norbold Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 Our oldest World Championship Finalist survivor, the great Split Waterman is 94 today. My first hero. Happy birthday Split. Only six to go to the century! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
False dawn Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 My goodness. Those of us who remember, surely didn't realise Split was still in there kicking. Good on yer. Now I think about it, Poole have persuaded Tony Rickardsson and Mark Loram to come out if retirement for their 70th. What about Split doing a couple of laps? Nothing ambitious, no leg trailing or anything. Oh well, maybe not. But he could be a guest of honour eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 (edited) My goodness. Those of us who remember, surely didn't realise Split was still in there kicking. Good on yer. Now I think about it, Poole have persuaded Tony Rickardsson and Mark Loram to come out if retirement for their 70th. What about Split doing a couple of laps? Nothing ambitious, no leg trailing or anything. Oh well, maybe not. But he could be a guest of honour eh? Only snag to a Squire 'Split' Waterman UK appearance might be the fact that he lives in Nerja, Southern Spain. At least that was the last location I had for him. I seem to recall reading that Ove Fundin and Bert Harkins visited him there earlier this year. Edited July 27, 2017 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 This is a retort to everyone who thinks they have to eat veggies and drink no alcohol.. I have ordered a case of whatever it is that Split drinks and am following his dietary recommendations of eating bacon and eggs for breakfast ever day. Split-live long and prosper!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 He once got a mention on Terry Wogan's Radio Two morning programme! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOS50 Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 He once got a mention on Terry Wogan's Radio Two morning programme! And there was a poem about him on Radio 4, sometime in the eighties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
britmet Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 He once got a mention on Terry Wogan's Radio Two morning programme! . And he was the rider that a Mastermind contestant failed to get in his specialist subject.. . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 The colourful life of Split Waterman as recorded on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_Waterman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted July 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 Split, of course, is one of speedway's greatest characters and well-known for his sense of humour and loud rasping laugh. Stan Stevens once told me the story about how, just before the start of the 1961 World Championship round at New Cross, he saw Split cutting grooves into his tyres in the paddock, so he asked him if this improved them for racing. Split replied, "No, it doesn't do a blind bit of good, but it makes me feel better" and let out his famous laugh. When they met in the meeting itself, Stan outgated Split, but going down the back straight on the first lap, Split passed him and, as he did so, he just turned to look over at Stan and grinned at him.I am glad I actually got to meet Split many years later at a VSRA (as it then was) dinner, even if his after dinner speech wasn't exactly what everyone had expected! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midland Red Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 He once got a mention on Terry Wogan's Radio Two morning programme! Burst Watermain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted July 28, 2017 Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 Only snag to a Squire 'Split' Waterman UK appearance might be the fact that he lives in Nerja, Southern Spain. At least that was the last location I had for him. I seem to recall reading that Ove Fundin and Bert Harkins visited him there earlier this year. Then again i doubt if Tony Rickarsson lives in Dorset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split Posted July 29, 2017 Report Share Posted July 29, 2017 Split was riding in the first ever speedway meeting I attended back in 1960 and he was regarded as a veteran back then! Happy Birthday to my namesake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Templeton Posted July 29, 2017 Report Share Posted July 29, 2017 Burst Watermain I seem to remember it was quoted as "a split watermain" as a newsflash on Wogan, which prompted Wogan to refer "a well known speedway rider". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 On 7/28/2017 at 7:46 AM, gustix said: The colourful life of Split Waterman as recorded on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_Waterman This item re Split Waterman has been posted on the Speedway Museum Online website: http://www.national-speedway-museum.co.uk/fairplayforsplitwaterman.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalterPlinge Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 And the award for "most bizarre re-opening of a dead 18-month-old thread, to post a link to an even more ancient and outdated naff-looking excuse for a website" goes to..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 (edited) 4 fans turned up to protest though!!! Edited December 29, 2018 by iris123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wealdstone Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 I remember vividly Split Waterman breaking the Wembley Track record in a Test Match at Wembley in the fifties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalterPlinge Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 I remember vividly kids going to school with their heads painted purple with Gentian Violet because they had ringworm... Happy days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wealdstone Posted December 29, 2018 Report Share Posted December 29, 2018 1 hour ago, WalterPlinge said: I remember vividly kids going to school with their heads painted purple with Gentian Violet because they had ringworm... Happy days. I suppose that makes sense to you ,seems rather silly to me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OveFundinFan Posted December 30, 2018 Report Share Posted December 30, 2018 Pathetic posts from both Iris123 and WalterPlinge who seem to have their own agenda. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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