stratton Posted November 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 1986. Swindon v Oxford. Swindon had just dropped Per Sorensen and Oxford signed him. Swindon 28 Oxford 50 (may have been even more than that, can't quite remember) and Per scored a paid maximum. Happy days! Remember that and the Nielsen/Per Partnership was very good indeed, Sorensen was a very useful rider knew him and Peter Glanz reasonably well as they were often seen about in Stratton.But Nielsen really helped Sorensen in his riding bigtime, he made alot of progress when going to Oxford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 All those days i enjoyed very much "Norbold" i was not lucky anough to see from 1960 onwards i started going in 1969 have been going ever since.Another meeting that sticks out for me was a Swindon v Halifax meeting 63-15 Ian Cartwright the only visiting rider to split a home pair a right mauling. If I remember rightly, I think it was 62-15, with Swindon even getting a 5-0 at one point. I think a 4-2 against Cartwright and a last place by David Ashby were the only times a Swindon rider got beat. 1986. Swindon v Oxford. Swindon had just dropped Per Sorensen and Oxford signed him. Swindon 28 Oxford 50 (may have been even more than that, can't quite remember) and Per scored a paid maximum. Happy days! I think it was either 23-55 or 25-53. Great one for me was Phil Crump's maximum against the might of Cradley Heath in 1983. We lost 29-49 but celebrated as if we had won the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 If I remember rightly, I think it was 62-15, with Swindon even getting a 5-0 at one point. I think a 4-2 against Cartwright and a last place by David Ashby were the only times a Swindon rider got beat. I think it was either 23-55 or 25-53. Great one for me was Phil Crump's maximum against the might of Cradley Heath in 1983. We lost 29-49 but celebrated as if we had won the league. I often have a chat with Ian Cartwright when I'm passing thru' Kilburn in North Yorkshire where he is one of the directors of 'Mouseman' Robert Thompson Ltd where the fine furniture they produced has a mouse motive carved into it! He's a very nice, unassuming man and I enjoy reminiscing about the old days with him! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeyenz Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 I started going to speedway at Eastbourne in 1971 and will always remember Gordon Kennett passing John Louis in a really great race. The highlight of the meetings were often the Second Half final which always seemed to featured Gordon and Dave Kennett, Malcolm Ballard and Roger Johns. Heart in mouth stuff as they threw their bikes at one another. It was amazing that Reg Trott often scored heavily in the match but would come a quiet second in his second half heat thus avoiding the madness of the final!!! Another favourite memory is a 17 year old Neil Middleditch passing Arthur Price on the last corner in Heat 13 to join Bobby McNeil in a 5-1 for a 40-38 win. It was 1973 and in that year Boston were the champions and Price the BL2 Riders Champion. First away meeting was Young England Vs Young Poland at Canterbury. Bit of an eye opener after the smaller Eastbourne track. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickthemuppet Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Having seen English FA Cup finals and England international football matches , Wimbledon Tennis finals and England cricket teams regaining the Ashes in the early fifties with Compton and Bill Edrich .Also the Manchester United football team just before the Munich air crash the best sporting event I have ever seen was the 1949 World Speedway final at Wembley . Nothing could compare to the atmosphere that evening. I have never so many people at a sporting even before or ever since. As I supported Wembley it was the icing on the cake when Tommy Price won and I think it was the only time English riders were first, second and third 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Having seen English FA Cup finals and England international football matches , Wimbledon Tennis finals and England cricket teams regaining the Ashes in the early fifties with Compton and Bill Edrich .Also the Manchester United football team just before the Munich air crash the best sporting event I have ever seen was the 1949 World Speedway final at Wembley . Nothing could compare to the atmosphere that evening. I have never so many people at a sporting even before or ever since. As I supported Wembley it was the icing on the cake when Tommy Price won and I think it was the only time English riders were first, second and third And fourth! Beating the Yanks in 1937 and the Danes in 88. Those early Wembley finals must have been incredible. My dad went to everyone of them, I saw the last three,(maybe 72, can't remember!) Fantastic events. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 And fourth! Beating the Yanks in 1937 and the Danes in 88. Like Freddie Williams, Tommy Price often suffers in the "who was the greatest" discussions through being a Wembley rider and therefore somehow their World Championship wins (including Price's 1946 Riders' Championship win) are to some extent discounted as they were on their home track. However, it should also be remembered that Price qualified for the 1949 final in top place with the highest number of points from the Championship Round (semi finals). Tommy Price was a great rider of his era, there is no doubt about it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 With all due respect re Freddie Williams and Tommy Price- I agree with all that's been said-BUT if the 1949 World Final had been held at Belle Vue and the 1950 Final at Birmingham -we might have been having the same discussion re Jack Parker and Graham Warren being World Champs. Surely Tommy and Fred were Egon Muller type World Champs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE5705 Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 greatest memories for me have got to be on the Sampson coaches to hackney hawks away trips, everybody was so relieved when the coach finally got to the away tracks as they were well known for breaking down either before they left hackney stadium or on route like we ended up at Watford gap services and no further on our way supposedly to Hyde road. just going back to 1980 I remember getting to belle vue at around 3pm glorious blue sky, sun out with hackney hawks think there was 2 Sampson coaches that made it that day lol, only to be told that the meeting was rained off(called off way to early) if memory serves me correctly belle vue had a weaken team out that night everybody was pretty peed just wondered if a few back handers were being dished out to get it called off 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickthemuppet Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 With all due respect re Freddie Williams and Tommy Price- I agree with all that's been said-BUT if the 1949 World Final had been held at Belle Vue and the 1950 Final at Birmingham -we might have been having the same discussion re Jack Parker and Graham Warren being World Champs. Surely Tommy and Fred were Egon Muller type World Champs. Freddie Williams won two world titles and was runner up within four years so hardly a Egon Muller type winner. People always quote that perhaps Freddie Williams or Tommy Price might not have won the world title had it no have been on their own track, yet nobody ever mentions the other Wembley rider who won a world title Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) Freddie Williams won two world titles and was runner up within four years so hardly a Egon Muller type winner. People always quote that perhaps Freddie Williams or Tommy Price might not have won the world title had it no have been on their own track, yet nobody ever mentions the other Wembley rider who won a world title I don't know why there are continual attempts to discredit Egon Muller's world championship victory. On the day he was brilliant - and that's what counts. Nor, as with the Wembley riders who won the world title, Muller was hardly riding on his 'home' track. British bitterness - a national character trait when our favourite loses out - in regard to Muller]s title triumph is akin to how the 1970s success by Poland's Jerzy Szczakiel is viewed. Yet if one studies his racing career it reveals him to also have been a very accomplished rider at international level. And besides the DESERVED world championship victories in post-war seasons by Tommy Price and Freddie Williams, the other Wembley world champion was the Australian star Lionel Van Praag in 1936. Edited November 26, 2015 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 With all due respect re Freddie Williams and Tommy Price- I agree with all that's been said-BUT if the 1949 World Final had been held at Belle Vue and the 1950 Final at Birmingham -we might have been having the same discussion re Jack Parker and Graham Warren being World Champs. Surely Tommy and Fred were Egon Muller type World Champs. As I said, Tommy Price topped the qualifiers for the 1949 World Final. In the Championship Round (semi-finals) at Bradford he scored 14 points compared to Graham Warren's 11; at West Ham he scored 13 points to Jack Parker's 9. So no home advantage in either of those but still managed to beat them both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Yes he was. A very classy rider. He had a bad crash with Trevor Hedge at Wood Lane in 1976 and he admitted that he lost his nerve (interview in 'Backtrack' magazine some years ago) His brother, Ulf (another favourite of mine), rode for Cradley and Oxford but his style was so very different. Sorry Sidney to bring this one up but one of my great memories was the Swindon v Oxford (BL) clash at the tail end of the 1986 season. 'The Cheetahs' gave 'The Robins' a real drubbing and my abiding memory was Per Sorensen securing a paid maximum on his return to a track that had earlier discarded him. He must have been 'over the moon' with that performance. Per's signing really turned Oxford's season round and they went on to become invincible in all competitions that year! I was watching a DVD only the other day featuring a match between Leicester and Coventry (1978) at Blackbird Road and Tom Godall was riding for 'The Lions' wearing Dag's leathers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer sam Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 (edited) I think it was either 23-55 or 25-53. Try Swindon 21 Oxford 56, and you'd be correct. Per Sorensen unbeaten by an opponent, as was Nielsen, Wigg and Cox. We even gifted you a 5-1 in Heat 2 (De'ath machinery problems while leading) to give you a chance. Around 2,000 Oxford fans made the trip, and by the end, all the Budgies fans had disappeared into the woodwork, to leave us celebrating our second successive BL title. Happy days :D All the best Rob Edited November 27, 2015 by lucifer sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangerBoy Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 I don't know why there are continual attempts to discredit Egon Muller's world championship victory. On the day he was brilliant - and that's what counts. Nor, as with the Wembley riders who won the world title, Muller was hardly riding on his 'home' track. British bitterness - a national character trait when our favourite loses out - in regard to Muller]s title triumph is akin to how the 1970s success by Poland's Jerzy Szczakiel is viewed. Yet if one studies his racing career it reveals him to also have been a very accomplished rider at international level. And besides the DESERVED world championship victories in post-war seasons by Tommy Price and Freddie Williams, the other Wembley world champion was the Australian star Lionel Van Praag in 1936. Not just then the track was made to suit him (Muller )which was ovious at the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Not just then the track was made to suit him (Muller )which was ovious at the time Who made that claim. British speedway press reporters angry that their pre-meetig forecast had gone wrong and they needed to justify their error? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Who made that claim. British speedway press reporters angry that their pre-meetig forecast had gone wrong and they needed to justify their error? Interesting but I do recall John Berry quoting that 'Billy Sanders could claim to have been the best SPEEDWAY RIDER on view that afternoon and finished second - but nobody was going to stop Muller..." I was there and Muller was by far the quickest rider on view that afternoon although Hans Nielsen had the beating of him until he threw a chain (?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Muller wasn't the shock winner people now like to think he was, I went on a coach trip to that final, and beforehand practically the whole coach thought he would win. My friend got him in the sweepstake and everyone else wanted to swap! 1983 was very much a limbo year. Penhall had retired and Nielsen and Gundersen were still on the way up. Muller was one of the favourites. I remember going to the 1976 final in Poland and he was pretty spectacular in that too. Was on course for 11 before his last race crash. Maybe won't be remembered as an all time great but just as worthy as riders like Loram and Havelock, if not more so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratton Posted November 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Muller wasn't the shock winner people now like to think he was, I went on a coach trip to that final, and beforehand practically the whole coach thought he would win. My friend got him in the sweepstake and everyone else wanted to swap! 1983 was very much a limbo year. Penhall had retired and Nielsen and Gundersen were still on the way up. Muller was one of the favourites. I remember going to the 1976 final in Poland and he was pretty spectacular in that too. Was on course for 11 before his last race crash. Maybe won't be remembered as an all time great but just as worthy as riders like Loram and Havelock, if not more so. I really believed Lee could win the final he had been on fire for about six weeks prior and after the final he rode very well.Any speedway fan knew Muller had a hell of a chance (ie he was quality rider with great aquipment and we all know he had excellent time there practicing at Norden a well deserved winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Muller wasn't the shock winner people now like to think he was, I went on a coach trip to that final, and beforehand practically the whole coach thought he would win. My friend got him in the sweepstake and everyone else wanted to swap! 1983 was very much a limbo year. Penhall had retired and Nielsen and Gundersen were still on the way up. Muller was one of the favourites. I remember going to the 1976 final in Poland and he was pretty spectacular in that too. Was on course for 11 before his last race crash. Maybe won't be remembered as an all time great but just as worthy as riders like Loram and Havelock, if not more so. I also thought at the time - and nothing since then has changed my mind - that Egon Muller was a deserved world championship winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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