Oxford 1964

[BOBBATH]

Never a top track- always middle or bottom of the NL table, the Cheetahs swept the board and won the last ever NL Championship in 1964. They seemed unstoppable-there was an article in the Speedway Star about their "G" men- Genz, Geran, Goody, Gooch,.. I am trying to recall the others -one was Arne Pander another was Ron How  and  John Bishop.   If they had been left intact  I reckon they would have run away with the title in the first BL season of 1965. Any 1964 Oxford supporters out there who can share their memories with us forumlanders.

[steve roberts]

7 hours ago, BOBBATH said:

Never a top track- always middle or bottom of the NL table, the Cheetahs swept the board and won the last ever NL Championship in 1964. They seemed unstoppable-there was an article in the Speedway Star about their "G" men- Genz, Geran, Goody, Gooch,.. I am trying to recall the others -one was Arne Pander another was Ron How  and  John Bishop.   If they had been left intact  I reckon they would have run away with the title in the first BL season of 1965. Any 1964 Oxford supporters out there who can share their memories with us forumlanders.

Eddie Reeves was the other. Sadly only Eddie and John Bishop are still with us what with the recent death of Jack Geran. Too early for me but I do know that the promoters pulled out after that season.

Edited July 10, 2021 by steve roberts

[Sidney the robin]

Going through my Oxford programmes mostly home.        Genz; Gooddy;Geran(c) How,Pander, Gooch, Major,McKee,Bishop, Reeves we’re the mainstay.BOBBATH/ Steve ,?.Danny Dunton,George Summers, Ted Ede also rode have you any recollection of those three riding the latter two i cannot.

[steve roberts]

31 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

Going through my Oxford programmes mostly home.        Genz; Gooddy;Geran(c) How,Pander, Gooch, Major,McKee,Bishop, Reeves we’re the mainstay.BOBBATH/ Steve ,?.Danny Dunton,George Summers, Ted Ede also rode have you any recollection of those three riding the latter two i cannot.

Danny Dunton in one fixture Sid but not sure about the other two?

[BL65]

1 hour ago, Sidney the robin said:

Going through my Oxford programmes mostly home.        Genz; Gooddy;Geran(c) How,Pander, Gooch, Major,McKee,Bishop, Reeves we’re the mainstay.BOBBATH/ Steve ,?.Danny Dunton,George Summers, Ted Ede also rode have you any recollection of those three riding the latter two i cannot.

Ted Ede was a West Ham junior who filled in for Oxford in the meeting at Custom House, replacing John Bishop.  He was a regular in the West Ham team in 1965 and 1966.  George Summers was a former Plymouth and Exeter rider who had started the 1964 season with Swindon.  He rode in a meeting for Oxford at Belle Vue when Jack Geran was missing from the team.

Edited July 10, 2021 by BL65

[Guest compost]

Oxford rider averages for 1964 (from file on Speedway Researcher) -

Ted Ede etc counted as Guest as 'borrowed' to fill a fixture.

8 man teams that season. Ron How was the 'top man' interestingly enough (very under-rated IMHO)

 

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by compost
Removed wrong table

[steve roberts]

5 minutes ago, compost said:

Oxford rider averages for 1964 (from file on Speedway Researcher) -

Ted Ede etc counted as Guest as 'borrowed' to fill a fixture.

8 man teams that season. Ron How was the 'top man' interestingly enough (very under-rated IMHO)

 

Many thanks for this!

[Guest compost]

1 minute ago, steve roberts said:

Many thanks for this!

Thanks Steve.  You were a bit too quick as I was trying to get rid of the duplicate table at the bottom of the post

[Sidney the robin]

45 minutes ago, BL65 said:

Ted Ede was a West Ham junior who filled in for Oxford in the meeting at Custom House, replacing John Bishop.  He was a regular in the West Ham team in 1965 and 1966.  George Summers was a former Plymouth and Exeter rider who had started the 1964 season with Swindon.  He rode in a meeting for Oxford at Belle Vue when Jack Geran was missing from the team.

Great stuff BL        knew that Summers had ridden for Swindon never Oxford noticed the great survivor Olle Nygren RIP) rode a few meeting’s for them in 1964.

[Sidney the robin]

Off the subject Oxford greats Nielsen, Wigg, Middleton, Genz, Mckinlay, Pander, Lovaas not a bad lot eh!,

[steve roberts]

9 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

Off the subject Oxford greats Nielsen, Wigg, Middleton, Genz, Mckinlay, Pander, Lovaas not a bad lot eh!,

...and also add those that rode during the National League era. Yeates, Hunter, Perks, Rumsey, Harrison et al plus Gordon Kennet of course!

[Split]

How, Gooch and Goody were the heat leaders and Genz, Pander and Geran were the other heat leaders that season

I seem to recall that there were moves to equalise team strengths the following season and the team was torn apart. 

Edited July 10, 2021 by Split
Correction.

[steve roberts]

20 minutes ago, Split said:

How, Gooch and Goody were the heat leaders and Genz, Pander and Geran were the other heat leaders that season

I seem to recall that there were moves to equalise team strengths the following season and the team was torn apart. 

Out of that five Genz, Gooddy and Geran moved on presumeably to balance up team strengths due to the amalgamation of the British and National Leagues? However Oxford stll managed to finish fourth despite loosing How thru' injury.

Edited July 10, 2021 by steve roberts

[BL65]

4 hours ago, steve roberts said:

Out of that five Genz, Gooddy and Geran moved on presumeably to balance up team strengths due to the amalgamation of the British and National Leagues? However Oxford stll managed to finish fourth despite loosing How thru' injury.

But for the injury to Ron How it is not inconceivable that Oxford might have pushed West Ham for the title in 1965.  In the final league table West Ham were 7 points ahead on 47 from 34 matches.  When How's career was ended by injury at the beginning of July Oxord had 25 points to West Ham's 18, both from 18 matches.  Following the loss of How, Oxford brought in Stan Stevens and also replaced Glyn Chandler with Jimmy Heard.  Heard averaged 3.56 compared to Chandler's 3.72, whereas Stevens averaged 3.29 compared to How's league average of 10.16.  It is possible that with How Oxford could have turned defeat into victories at home to Wimbledon and away to Wolverhampton and Poole.  An extra point at Newcastle, where the match was drawn, was also a possibility.  The extra 7 league points would have put Oxford level with West Ham.  The crucial match would have been the first away league meeting without How, at West Ham, where the Hammers won by 8 points.  Stevens scored 4 points and as How's scoring had been at least as good as that of Gooch and Pander, who scored 11 and 9 respectively from 4 rides each, it is highly likely that with him in the team a draw at least might have been secured.  This could have left Oxford with 48 and West Ham with 46 points at the end of the season.  Lots of ifs admittedly. 

[steve roberts]

2 hours ago, BL65 said:

But for the injury to Ron How it is not inconceivable that Oxford might have pushed West Ham for the title in 1965.  In the final league table West Ham were 7 points ahead on 47 from 34 matches.  When How's career was ended by injury at the beginning of July Oxord had 25 points to West Ham's 18, both from 18 matches.  Following the loss of How, Oxford brought in Stan Stevens and also replaced Glyn Chandler with Jimmy Heard.  Heard averaged 3.56 compared to Chandler's 3.72, whereas Stevens averaged 3.29 compared to How's league average of 10.16.  It is possible that with How Oxford could have turned defeat into victories at home to Wimbledon and away to Wolverhampton and Poole.  An extra point at Newcastle, where the match was drawn, was also a possibility.  The extra 7 league points would have put Oxford level with West Ham.  The crucial match would have been the first away league meeting without How, at West Ham, where the Hammers won by 8 points.  Stevens scored 4 points and as How's scoring had been at least as good as that of Gooch and Pander, who scored 11 and 9 respectively from 4 rides each, it is highly likely that with him in the team a draw at least might have been secured.  This could have left Oxford with 48 and West Ham with 46 points at the end of the season.  Lots of ifs admittedly. 

Many thanks for that...brillant analysis!

[BOBBATH]

I agree BL65, How was great-I was privileged to see Ron before his career ending accident. I reckon with How Oxford would have been champs. If the boot had been on the other foot it would have been like Harrfeldt was injured for West Ham. They would have had no chance. BTW a sore point with me is that Dick Bradley was injured and not replaced for the Wasps. Even without Dick, the Wasps finished the highest among the 1964 Prov. League tracks

[steve roberts]

7 hours ago, BOBBATH said:

I agree BL65, How was great-I was privileged to see Ron before his career ending accident. I reckon with How Oxford would have been champs. If the boot had been on the other foot it would have been like Harrfeldt was injured for West Ham. They would have had no chance. BTW a sore point with me is that Dick Bradley was injured and not replaced for the Wasps. Even without Dick, the Wasps finished the highest among the 1964 Prov. League tracks

Ron How is one of those riders who genearlly doesn't get the praise that he deserves. He was a star rider for both Wimbledon and later Oxford and it's a shame that his career was cut short by injury. If I remember he became landlord of a pub in Great Missenden (?) and Ivan Mauger visited on at least one occasion.

[norbold]

16 hours ago, BL65 said:

 The crucial match would have been the first away league meeting without How, at West Ham, where the Hammers won by 8 points.  Stevens scored 4 points and as How's scoring had been at least as good as that of Gooch and Pander, who scored 11 and 9 respectively from 4 rides each, it is highly likely that with him in the team a draw at least might have been secured.  This could have left Oxford with 48 and West Ham with 46 points at the end of the season.  Lots of ifs admittedly. 

Good old Stan - always a West Ham man at heart!

[BL65]

10 hours ago, BOBBATH said:

I agree BL65, How was great-I was privileged to see Ron before his career ending accident. I reckon with How Oxford would have been champs. If the boot had been on the other foot it would have been like Harrfeldt was injured for West Ham. They would have had no chance. BTW a sore point with me is that Dick Bradley was injured and not replaced for the Wasps. Even without Dick, the Wasps finished the highest among the 1964 Prov. League tracks

Although there was a pool of riders to cover for injuries in 1965 some teams fared better than others with their allocations.  Newcastle, for example, received World Finalist Brian Brett to cover for Ivan Mauger and were allowed to keep him even after Ivan returned (half fit) to the team.  Oxford's replacements did not adequately cover for Ron How.  Newport moved Bob Hughes up from reserve and brought in Ray Harris and then Vic White.  Dick had a league average of just over 8 points, whereas Harris and White achieved around 4.5 and 5.5 respectively.  I do not believe that Wasps would have finished any higher in the league even with a fit Dick Bradley in the team for the rest of the season.  After his injury Newport rode 6 home league matches and won them all.  Away meetings at Long Eaton and Cradley Heath were both won anyway without him.  Away to Swindon they lost 30-48, with Briggs, Broadbank and Ashby all unbeaten by a visiting rider and Dick's presence would probably have not added too many points.  Both Gooch and Pander scored maximums for Oxford as Newport lost there by 13 points and again I don't think Dick would have added enough points to have altered the outcome.  It is possible that Bradley may have scored enough additional points to turn the 8 point defeat at Glasgow into a draw, but Wasps did use a tactical substitute for his replacement in one ride, so it would have been unlikely.  The same applies to the 8 point defeat at Edinburgh.  Even high scores from Bradley would not have reversed the outcome of defeats at Newcastle, Belle Vue and Wolverhampton, by 27-51, 23-55 and 14-64 respectively.

[norbold]

Thanks as always for all your fantastic information on this thread, BL.

Now, talking of 1965 and West Ham....As a supporter and regular that year, I have always put West Ham's treble success down to Malcolm Simmons' transition from second string to heat leader status. I could probably work this out myself, but I wondered if you have Malcolm's League and Cup averages up to 13 August and then from 14 August onwards (that being the day of the KO Cup Quarter Final replay against Wimbledon when he suddenly came good and became a different rider).

Thanks in advance.