The Jolly Rogers.

[BOBBATH]

Anyone in Forumland  see  all three , Cyril, Bert and Bob ride. I didn't see any -although starting in 1964 just missed out on Cyril. How would you rank them-maybe Cyril #1 , guess Bob had a bad accident which cut his career short. Would be interested in any memories.

[willstaxi]

1 hour ago, BOBBATH said:

Anyone in Forumland  see  all three , Cyril, Bert and Bob ride. I didn't see any -although starting in 1964 just missed out on Cyril. How would you rank them-maybe Cyril #1 , guess Bob had a bad accident which cut his career short. Would be interested in any memories.

I saw Cyril & Bert ride for Poole as a boy of 7 years old in 1956 but cannot really remember it also I recall Bob riding for a Swindon B side at Poole in I think 1961 when he just a shadow of his former self after suffering a fractured skull  at Poole in 1958, trying a an unsuccessful comeback . In those days I followed when I could  Southampton where Cyril was a very good second string. I would rank them Cyril, Bob & Bert

[andout]

I know I have seen all three but I don't remember Bert very well.......

You know my name BOBBATH......and those three are who I was named after!

[norbold]

I saw Cyril Roger three times in individual meetings at New Cross towards the end of the 1961 season. I have never seen Bert or Bob, so I can't compare them based on my own experience. However, based purely on the record books, I don't think there is much doubt that Cyril was the best, followed by Bert and then Bob.

[wealdstone]

I  saw all three.  But mainly remember Cyril. 

[Split]

17 hours ago, willstaxi said:

I saw Cyril & Bert ride for Poole as a boy of 7 years old in 1956 but cannot really remember it also I recall Bob riding for a Swindon B side at Poole in I think 1961 when he just a shadow of his former self after suffering a fractured skull  at Poole in 1958, trying a an unsuccessful comeback . In those days I followed when I could  Southampton where Cyril was a very good second string. I would rank them Cyril, Bob & Bert

With his last appearance at a World Final in 1959, Cyril probably had his best years behind him when he rode for Southampton in the early 60’s. He was however, very much part of the team that won the National League in 1962. It was a strange line-up in that it didn’t really have a third heat leader. With Briggs and Knutson averaging 20 points between them though it was only necessary for the rest of the team to equal that in order to win the match and they usually had somebody who stepped up on the night.

[chunky]

7 hours ago, norbold said:

However, based purely on the record books, I don't think there is much doubt that Cyril was the best, followed by Bert and then Bob.

While that may be true, Bob was probably the most under-rated of the three. Swindon's Number one for four years, he led the Robins to the National League title in 1957 with an average of around 10.5, and the only riders to score more points during the season were Briggs, Craven, and Peter Moore.

Also, we can't forget him winning the Christmas Vase at Wimbledon on Boxing Day 1956, ahead of such riders as Nigel Boocock, Peter Moore, Ron How, and his brother Cyril.

[norbold]

2 hours ago, chunky said:

While that may be true, Bob was probably the most under-rated of the three. Swindon's Number one for four years, he led the Robins to the National League title in 1957 with an average of around 10.5, and the only riders to score more points during the season were Briggs, Craven, and Peter Moore.

Also, we can't forget him winning the Christmas Vase at Wimbledon on Boxing Day 1956, ahead of such riders as Nigel Boocock, Peter Moore, Ron How, and his brother Cyril.

You're probably right, chunky. I maybe looking at this too much through the eyes of a New Cross supporter. Cyril and Bert were the mainstay of New Cross from 1950-1953, along with Eric French, with Bert topping the averages once and heading Cyril on another occasion. Bob was just a second string, but then he was quite a bit younger. Bert also captained the England Test team for a while.

[chunky]

4 minutes ago, norbold said:

You're probably right, chunky. I maybe looking at this too much through the eyes of a New Cross supporter.

You? Nooooooooo... 

[JOS50]

On 7/9/2020 at 5:20 PM, chunky said:

While that may be true, Bob was probably the most under-rated of the three. Swindon's Number one for four years, he led the Robins to the National League title in 1957 with an average of around 10.5, and the only riders to score more points during the season were Briggs, Craven, and Peter Moore.

Also, we can't forget him winning the Christmas Vase at Wimbledon on Boxing Day 1956, ahead of such riders as Nigel Boocock, Peter Moore, Ron How, and his brother Cyril.

Also, he scored eight points in his first world final.

[BOBBATH]

According to the Malcolm Simmons book, he reckons his mum had an affair with Bert and that was one of the reasons his folks split up-don't know whether to believe Simmo though.