Crayford Juniors 1983

[Essex Kestrel]

Not sure what happened to my post which precedes the May and June info (maybe lost in the moderators inbox since I am new?!) so am re-providing the earlier match details.

The first Southern Junior League match for the Kestrels was 4 May away v Weymouth (although most of the team lined up for Iwade v Junior Dons on 20th March- I'll share some info from this later)

1. Humphries, Terry, Dowie, Dowsett 72.6 secs 4-2

2. Dowie, Dowsett, Newnham, Pinder (Rtd) 74.0 7-5

3. Humphries, Terry, Newnham, Pinder (ef) 74.1 10-8

4. Terry, Dowsett, Dowie(fell), Humphries(fell) awarded no time Kestrels win 10-13

Next up Reading away 25th April

1. Dowsett, Warren, Terry, Hunt 66.2 secs 2-4

2. Terry, Warren, Andrews, Newnham(fell) 66.2 5-7

3. Dowsett, Newnham, Edwards, Andrews 66.6 6-12

4. Terry, Dowsett, Hunt, Warren 66.2 Kestrels win 7-17 (Bob Radford stated that the JK team were too strong for the league!)

First home match 26th April v Exeter

1. Terry, Dowsett, Fey (F-Exc) Mike Semmonds F-inj replaced in re-run by Andy Semmonds (F-Exc in re-run) no time 5-0

2. Terry, Fey, A. Semmonds, Newnham (F-rmt)61.8 8-3

3. Dowsett, Newnham, Fey, A. Semmonds 61.8 13-4

4. Terry, Smith, A. Semmonds, Fey (NS) 61.2 Kestrels win 18-5 (Nick Smith took a reserve ride in the nominated heat)

back to the Iwade meeting v Wimbledon - it finished 49-29 to Iwade with Andy Glavin getting a 12 point max, Mark terry paid for the lot 11+1, Richard Newnham 7+4, Nicky Smith 6+2 and Brad Dowsett 5. A certain Martin Goodwin who had done some Crayford second halves got 8 from 5 starts and Steve Bosley was rather unlucky and scored just one from three starts.

 

Hope this interests someone after I have sat and typed this post pub!!

 

 

[Essex Kestrel]

Here's the last few matches of the Junior Kestrels League winning season for the statos

19th July home v Wimbledon

1. Terry, Newnham, Vance, Carter (Rtd) 61.6 5-1

2. Terry, Smith, Bines, Carter 59.8 10-2

3. Smith, Newnham, Bines, Vance 59.7 15-3

4. Smith, Terry, Bines, Vance 60.0 20-4 so a comprehensive vistory for the JKs

The scheduled match v Oxford on 2 Aug was postponed so the next league match was 1st Sept away v Oxford Cubs

1. De'Ath, Minnett, Newnham, Terry (rtd) 64.6 5-1

2. Minnett, Terry, Williams, Smith (fell) no time 9-3

3. De'Ath, Williams, Newnham (exc 2 mins), Smith NS 65.2 14-3

4. Minnett, Williams, Newnham, (F-Exc), Terry (Rtd) 65.0 19-3 an unusual and dramatic reverse for the JK (is this how / why they claimed the league?!!)

A chance for revenge came a few days later on 6th Sept back at London Road

1. Terry, Newnham, Minnett (fell NS in re run), Williams (Fell) 59.7 5-0

2. Terry, Weygang, Smith (F-Exc), Minnett NS 60.0 8-2

3. Newnham, Weygang, Gentry, Williams (Smith exc tapes) 60.8 12-4

4. Newnham, Terry, Williams, Weygang (F-Rmt) 62.2 17-5

 

Like everyone else I cant find a record of the away fixture at Wimbledon ever being run.

We did however have a challenge match back at Reading towards the end of June where the Rivets actually beat the JKs 15-9 (Mark Terry scored 8 of the 9, Nicky Smith 1 and Richard Newnham failed to trouble the scorer that night.

 

Thanks folks it was fun looking back on this fine achievement. Hope you found it interesting.

 

Kev

[Gatwick Rocket]

Kev, I have just seen these posts and they look excellent. Tomorrow I will read through them carefully and add the details to my 1983 records. One immediate thought, I reckon the folk at Edinburgh will argue against your claim that Malcolm Bedkober was the oldest junior rider as they had George Wells doing second halves and Scottish Junior League meetings well into his 40s.

 

Cheers!

[Gatwick Rocket]

Hi Kev, I've been through these now and it is really great that you are able to share this detailed information from all those years ago. I think it was Brian Butterfield that finished fourth in heat four v Swindon as I had it from elsewhere that he had three rides in that meeting. From memory I would guess that that came from one of the Swindon programmes as they were very good at covering their juniors around that time.

 

Do you have more details that you can share on the Iwade v Wimbledon or Reading v Crayford challenge meetings? There was also a return challenge between Crayford and Reading at London Road on 12 July but I don't have any details for that meeting other than the final score was 16-7 to Crayford.

 

Equally, if you have rider scores and/or heat details for other junior meetings around that time I would love to get them from you. You can message me rather than post them on here if you prefer.

 

Thanks again - you've been very helpful

 

 

Richard

[Essex Kestrel]

Hi Kev, I've been through these now and it is really great that you are able to share this detailed information from all those years ago. I think it was Brian Butterfield that finished fourth in heat four v Swindon as I had it from elsewhere that he had three rides in that meeting. From memory I would guess that that came from one of the Swindon programmes as they were very good at covering their juniors around that time.

 

Do you have more details that you can share on the Iwade v Wimbledon or Reading v Crayford challenge meetings? There was also a return challenge between Crayford and Reading at London Road on 12 July but I don't have any details for that meeting other than the final score was 16-7 to Crayford.

 

Equally, if you have rider scores and/or heat details for other junior meetings around that time I would love to get them from you. You can message me rather than post them on here if you prefer.

 

Thanks again - you've been very helpful

 

 

Richard

 

Hi Richard, yes I will see what I can dig out on those matches. The details are from my own progs of the era as I (along with a few others that were daft enough and fortunate enough to have jobs that allowed us to follow the Junior Kestrels as well as the main team). We even set up a junior team fanzine alongside Bryns excellent Kestrel News - following the popular TV programme of the time we entitled it "Not The Kestrel News"!

I dont have much on other junior matches of the time as I was pretty kestrel focussed!

Cheers

 

Kev

[Essex Kestrel]

Not much more on the Iwade v Wimbledon match of 20th March - it was sponsored by Andy Galvin's parents, Paul Whittaker rode for Iwade, Gordon Humphreys scored 7 and Phil Vance 6 paid 7 for the Dons.

 

The challenge matches v the Rivets ran as follows

Away

1. Terry, Passey, Warren, Newnham 65.2 3-3

2. Terry, Warren, Hunt, Smith 64.7 6-6

3. Passey, Hunt, Smith, Newnham 64.8 11-7

4. Warren, Terry, Passey, Smith (F-Exc) 65.2 15-9

Home 12th July

1. Terry, Newnham, Ransom, Edwards 59.7 5-1

2. Smith, Baine, Ransom, Gentry 60.0 8-4

3. Newnham, Smith, Bain, Edwards 60.7 13-5

4. Newnham, Ransom, Bain (fell), Smith (F-Exc) 59.8 16-7

 

Thats pretty much it from my archives (as they are now - I ditched all my non Crayford progs a couple of decades ago!)

 

Cheers

 

Kev

[Gatwick Rocket]

Thanks Kev, that's brilliant