dwindled once again. Down to just nine teams. Ipswich folded after a very poor 1958. With their closure we signed a man who’d ridden for three teams, during three previous seasons, with all three teams CLOSING. Not a good omen..

 

He rode at Bradford...They Closed.

He rode at Birmingham...They closed.

He rode at Ipswich, and they too Closed.

 

And now in 1959 he signed for Coventry. With the climate as it was there were a few who wondered if this would be the end of Brandon....It was just the Dawn as NIGEL BOOCOCK opened a new chapter in the History of Brandon.

 

The man became the KING OF BRANDON until he left in 1976....

 

Despite the decline a reserves league was formed and the Southern League also ran. Bees having lost JACK YOUNG, who as promised didn’t return, made efforts to sign BARRY BRIGGS who had fallen out with Wimbledon and refused to ride for them.

 

Wimbledon refused to let him go. So we signed unknown Finland rider, ANTTI PAJARI who was wild, and reckless, but soon very popular.The team did much better remaining unbeaten at home until the mighty Wimbledon took the points at Brandon. Leicester also forced a draw late on.

 

Away from the Hive, we managed only one win. A one point victory at Southampton. GRAHAM WARREN was signed, but the Blonde Bombshell as he was known, was never the force of the early 50’sJunior ALAN PEARCE lost his life in a track crash at Southampton which obviously cast a shadow over the team.

 

The reserve team finished 5th and was not just for juniors but for anyone unable to get a team place. One youngster who came on and emerged in 1959 was RICK FRANCE.

 

Eric Hockaday and Nick Nicholls moved over to Oxford during the season and Peo Soderman didn’t return at all.In the National Trophy, The Bees came up against the mighty Dons of Wimbledon. It was considered to be all over after the first leg thrashing 71-35 to the Dons.

 

In the return leg at Brandon, Wimbledon were without Ronnie Moore. But the Bees were without Jim Lightfoot. After two races Wimbledon led 4-8 and extended their massive lead to 38 points.

 

The tie looked dead and buried. However the Bees staged a remarkable comeback... After a shared heat in the third, Bees levelled the score on the nigh in heat four. Heat five was shared 15-15. Then Bees took a 5-1, followed by a 4-2, and another 5-1. (29-19)

 

The lead had been reduced to 24. Dons took a 4-2 in heat 9 and led by 26 with just nine heats remaining. A 5-1 was followed with a 4-2 to the Bees and then THREE successive 5-1’s reduced the deficit too just 8 points with four races to go. Suddenly the great comeback was in sight.A 3-3 slowed the progress, but then a 5-1 and a 4-2 made the score 67-35. A 5-1 to finish would WIN the tie for the Bees...

 

Mountford and Forrest lined up against How and Andrews in a terrific tussle. Ron came crashing down in a do or die effort giving the Dons a 4-2 to take the tie 106-110. Bees winning 69-39 on the Night. A match that will go down as one of the real Brandon highlights over it’s 50 year History.

 

They may have failed...But, to comeback from 38 down to lose by just four in a last heat decider, was a titanic effort.

 

KEN McKINLAY won the Midland Riders Championship.

 

Coventry scorer’s 1959.

1. Nigel Boocock 171.5

2. Arthur Forrest 138

3. Ron Mountford 115

4. Guests 81

5. Morrie Mattingly 67.5

6. Jim Lightfoot 48

7. Nick Nicholls 45

8. Antti Pajari 35

9. Les Owen 31

10. Brian Meredith 9

11. Graham Warren 9

 

Reserves League scorer’s1. Brian Meredith 33

2. Graham Warren 27

3. Morrie Mattingly 23

4. Les Owen 21

5. Anttti Pajari 21

6. Rick France 14

7. Eric Eadon 5

8. Trevor Eadon 5

9. Peter Brough 4

10. Nick Nicholls 4

11. Nigel Boocock 0

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE TABLE

 

Division One 1959

 

1. Wimbledon 16 13 0 3 893 635 26

2. Leicester 16 8 1 7 759 768 17

3. Coventry 16 8 1 7 750 797 17

4. Norwich 16 8 0 8 784 763 16

5. Southampton 16 8 0 8 769 758 16

6. Poole 16 8 0 8 716 813 16

7. Oxford 16 7 0 9 733 773 14

8. Swindon 16 6 0 10 726 766 12

9. Belle Vue 16 5 0 11 735 793 10

 

1960.

 

A new decade. JACK YOUNG returned, fresh and with renewed keenness. HENRYK ZYTO from Poland was signed. Out went Arthur Forrest and Antti Pajari.

 

Hoping for improvement- It didn’t happen.! Young and Boocock didn’t get the support they needed. Ron Mountford was injured in a freak workshop accident. He got a slither of metal in his eye resulting in virtual blindness in the eye. Without question it obviously effected him and his form.

 

Jim Lightfoot was unhappy and announced his retirement. Mattingly and Warren struggled. Warren breaking his collarbone. Les Owen was the one bright spot, as he showed his emergence as a regular team member.

 

Nigel Boocock missed the opening meetings with a broken collarbone. Hopes remained high. The East Midlands Bowl was won and two comfortable wins in the Britannia Shield, using our reserves to cover for Nigel.

 

In our second meeting in the Shield, Jim Lightfoot was missing having damaged his fingers in a crash with Zyto the week before. He was also kept out with ulcer trouble for a month.

 

The Bees drafted in RICK FRANCE and moved GRAHAM WARREN in to replace Lightfoot. Two stars out, and two reserves in as replacements. Boocock was back for the return Britannia Shield Match at Leicester, but we lost at Blackbird Road 35-55.

 

Oxford were crushed 61-28 at Brandon, again without Lightfoot (ulcer). By mid May Bees had a very comfortably won all four matches at Home. But, equally struggled Away, mainly caused by the injuries to Nigel, Jim and Ron.

 

We lost at Home to Belle Vue in the Shield. Ron and Jim’s absence was too much on the night. Webounced back with a win at Ipswich and a big win at home against New Cross.

 

In June Ron returned ahead of expectations. He returned as good as ever with 13 points against Southampton.

 

The little Pole, Henryk Zyto won the Midland Riders Championship, with Arne Pander beating Jack Young in a run-off for 2nd place. Henryk Zyto bacame the first Bee to win the title in 8 years.

 

Both Jack, and Henryk qualified for the World Final.

We beat Leicester again in the Midland Cup Final. Ronnie Moore won the Brandonapolis with Henryk 2nd.

 

Wimbledon knocked us out of the National Trophy in the first round.

 

Coventry scorer’s 1960.

1. Jack Young 184

2. Nigel Boocock 171

3. Henryk Zyto 92

4. Les Owen 87

5. Ron Mountford 74

6. Nick Nichols 72

7. Jim Lightfoot 66

8. Graham Warren 40

9. Maurie Mattingly 17

10. Rick France 6

11. Col Smith 1

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE TABLE

Division One 1960

 

1. Wimbledon 17 13 0 4 838 691 26

2. Belle Vue 18 11 1 6 890 726 23

3. Oxford 18 11 0 7 816 797 22

4. Ipswich 18 10 0 8 751 863 20

5. Norwich 17 8 1 8 748.5 779.5 17

6. Leicester 18 7 2 9 793.5 825.5 16

7. Southampton 18 7 1 10 815 794 15

8. New Cross 18 7 1 10 770 840 15

9. Coventry 18 7 0 11 810 807 14

10. Swindon 18 5 0 13 754 863 10

 

* Norwich v Wimbledon never staged.

 

**Coventry v Belle Vue was ridden at Belle Vue we lost 33-57 which was worse than our AWAY match at Belle Vue when we lost 39-51!!! The meeting was staged there due to late season rain off’s and no available date at Brandon.

 

*** Jim Lightfoot’s ulcer trouble was infact a premature retirement following disagreements with the management.