customhouseregular Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 As always...who do you leave out?. Of course, being a World Champion Bluey is an all-time great, but pre-war was so different from post-war. So I concentrated on post-war. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Of course. always difficult to compare, but from my forays into the past, reading reports, looking at records and statistics and so on and so forth, I'd say that Bluey Wilkinson should not only be included, but has a strong case for being no.1, the best Hammer of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer sam Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) Wilkinson and Jack Young are definitely the top two. Shouldn't Tiger Stevenson and Arthur Atkinson also feature? And what about Wally Green? Simmo never seems to be gone above third heat-leader at Custom House, although he was very young. But isn't about how well the riders did at the club, rather than future achievements. Simmo was nearing his best at King's Lynn, and at his brilliant peak at Poole. My West Ham knowledge isn't strong enough to give a 1-7, but interested to see what Norbold comes up with. All the best Rob Edited February 6, 2015 by lucifer sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Thank you, Rob Well,my top seven depends on which definition we go for. All time best or best when they were actually riding for the club. For an all time seven I would go for: Bluey Wilkinson Jack Young Bjorn Knutson Aub Lawson Sverre Harrfeldt Eric Chitty Arthur Atkinson For a when they were actually riding for West Ham I would go for: Bluey Wilkinson Jack Young Bjorn Knutson Aub Lawson Sverre Harrfeldt Eric Chitty Arthur Atkinson er..... Other possibles to put in an "all-time" team would be Malcolm Simmons, Olle Nygren and Ken McKinlay. The problem with Eric Chitty is that he probably had his best days during the War so it's difficult to know where to put him. Arthur Atkinson is another who lost out through the War. Although Cordy Milne was favourite to win the 1939 World Championship, there were many who felt that Atkinson might win it. Taking away their War time records at Belle Vue and what might have been, maybe Malcolm should be included above both of them all-time. Who started this??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customhouseregular Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Can't argue with Wilkinson, Stevenson or Atkinson. I was largely going from my memories and my Mother's memories, although she went pre-war also but was a child at the time. Let's make it a West Ham top 10 shall we?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer sam Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) Who started this??? Dunno. It's really hard though. Just been trying to do it for the Cheetahs: Oxford “all-time”: Hans Nielsen Tony Rickardsson Jason Crump Greg Hancock Nicki Pedersen Billy Hamill Simon Wigg Oxford “while riding for club”: Hans Nielsen Simon Wigg Arne Pander Ron How Greg Hancock Leigh Adams Marvyn Cox Blimey, how tricky is this? For the latter list, no room for Todd Wiltshire, Jimmy Gooch, Ronnie Genz, Dag Lovaas, Hasse Holmqvist, Martin Dugard, etc, etc. Actually Todd really should be in there. But who on earth should I take out of the side? All the best Rob Edited February 6, 2015 by lucifer sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 It's alright for all these Clubs with History. The mere four and a bit years we had at Sunderland prevents me entering this Discussion really. It was long enough to give me a lifetime love of Speedway. GREAT to read the memories of Norbold, Customhouseregular and Lucifer Sam though. :approve: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Talking of "all-time" best who rode for West Ham, I've just remembered that Split Waterman rode a few times for West Ham in 1955 and then there's Colin Watson....oh dear, it gets worse. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiheke1 Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 It's alright for all these Clubs with History. The mere four and a bit years we had at Sunderland prevents me entering this Discussion really. It was long enough to give me a lifetime love of Speedway. GREAT to read the memories of Norbold, Customhouseregular and Lucifer Sam though. :approve: how about this:Millen Smith Dent Wells Gatenby Barclay Havelock 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) how about this: Millen Smith Dent Wells Gatenby Barclay Havelock Excellent and thank you for that. But I was thinking of the greats of our Sport. We never got the chance to develop that far. You could have added Jim Airey, Gordon Guasco and Ken Sharples too. We had some good Riders but no World Champions. Jim Airey was our lone World Finalist - long after he left us of course. :approve: Edited February 6, 2015 by The White Knight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) Talking of "all-time" best who rode for West Ham, I've just remembered that Split Waterman rode a few times for West Ham in 1955 and then there's Colin Watson....oh dear, it gets worse. And what about Vic Duggan for Wimbledon? Or Nordin and Harrfeldt? Your memory must be really fading... How about dem Bees? Hans Nielsen Ole Olsen Nigel Boocock Tom Farndon Jack Young Greg Hancock Jack Parker No room at the inn for Hamill, Tatum, Knudsen, Shirra, Mountford, Case, McKinlay, Harris, Nicholls... Steve Edited February 6, 2015 by chunky 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Was Farndon that good for Coventry?I thought he was the junior rider to the Parker brothers.Long time since I looked at any results,so my memory might be playing tricks,but surely Norman was at the time better?And I would have thought someone like Knudsen certainly was.Ok later he was a star,but at this time wasn't he just a promising rider? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted February 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 By the time Tom left Coventry he was their number one rider above both Parkers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 By the time Tom left Coventry he was their number one rider above both Parkers. Ok.Didn't realise that or maybe forgot it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickthemuppet Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) By the time Tom left Coventry he was their number one rider above both Parkers. No true though is it 1929 Tom Farndon league average 6.73 1929 Jack Parker league average 10.76 1930 Tom Farndon league average 8.30 1930 Jack Parker league average 10.34 And then 1931 JP 10.02 TF 6.76 1932 JP 8.80 TF 8.00 1933 JP DNR TF 8.94 1934 JP 8.00 TF 8.94 1935 JP 10.50 TF 10.06 So Jack Parker's average was better than Tom Farndon in 7 out of 8 years.in which they both rode Edited February 7, 2015 by mickthemuppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted February 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Where did you get Jack Parker's average for 1930 from? In September the qualifiers for the Star Championship finals were announced based on the league averages. Tom qualified in eighth place, while Parker did not qualify at all. Also, I hadn't realised that Tom Farndon and Jack Parker both rode for Coventry from 1931 - 1935. Tell me more about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickthemuppet Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Where did you get Jack Parker's average for 1930 from? In September the qualifiers for the Star Championship finals were announced based on the league averages. Tom qualified in eighth place, while Parker did not qualify at all. Also, I hadn't realised that Tom Farndon and Jack Parker both rode for Coventry from 1931 - 1935. Tell me more about this. Perhaps one or two things might help you Young Norbold I got Jack Parker's average from the points he scored divided by the races he took part in ,times four. Jack Parker got 10 maximums that season compared to Tom Farndon's 7 although he missed 9 matches whileTom Farndon missing only one.Can you work out why Jack Parker did not qualify for the Star final . The clues are all here. Where did you get the bit about the qualifiers for the Star final were based on their league averages It was not based on league averages at all otherwise Jack Parker would be number one Where did I say TF and JP rode for Coventry between 1931 until 1935 If you want I will give you the teams they both rode for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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