Merlin Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Have you got a couple of minutes? You have! Then let me tell you about one of the most exciting finishes to a match I ever saw. Come with me back to Saturday 10 June 1961 (before you were born do you say?) to Old Meadowbank for a Provincial League Match between the Edinburgh Monarchs and the Rayleigh Rockets. I took my cousin along and we left the match limp with excitement (no clever comments please!). The sides lined up as follows: Edinburgh: 1. Douglas Templeton © 2. Willie Templeton 3. George Hunter 4. Jimmy Tannock 5. Dick Campbell 6. Alf Wells Reserve - Wayne Briggs Rayleigh: 1. Reg Reeves 2. Roy Craighead 3. Stan Stevens 4. Bob Thomas 5. Harry Edwards 6. Pete Sampson Reserve - Terry Stone In those days matches were raced over 13 heats. Each rider had 4 scheduled rides except for the reserve who was programmed to ride only in Heats 3 and 8. There was no nominated heat (apart from a choice of reserve in Heat 12) but Heat 13 always had out the big guns with the riders at 1 and 3 from each team meeting. Rayleigh Rockets were a real Southern based English powerhouse team with three superb heatleaders in Reeves, Stevens and Edwards. The previous season - 1960 - the inaugural season of the Provincial League they had inflicted the biggest home defeat of the season on the Monarchs by 27 - 45. So it was with some trepidation that we went along to this match. This is how it went. Heat 1. Reeves, D Templeton, W Templeton, Craighead 3-3 3-3 Heat 2. Stevens, Hunter, Tannock, Thomas 3-3 6-6 Heat 3. Briggs, Craighead, Stone, W Templeton 3-3 9-9 Heat 4. Edwards, Campbell, Wells, Sampson 3-3 12-12 So far the Rayleigh heatleaders had won their opening heats. Unfortunately we couldn't take advantage of the fact they weren't out in Heat 3. Then a break - Heat 5. D Templeton, Stevens, W Templeton, Thomas 4-2 16-14 Heat 6. Edwards, Tannock, Hunter, Sampson 3-3 19-17 Heat 7. Reeves, Campbell, Wells, Craighead 3-3 22-20 And now for Heat 8, the last heat where there were no Rayleigh heat leaders. Could we press home our advantage? Heat 8. Thomas, Briggs, Stone, Tannock (ef) 2-4 24-24 Disaster - Jimmy Tannock's engine failure meant we had lost a heat we really had to win. Heat 9. Edwards, D Templeton, W Templeton, Sampson 3-3 27-27 Heat 10. Campbell, Stevens, Wells, Thomas 4-2 31-29 Dick Campbell's win had put us back in the lead but with Reeves and Edwards unbeaten and out in all of the last three heats it still looked black. Heat 11. Reeves, Tannock, Hunter, Craighead 3-3 34-32 Heat 12. Edwards, Campbell, Stone, Wells (ef) 2-4 36-36 Again Alf Well's engine failure had cost us dearly. Instead of going into the last heat with an advantage it was all square. Heat 13 was a cracker. Reg Reeves (unbeaten) was off gate 1. George Hunter (3 points) was off gate 2, Stan Stevens (7 points) was off gate 3 and Doug Templeton (7 points) was off gate 4. When the tapes went up it was a fairly even break with Reeves showing slightly ahead but he drifted wide and George Hunter was through. Stan Stevens was in third place with Doug Templeton at the back. On the second lap George pinned Reeves on the curve riding the white line, he made a slight wobble which put Reeves off and gave him a bit of breathing space just when it seemed he must be passed. Doug Templeton was still stuck at the back. Third lap - no change and we began to think we might possibly get out with a draw if George could just keep it going. Then on the last lap George rode immaculately to sail home in first place. At the back Doug Templeton on the 3rd bend of the last lap rode straight up to the banking at the top of the bend then cut back hard and caught Stevens passing him just before crossing the line. What a finish - it brought the house down. Heat 13. Hunter, Reeves, D Templeton, Stevens 4-2 40-38 Great stuff. The point scorers that night were: Edinburgh: Dick Campbell 9, Doug Templeton 8, George Hunter 6, Jimmy Tannock 6, Wayne Briggs 5, Willie Templeton 3 and Alf Wells 3. Rayleigh: Harry Edwards 12, Reg Reeves 11, Stan Stevens 7, Bob Thomas 3, Terry Stone 3, Roy Craighead 2 and Pete Sampson 0. This was a match never to be forgotten. I wish they could all be like that - you'd never be able to get all the crowd in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandman Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 much appreciated, never too old to smoke one is what i always say! All joking aside, you very likely saw the sport at its best. Templeton bros, hard cases. The standard of the way it used to be.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Posted November 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Templeton bros, hard cases. Especially Dougie - get oot ma bloody road - Templeton, but never dirty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandman Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 wully was pretty tough too. george hunter in the day.. man wish i coulda seen the 50's and 60's. went down hill after the peak. still great sport mind you, but half of the riders from the 70's thru today wouldnt have stood up to the hard cases from then. ahhhh. deep tracks, working class following with working class racers, deep tracks and forty horsepower with 22" tyres. Notice i didnt mention big handlebars.. and all the fights.. in those days no one stepped in to stop em.. oh well back to reality, thanks Merlin for the memory.. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Posted November 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 What always sticks in my mind from those days was after the match at Old Meadowbank (on Saturday nights) we used to head for the chip shop and then for home to watch Quatermass on the television. What a way to spend a Saturday night! Wouldn't appeal to many today (especially since Quatermass is no longer on TV! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted November 10, 2003 Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Come with me back to Saturday 10 June 1961 (before you were born do you say?) Unfortunately no. I do hope you have copied this from somewhere and you haven't remembered it all because I get really depressed when people can recall specific matches and races. I can remember sod all about Speedway years ago although I have been going since 1949. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Posted November 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2003 Come with me back to Saturday 10 June 1961 (before you were born do you say?) I do hope you have copied this from somewhere and you haven't remembered it all because I get really depressed when people can recall specific matches and races. I can remember sod all about Speedway years ago although I have been going since 1949. :-( It just so happens that I can remember a lot of that meeting particularly heat 13 which will live with me forever because it was just as good as seeing your team score the winning goal in the cup final. I was just a slip of a lad at the time (the lad being my father the slip being me! ) but I remember jumping about the terracing hugging people to share in the joy of the moment (at least that's what I told the policeman who arrested me!). I still have the programme I filled in that night which is why I could supply all the heat deatils - my memory isn't that good. In fact if you asked me what I had for my tea last night I'd be struggling to remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandman Posted November 11, 2003 Report Share Posted November 11, 2003 thus spake zaranthustra.. 8) flies in the market place ;-) ahhh, an educated man, merlin, my hero... ;-) sorry for the spelling.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted November 11, 2003 Report Share Posted November 11, 2003 I still have the programme I filled in that night which is why I could supply all the heat deatils - my memory isn't that good. In fact if you asked me what I had for my tea last night I'd be struggling to remember. Ah! I am feeling better already. The only races that stick in my memory from Blackbird Road were when Mike Lanham and Colin Cook had terrible accidents after getting hooked up on the wire safety fence. Colin Cook beating Ole Olsen from the back to save the match for the Lions. That was brilliant! Also Mark Courtney dragging his foot through a big puddle on each lap to splash Olsen, but I'm getting help with my memory for these two because I have them on video. From Hyde Road, Belle Vue, another awful crash involving Mick McKeon and Mike Lohmann which was a deliberate attempt to fence one of the riders following an incident on the previous bend. Can't remember who started it and did the retaliating, but they both ended up in hospital. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maddriver Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 And it ended Lohmann's career.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 Happiness is and always will be 40 - 38 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 And it ended Lohmann's career.. Do you know which one did the fencing? All I can remember is a Nicki Pederson type pass on the previous bend which the rider took exception to so he went after him on the next bend. A bad case of the red mist descending and an utterly stupid thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff. Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 And it ended Lohmann's career.. It did almost cost Mike Lohmann his life but he did in fact make a comback from this in 1981. He raced through to almost the end of the season, although he was a pale shadow of the rider he used to be, before quitting to make way for the returning Peter Collins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Posted December 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2003 Does anyone else have memories of a particular match with a tension packed ending. I for one would like to hear about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maddriver Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 Belle Vue v Reading KOC final, 24 Oct 1973...78-78 on aggregate, run off between P.C. and Anders Michanek,passed and repassed each other several times a lap for 4 laps....Wish it was available on film,my dad has the audio,not quite the same tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Posted December 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 Belle Vue v Reading KOC final, 24 Oct 1973...78-78 on aggregate, run off between P.C. and Anders Michanek,passed and repassed each other several times a lap for 4 laps....Wish it was available on film,my dad has the audio,not quite the same tho... So who won and what was the final score? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maddriver Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 Oops, sorry,P.C. of course..only jokin..thought that run off was legendary... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevH Posted December 22, 2003 Report Share Posted December 22, 2003 That was the meeting PC had his clutch on the throttle side of his handlebars because he was riding with a broken left wrist I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maddriver Posted December 22, 2003 Report Share Posted December 22, 2003 Yes,they were both hampered,P.C. had clutch and throttle on one side and Mitch had bike problems and borrowed Bernie Leigh's machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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