Bank Holidays Of The Past

[Sidney the robin]

I can remember going to a Swindon v Kings Lynn meeting i think it was on a good Friday in 1973?.I still have the programme with Briggo on the front this after getting an MBE Bettsy scored a few i remember.

[BangerBoy]

Sorry "Banger what are your memories of Bank holiday meetings.?

As I said before in the 70's when the Racers used to ride at Exeter in the morning then a mad dash to Wimbledon for the Internionale in the evening then when that stopped it was back to Tilehurst the same day.

[daveallan81]

steve roberts, on 01 Jun 2016 - 07:30 AM, said:

My brother once attempted three meeting on a Bank Holiday. Ipswich in the morning, Rye House in the afternoon and Hackney the evening...I think that one of them was rained-off but can't remember which?

 

The only time I ever managed three in one day was at the August Bank Holiday - Exeter at 11am, Newport at 2.30 and Swindon at night. Exeter didn't finish until 12.45pm and I drove like a madman to arrive at Newport right on start time.

[britmet]

Memories of Bank Holiday mtgs;
.
i) August Bk.Hol, 1961, - back then the Aug. Bank Hol was the first Monday in the month - , traveling by coach overnight to Exeter for the morning mtg v. Cradley, . . . in the days before any motorway other than the M1. . .
. . . . and returning home to do it again on Wed. to Poole and back,
. . . . and again on Friday, further West to Plymouth (Pennycross) and back
Shattered !. . .but a pleasant memory.
.
ii) Whit Bk. Hol 1965. The first Internationale of the British Lge, . . . with the first appearance of a Cradley rider at a big mtg,
. . . Cradley fans circuiting the dog track en masse, banners waving, to announce the Heathens arrival on the international scene,
. . . Despair in Ht.1 as that Fundin fella cut across Ivor Brown, who hit the steel stanchion and was stretched off with lower spinal injuries. (Fundin rightly excluded.)
Shattered again, with sad and angry feelings.

 

[iris123]

Oxford was a favourite destination on Bank Holidays for me.Remember the Dons supporters bus stopped there for an Oxford v Coventry meeting on our way to see the Dons(well it was a bit of a made up team with Bernie Leigh,Mick Bell and John Davis )get spanked by Neil Street + Crump in 1974.Was there earlier in the season to see the Dons in the BL.Then the next season we had a home + away double with Oxford on august Bank Holiday.Oxford had the amazing Helgi Langli......

 

What ever happened to Wayne Muddle?Remember seeing him in a second half at Oxford and looking at his results it seemed he only appeared in 2 meetings a few seasons later for Barrow?

[customhouseregular]

Memories of Bank Holiday mtgs;

.

i) August Bk.Hol, 1961, - back then the Aug. Bank Hol was the first Monday in the month - , traveling by coach overnight to Exeter for the morning mtg v. Cradley, . . . in the days before any motorway other than the M1. . .

. . . . and returning home to do it again on Wed. to Poole and back,

. . . . and again on Friday, further West to Plymouth (Pennycross) and back

Shattered !. . .but a pleasant memory.

.

ii) Whit Bk. Hol 1965. The first Internationale of the British Lge, . . . with the first appearance of a Cradley rider at a big mtg,

. . . Cradley fans circuiting the dog track en masse, banners waving, to announce the Heathens arrival on the international scene,

. . . Despair in Ht.1 as that Fundin fella cut across Ivor Brown, who hit the steel stanchion and was stretched off with lower spinal injuries. (Fundin rightly excluded.)

Shattered again, with sad and angry feelings.

 

 

 

I was at that Internationale meeting and remember the Ivor Brown crash well.

[steve roberts]

Oxford was a favourite destination on Bank Holidays for me.Remember the Dons supporters bus stopped there for an Oxford v Coventry meeting on our way to see the Dons(well it was a bit of a made up team with Bernie Leigh,Mick Bell and John Davis )get spanked by Neil Street + Crump in 1974.Was there earlier in the season to see the Dons in the BL.Then the next season we had a home + away double with Oxford on august Bank Holiday.Oxford had the amazing Helgi Langli......

 

What ever happened to Wayne Muddle?Remember seeing him in a second half at Oxford and looking at his results it seemed he only appeared in 2 meetings a few seasons later for Barrow?

Good grief! There's a name form the past Wayne Muddle! Remember him vaguely.

 

Helgi Langli (brother of Tormod) was introduced to replace Eddie Davidsson (father, I think, of Jonas?) and started promisingly. It was reported that he had had a knee cap removed from a crash previous to joining Oxford (had previously ridden for Newcastle in 1969?) and his real claim whilst a 'Rebel' was defeating Ray Wilson at Cowley. Super race in that he used all of the track to keep Ray behind him! His career ended at Oxford when I believed he injured himself falling thru' a loft!

 

If I recall Eddie's brother, Jan, rode for Eastbourne during the late seventies early eighties.

 

There was something about Bank Holiday meetings and we, as a family, would holiday down on the south coast and once popped along to Eastbourne who ran meetings on one particular Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Edited June 1, 2016 by steve roberts

[Knowle]

Coach to Exeter from Bristol with Jim Coles and the Bristol Speedway Supporters Club,. Back to Burnham on Sea for lunch. Speedway talk all day. Happy days!

[steve roberts]

Good grief! There's a name form the past Wayne Muddle! Remember him vaguely.

 

Helgi Langli (brother of Tormod) was introduced to replace Eddie Davidsson (father, I think, of Jonas?) and started promisingly. It was reported that he had had a knee cap removed from a crash previous to joining Oxford (had previously ridden for Newcastle in 1969?) and his real claim whilst a 'Rebel' was defeating Ray Wilson at Cowley. Super race in that he used all of the track to keep Ray behind him! His career ended at Oxford when I believed he injured himself falling thru' a loft!

 

If I recall Eddie's brother, Jan, rode for Eastbourne during the late seventies early eighties.

 

There was something about Bank Holiday meetings and we, as a family, would holiday down on the south coast and once popped along to Eastbourne who ran meetings on one particular Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Actually, thinking about it, I think that Jan Davidsson was the father of Jonas and another son who rode for Poole (can't remember his name) which would have made Eddie an uncle. Eddie never settled at Cowley as he always seemed to be drawn to the fence as if by a magnet!

Coach to Exeter from Bristol with Jim Coles and the Bristol Speedway Supporters Club,. Back to Burnham on Sea for lunch. Speedway talk all day. Happy days!

I seem to remember the Bristol Speedway Supporters Club making regular trips to Cowley before the advent of Eastville in 1977?

Edited June 1, 2016 by steve roberts

[Red Flag]

August Bank Holiday Wolves v Cradley Dudley Wolves Trophy so brutal they stopped them

[MattJ81]

August Bank Holiday Wolves v Cradley Dudley Wolves Trophy so brutal they stopped them

 

Sadly I think the only thing that stopped them was Cradley no longer being around to win them

 

They were a highlight of the season though, especially with Hamill and Hancock in the Cradley team who rode Monmore like it was their home track

[chunky]

I would even miss my beloved Dons if it meant I could take in two or three meetings in a day! I think I managed three twice; one was Lynn, Ipswich, and then Hackney. I did two several times, including one venture outside the usual south-east circuit, taking in Wolves and Cradley. There was another time - I don't think it was a Bank Holiday - where I did Canterbury and Milton Keynes.

 

The great thing i those days was that you would see a bunch of the same people at each meeting, as we all had the same idea! Those were the days...

 

Steve

[iris123]

If you are lucky enough to live in or near Denmark,you can make 3 meetings on a Saturday quite often.This weekend I could go to Esbjerg 10:00,then Grindsted 13:00 and have plenty of time for some food and even a nap before going to Holsted for 19:00......I won't though

[Robbie B]

For me it has to be the Internationale. Not just I'm a Wimbledon supporter, but probably it was the first speedway meeting I saw on TV back in the 1960s.

 

I have just completed a full history of the Internationale meeting that I will be sending to various publishers with the hope of publication.

 

The book doe contain full heat details of all Internationale meetings including the 1961 qualifying rounds, along with an heat by heat race analysis and details. There's also a full glossary of all riders including their statistics.

 

i will let everyone know on the BSF of any protential publication date.

[cityrebel]

Geographically the best three in one day I went to was long eaton, scunthorpe and Halifax in 1982. I've also done Exeter, weymouth and swindon, peterborough, king's Lynn and Boston, reading, rye house and Wimbledon, king's Lynn, ipswich and hackney.

[daveallan81]

But how many of you have done three meetings but in two different countries in the one day?

 

That fact had never actually dawned on me, it was my better half that pointed it out.

Edited June 3, 2016 by daveallan81

[Wiseguy]

Used to love Exeter's Easter Trophy matches against Weymouth Wildcats, Poole Pirates or even the Poole wildcats as they were for a couple years

 

 

Poole always had the better riders but didn't always have it there own way, Loads of away fans and always a great atmosphere

[longlivefrankie]

But how many of you have done three meetings but in two different countries in the one day?

 

That fact had never actually dawned on me, it was my better half that pointed it out.

 

Does wales & England count ? If so possibly yes then

[daveallan81]

Ken Morgan, on 11 Jun 2016 - 9:06 PM, said:

Does wales & England count ? If so possibly yes then

 

According to me it counts

 

Where did you get to?

[longlivefrankie]

I have vague recollections of a meeting at Newport one bank holiday v wolves I think then onto a afternoon meeting at either Oxford or Swindon then return wolves but it may all be all in my head or even different places in afternoon an d evening it was when I was verybyoung and I sold my collection of programmes 2 years ago so can't check

 

May be all ..a dream lol