Lions v Aces POF 2nd leg

[SUPERACE]

1 hour ago, IainB said:

Percentage wise Lions pee all over the Aces 😁

In what way🤣

[bellevueace]

2 hours ago, arnieg said:

Just a reminder - 1971, the last time the league title was fought out between these clubs.

Next week and it was back to Hyde Road for the Aces against the Leicester Lions. Leicester were good that year and were running Belle Vue close at the top of the league. They had England's top rider in Ray Wilson and were a real threat. Ivan Mauger was away in Poland with Barry Briggs preparing for the World Pairs at Rybnik, so Belle vue drafted in the experienced Ronnie Moore as a guest. The match was tight and tense, with never more than four points between the teams, and going into heat twelve the Aces held a slender two point lead. The next race turned things Leicester's way as reserve Ken Eyre came in for the poorly performing Belle Vue captain Tommy Roper, and Ronnie Moore failed to finish. Leicester heat leaders John Boulger and Graham Plant took a 5-1 to put the Lions in front. The tension steadily increased in the build up to heat thirteen.

Belle Vue Aces had not been beaten at home since 14th September 1968. I had never seen them lose (other than over two legs of the Knock-Out Cup Final). Defeat was unthinkable. As the riders took the start Belle Vue's highest scoring rider of the night Dave Hemus broke the tapes and was excluded. The tension racked up another notch. Young reserve Alan Wilkinson took his place alongside Soren Sjosten, but they were up against Leicester skipper Wilson and the experienced Alan Cowland. Belle Vue needed a 4-2 just to draw, and a 5-1 to win. This was going to be tough. As Sjosten lead, Wilkinson was last, and in a do or die effort to pass Cowland round the outside he crashed in the pits bend safety fence.

The race was stopped "in the interests of safety", and Alan Wilkinson excluded as the cause of the stoppage. Enraged, and clearly feeling that Cowland had pushed him out towards the fence and the point of no return, Wilkinson grabbed the Leicester man as he rode back to the pits. Before anyone knew what was happening fists were flying, speedway riders were hitting other speedway riders, mechanics were hitting other mechanics, and some spectators not wanting to be left out jumped over the fence and started hitting anyone that wasn't already being hit by someone else.

The Champions Book of Speedway Number Three has a Wright Wood photo of Wilkie being held back by Leicester's Malcolm Brown while Ray Wilson wrestles Alan Cowland away. At the same time Graham Plant applies a smart left jab to someone's chin. Speedway prides itself on its all-inclusive family atmosphere. That night the speedway family all got included in a right old punch up.

Needless to say it was rather distressing. We'd all gone that night, Mum, Dad, Helen and me. Not only that but we'd decided to watch from the standing area near the pits, right where the melee took place. I was shaking. I just had enough grip of my green biro to write "2 mins" against the remaining three riders' names. Such was the delay in getting the heat completed the referee excluded everyone. Things calmed down and the second half was completed as normal. Alan Wilkinson fell off in his heat, and Alan Cowland finished last in his. Maybe they'd had enough excitement for one night.

From 'Speedway Ruined my Toffee Apple' by Ian Harwood on the speedwayplus website.

Well remember that meeting Wilkie losing it and the police escort out of the stadium

[AceBelle]

14 hours ago, IainB said:

That's because you're never in any finals 😜

Welcome to the big time!

Think you have finally lost you're mind 

[AceBelle]

14 hours ago, IainB said:

Wasn't their last title before that in the last century?!?

Before global warming 😂😂

BC waiting on Leicester 

[AceBelle]

13 hours ago, RoundTheBoards said:

I believe their last play-off final before 2021 was 2016, and then 2015.

 

2021 lost to dad's army peterboro 

[AceBelle]

3 hours ago, IainB said:

Percentage wise Lions pee all over the Aces 😁

Deluded 

[IainB]

2 hours ago, arnieg said:

Just a reminder - 1971, the last time the league title was fought out between these clubs.

Next week and it was back to Hyde Road for the Aces against the Leicester Lions. Leicester were good that year and were running Belle Vue close at the top of the league. They had England's top rider in Ray Wilson and were a real threat. Ivan Mauger was away in Poland with Barry Briggs preparing for the World Pairs at Rybnik, so Belle vue drafted in the experienced Ronnie Moore as a guest. The match was tight and tense, with never more than four points between the teams, and going into heat twelve the Aces held a slender two point lead. The next race turned things Leicester's way as reserve Ken Eyre came in for the poorly performing Belle Vue captain Tommy Roper, and Ronnie Moore failed to finish. Leicester heat leaders John Boulger and Graham Plant took a 5-1 to put the Lions in front. The tension steadily increased in the build up to heat thirteen.

Belle Vue Aces had not been beaten at home since 14th September 1968. I had never seen them lose (other than over two legs of the Knock-Out Cup Final). Defeat was unthinkable. As the riders took the start Belle Vue's highest scoring rider of the night Dave Hemus broke the tapes and was excluded. The tension racked up another notch. Young reserve Alan Wilkinson took his place alongside Soren Sjosten, but they were up against Leicester skipper Wilson and the experienced Alan Cowland. Belle Vue needed a 4-2 just to draw, and a 5-1 to win. This was going to be tough. As Sjosten lead, Wilkinson was last, and in a do or die effort to pass Cowland round the outside he crashed in the pits bend safety fence.

The race was stopped "in the interests of safety", and Alan Wilkinson excluded as the cause of the stoppage. Enraged, and clearly feeling that Cowland had pushed him out towards the fence and the point of no return, Wilkinson grabbed the Leicester man as he rode back to the pits. Before anyone knew what was happening fists were flying, speedway riders were hitting other speedway riders, mechanics were hitting other mechanics, and some spectators not wanting to be left out jumped over the fence and started hitting anyone that wasn't already being hit by someone else.

The Champions Book of Speedway Number Three has a Wright Wood photo of Wilkie being held back by Leicester's Malcolm Brown while Ray Wilson wrestles Alan Cowland away. At the same time Graham Plant applies a smart left jab to someone's chin. Speedway prides itself on its all-inclusive family atmosphere. That night the speedway family all got included in a right old punch up.

Needless to say it was rather distressing. We'd all gone that night, Mum, Dad, Helen and me. Not only that but we'd decided to watch from the standing area near the pits, right where the melee took place. I was shaking. I just had enough grip of my green biro to write "2 mins" against the remaining three riders' names. Such was the delay in getting the heat completed the referee excluded everyone. Things calmed down and the second half was completed as normal. Alan Wilkinson fell off in his heat, and Alan Cowland finished last in his. Maybe they'd had enough excitement for one night.

From 'Speedway Ruined my Toffee Apple' by Ian Harwood on the speedwayplus website.

Mauger away in Poland and only preparing at that?!? Guest brought in... and some think this is just a modern day problem!