Atomic

[tigerowl]

My Tommy Miller profile with stats...

 

MILLER, Thomas Ogilvie (Tommy)

Born: February 22, 1924, High Blantyre, Scotland.

Died: 1975

 One of the greatest speedway riders Scotland has ever produced, Tommy Miller burst onto the speedway scene in 1950, having had a handful of second half rides at Glasgow at the end of the previous year. He had spent the winter in practice at the Bothwell Training Track and was given a place at reserve in the ‘Tigers’ team for the start of the new decade. After taking the early season regional cup competitions and challenge matches to settle into his new role, Tommy’s scoring suddenly took off and he recorded a string of sensational scores that made him the talk of speedway. He quickly became almost unbeatable around his home White City track and his average was only reduced by some lower scores on circuits that he had never seen before. His dominance around his home shale was demonstrated by him smashing Graham Warren’s track record in June and by recording an 18 point maximum for Scotland in a representative match against an unofficial England side which included the likes of the legendary Jack Parker and World finalist Louis Lawson.

As with all overnight sensations, the acid test would be the second season and Tommy answered all those questions with a sensational run of scores which propelled him into third position in the league averages behind Jack Young, who became World Champion that year, and Young’s fellow Australian Bob Leverenz. He dropped just eight points in 16 league and cup matches around his home track and showed that the experience he had picked up on away tracks the previous year had been put to good use, as he lifted his average to a figure of ten and a half points per match. This season also saw Tommy make his debut on the international scene and, although he was a true Scot, his appearances came for England who drew upon Scottish and Welsh riders, despite not labelling the team as Great Britain. He won his first ride in the Union Jack body colour, beating the Australian pair of Warren and Arthur Payne on their home track at Birmingham, and went on to score nine points in one of the few bright spots in a heavy 16 point defeat.

 His best season came in 1952 when he dominated the Second Division, topping the league averages with a figure just short of eleven points per match, recording 22 maximums in 49 official fixtures and adding to his international tally with two further appearances against the Aussies. After another amazing season in 1953, Tommy was on the move in 1954 and many expected him to head south to join one of the First Division sides, with Belle Vue and Wimbledon both reported to be interested in securing the services of the brilliant Scot. However, Tommy elected to join Glasgow’s local rivals Motherwell and he formed a formidable spearhead at the Milton Street track with Derick Close. Whilst he had been a hero at Glasgow, Tommy was not as popular amongst the ‘Eagles’ fans and he failed to settle at his new home, riding in only nine official matches for the club before moving and joining up with the Coventry ‘Bees’.

 His first season at Brandon was a good one, recording almost ten points per match, but it was soon clear that his best days were behind him as his average slumped year on year, and a move to Oxford mid way through 1956 failed to reverse the slide. He appeared at the press and practice day at Cowley at the start of the 1957 season but soon packed up and returned home, ending the career of one of the finest riders of the decade. Tommy did not manage to reach a World Final and never rode in the top flight of British speedway, but the fact that he was chosen for the international side at a time when the selectors rarely looked beyond London or Manchester, let alone beyond Division One, demonstrates what a remarkable rider he was at the peak of a short, yet fantastic, career.    

 

Year	Club	Division	M	R	P	BP	TP	CMA	FM	PM
1950	Glasgow	NL2	31	130	281	15	296	9.11	6	4
1951	Glasgow	NL2	32	131	339	5	344	10.50	12	2
1952	Glasgow	NL2	49	208	564	4	568	10.92	21	1
1953	Glasgow	NL2	39	171	462	3	465	10.88	23	-
1954	Motherwell	NL2	9	39	82	1	83	8.51	2	1
1954	Coventry	NL2	10	40	97	2	99	9.90	2	-
1955	Coventry	NL2	35	180	321	22	343	7.62	-	1
1956	Coventry	NL2	17	78	118	15	133	6.82	1	-
1956	Oxford	NL2	7	32	35	2	37	4.63	-	-

 

Individual Honours: Division Two Match Race Champion August 1951 to September 1951.

International Honours: England international – 5 caps, 15 points.

[Ovalman]

On 7/31/2020 at 1:05 AM, BOBBATH said:

And don't lets forget Teo Teodorowicz

Viewed his memorial in cemetery in Swindon 2 weeks ago. Always well maintained with red and white floral tribute.