WIMBLEDON 1961

July

Ove Fundin is the greatest rider I have seen. Despite the boos and hisses and catcalls of the crowd, there is no doubt that he won the Speedway Internationale title on brilliant merit.
  He won after a run-off with Ronnie Moore. Peter Craven was third. And that's exactly how the finishing order was in the 1960 World title too.
  But Fundin won riding under protest. And his protest can well set off the biggest international storm in years. For, on the face of it, the Speedway Control Board seem to have flouted the internaional regulations under which the meeting took place.
  They ruled that the Czechs Barum tyre was not to be used. F.I.M. regulations permit it. Fundin was told, "either ride a British Dunlop or you don't ride."
  Why was the Barum banned? Apparently the Control Board had the Idea that it was not genrally available to all the night's competitors.
  But Norwich manager, Gordon Parkins, told me: "Ove had 18 in the country, and was more than willing to let all the boys have them."
  Fundin has, and I think quite rightly, protested to the Speedway Control Board; the F.I.M. and the Swedish Board. And the Swedes are asking for action to be taken against Britian.
  As a result I understand that the forthcoming Swedish Test Matches might be in jeopardy. And the allocation of next year's World Final to Wembley could yet blow up in our faces.
  The meeting itself was, for three quarters of the time, the worst "showpiece" I have ever seen. Riders were complaining about the track from the start. And it certainly seemed in poor shape.
  Coming out of the pits turn bikes were jumping, bucking, leaping about like things alive. If the track record wasn't in danger the boys certainly got near to breaking Olympic long jump and high jump figures.
  Very few men were in danger of losing the positions they had when they left the gate. Passing was at a premium.

Duckworth hurt

Ove too good

  Dave Hankins, of Leicester, was rushed to hospital with a suspected fractured femur, following a crash in heat 18 of the World Championship. Whilst trying to overtake the cagey Exeter veteran Pete Lansdale, Hankins tangled with the fence and was thrown from his machine.
  The New Cross round provided moreexcitement than its counterpart at Wimbledon a couple of days previously. The men who captured the imagination of the Old Kent Roadites were Bob Andrews, a popular winner of the cheque after a run-off, and Ivor Brown of Cradley Heath.
  Brown who was once on the books of New Cross showed up well and is an extremely talented rider, now ready for the senior grade. He is one of the best small track riders in the country.
SCORERS: Bob Andrews 14, Split Waterman 14, Ken McKinlay 11, Ian Williams 10, Cyril Brine 9, Jack Unstead 9, Nigel Boocock 9, Ivor Brown 8, Eric Williams 8, Jim Tebby 7, Dave Hankins 6, K Adams 5, P Lansdale 4, D Newton 4, Reg Trott 1, Johnnie Fitzpatrick (res) 1, Eric Hockaday 0, Bobby Croobs (res) no rides.

  Peter Moore, slick gating idol of Ipswich, eased his way to a faultless 15 point maximum in this World Championship qualifying round at dusty Brandon.
  Not once in his five rides did he look like being beaten, although home skipper Jack Young and Belle Vue ace Bob Duckworth gave him a good run for his money.
  Individual meetings are usually so dull. This I am unhappy to report was no exception. The crowd had to wait until the last heat but one before they saw a real race and then, after a ding-dong tussle, Leicester's Midland Riders' Champion, Jack Geran, just beat bustling Nigel Boocock.
  Young Brain Brett of Swindon relieved some of the monotony with some do-or-die efforts round the fence. If ever a man deserves his six points it is this one. He finished with six - all earned the hard way.
SCORERS: Peter Moore 15, Bob Duckworth 13, Bob Andrews 13, Jack Young 12, Nigel Boocock 10, Jack Geran 9, Brian Elliott 8, Jimmy Gooch 7, Cyril Rodgers 7, Leo McAuliffe 6, Peter Vandenberg 6, Brian Brett 6, Reg Luckhurst 5, Tim Bungay 2, C Smith (res) 1, R Spencer (res) 0.

The World Championship Qualifiers
to Semi Final

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Peter Craven (Belle Vue)
Peter Moore (Ipswich)
Ronnie Moore (Wimbledon)
Bob Andrews (Wimbledon)
Jack Young (Coventry)
Split Waterman (New Cross)
Ray Cresp (Ipswich)
Neil Street (Swindon)
Cyril Maidment (Wimbledon)
Ken McKinlay (Leicester)
Ronnie Genz (Oxford)
Mike Broadbanks (Swindon)
Barry Briggs (Southampton)
Jack Scott (Plymouth)
Doug Davies (New Cross)
Ron How (Wimbledon)
Bob Duckworth (Belle Vue)
Jack Biggs (Oxford)
Jack Kitchen (Belle Vue)
Billy Bales (Norwich)
Tony Lewis (Poole)
Nick Nicholls (Coventry)
Jimmy Squibb (Ipswich)
Eric Williams (New Cross)
Johnny Chamberlain (Norwich)
Dick Fisher (Belle Vue)
Jim Tebby (Oxford)
Alby Golden (Southampton)
Jack Geran (Leicester)
Les Owen (Coventry)
Tadeusz Teodorowicz (Swindon)
Nigel Boocock (Coventry)

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Forget the score! This was a match well worth watching, for in all the heats the Ipswich riders demonstrated an art that other visitors to Plough Lane oft times forget - they raced their rivals for four laps, instead of letting the "Dons" take an early lead and dominate the proceedings. Jimmy Squibb in particular was in tearaway form, and deserved more than six points.
  Bob Andrews took maximum points for Wimbledon, and Ronnie Moore and Cyril Brine were double-figure pointsmen for the Wimbledon team. If Brine keeps this form, expect Wimbledon management to ask him to have second thoughts about retiring.
  The second-half revealed the possibilities of handicap team racing. For meetings at Plough Lane this is a good idea - but elsewhere meetings are usually between fairly well matched sides so as a permanent addition to the sport it appears to have little future.
WIMBLEDON: Bob Andrews 12, Ronnie Moore 10, Cyril Brine 10, Ron How 8, Cyril Maidment 5, Gil Goldfinch 4, Gerald Jackson 2.
IPSWICH: Ray Cresp 7, Jimmy Squibb 6, Peter Moore 6, Colin Goody 4, Jack Unstead 2, Les McGillivray 1, T Blokdyk 1.
SECOND HALF Handicap Challenge
MOORE'S TEAM 19: Gil Goldfinch 4, Cyril Maidment 4, Bob Andrews 3, T Blokdyk 3, Ronnie Moore 3, Gerald Jackson 2, J Mills 0, Jack Unstead 0.
HOW'S TEAM 11: Roy Trigg 4, Jimmy Squibb 4, Peter Moore 1, Colin Goody 1, J Bishop 1, Les McGillivray 0, Cyril Brine 0, Ron How 0.

Details on England Test Match Pages

  The large crowd who turned up at the Firs on this damp and chilly evening must have been somewhat surprised at the poor show put up by Wimbledon in this National Trophy round.
  The complete inability of either of the Dons' "stars" Ronnie Moore and Ron How to master the conditions (they scored 3 and 1 point respectively) spoiled what could have been an exciting evening's racing. Watching the match one could not help but wonder if the Dons were scared of taking only a small deficit of points to make up at their own track, knowing their fans would keep away from the terraces rather than watch another "Wimbledon walkover."
  Perhaps, tough, the Stars (Norwich) had snapped into their usual top gear as they always do in the National Trophy, for they all rode well, Fundin gaining his usual impeccable maximum, being well supported by Chamberlain with 12 (paid 14) points.
  Spare a thought for poor Derek Strutt. After team riding with Fundin for a 5-1 in his first race, he was again riding at the front with Fundin (this time ahead of Ronnie Moore) when his motor blew up on the last bend, hard luck indeed!
NORWICH: Ove Fundin 15, Johnnie Chamberlain 12, Billy Bales 9, Reg Trott 5, D Newton 4, Jim Debbage 4, Derek Strutt 3.
WIMBLEDON: Gerald Jackson 10, Bob Andrews 8, Cyril Maidment 6, Cyril Brine 4, Ronnie Moore 3, Ron How 1, Roy Trigg 0.

The World Championship British Semi Final Draw

LAST LAP TO WEMBLEY
Eric Linden looks forward to the Semi Finals

 Two more giant strides and then we will know the 16 men who will reach the British Final of the World Championship at Wembley on September 2.
  Two giant strides that a lot of men aren't going to like. Two giant strides that will provide a wealth of exciting racing.
  As usual each of the 32 riders is drawn to ride on one small track (either Wimbledon on July 31 or Southampton the next night) and one large track (either Belle Vue or Norwich on August 5).
  I make it that as half the men are going to be knocked out, to be sure of a place in the final a rider is going to need slightly more than half the possible points.
  That means he has to aim at 16 .  .  .  .  but get 17 if he wants to be safe.
  The draw is obviously going to play its part. So let's see who can do what on which track! First rider by rider:
  Peter Moore rode like a second rater last time at Wimbledon, seems to have lost the golden gating touch. But he should get at least 8 points, and more at Norwich.
  Bob Andrews has being romping away from everyone at Wimbledon and everywhere else for that matter of late. His other round is Belle Vue. I'd say a cert. finalist.
  Ronnie Genz could surprise them with a high Wimbledon return but is generally a medium man at Belle Vue.
  Barry Briggs won't have any trouble collecting lots of points at his old Wimbledon home and even though Norwich isn't his favourite track, he should be well safe from final worries.
  Jack Kitchen, much as I rate him, doesn't shape up well at Wimbledon. Can he get enough points on his own track at Belle Vue to make up the leeway?
  Johnnie Chamberlain gets a home round at Norwich which leaves him with a fairly easy job to scrape enough points out of Wimbledon.
  Jimmy Squibb rode well at Wimbledon last time and horribly at Norwich. Not this year I fear.
  Dick Fisher, unlike most visitors to Wimbledon, rides the track well. Chock full of confidence he draws his own Belle Vue for the other round. Possible finalist here.
  Ronnie Moore - Wimbledon and Belle Vue should mean a dead cert qualification.
  Ray Cresp can ride Wimbledon, but more often doesn't. As he has another of his so-so tracks, Norwich, as well, Ray will have to pull out all the stops or get knocked out.
  Ken McKinlay, Wimbledon and Belle Vue. Depends again on which Ken we get. The old beat 'em all even tho' he hates the place champion. Or the temperamental can't seem to ride slick tracks man. That will decide whether he's aces high or way down the lists.
  Doug Davies rode  Wimbledon, the first time he went this year, as though the joint was unrideable. Then he went back and showed how it could, and should, be used. He goes well at Belle Vue. I reckon he'll go well at Wembley too.
  Jack Biggs needs smooth tracks, since that hernia op. And who can guarantee that - even at Wimbledon and Norwich?
   I'm rooting for Tony Lewis to get to Wembley.  He can, and has, ridden very well indeed at Belle Vue, but Winbledon he hasn't seen in donkey's years.  But he's a fighter, all heart a mile wide.
  Jackie Geran is the Midlands Riders Champ - but he doesn't like Wimbledon and I doubt if his Norwich technique is that good he can afford the low London score that looks to be coming his way.
  Teo Teodorowicz rarely shines at Wimbledon and I'm afraid the Belle Vue company is too good for making up lost ground there.
  Jack Young kicks off at Southampton, where is hasn't exactly pulled up any trees this year, and winds up at Belle Vue where he's been worse.  That ought to mean Youngie won't get any further - except that this is the world championship and he always does well in that.  Form says no, just now.  Hunch says yes.  I go along with the hunch.
  Neil Street can get a big handful of points at Belle Vue, if he can only get enought from Southampton - where thefield is fairly even (after you forget about Craven and How).
  Mike Broadbanks made his comeback this season at Southampton and picked up only three points.  Ignore that.  It was a come back from the sick bed.  He'll more than double that this time... and he likes Norwich.  Mike for Wembley.
  Big track merchant Billy Bales gets a Norwich home draw (lots of points).  Will they add up to 17?  Just about.
  Bob Duckworth's form dropped when he neglected a cut and got blood poisoning.  If he's fit, Southampton and Norwich will see him through.  And he's looking fitter every day.
  Nick Nicholls annoys me.  He has all the style to make a champ, but the points don't seem to come.  He can take Belle Vue, but Southampton isn't normally his cuppa.
  Les Owen, on the other hand, looked a winner at Bannister Court last time.  Which showed 100 per cent improvement on his first two shows there this year.  In fact in the past few months Les has shown such brilliance you should ignore all early season form and reckon on seeing him as a finalist.
  Jim Tebby must admit that he has the luck in the qualifying rounds and that Southampton is not a happy hunting ground for him.  He's also at Norwich, which should prove the end of the road for him in this year's championship.
  Peter Craven gets Southampton and Norwich; will probably get two top scorer's cheques too.
  Split Waterman can't fail to better his previous visit to Soton.  But he only got 4 points then.  He also hunts at Norwich, where he can move.  It'll be a tough squeeze for the squire.
  Cyril Maidment, like Les Owen, should have all form ignored beyond a month back.  He is riding better than ever, can and has performed brilliantly at Norwich and Southampton.  But there's a little jinx around which picks on him from time to time - as it has twice at Bannister this year.
  Jack Scott should figure well up the qualifying list.  He rides Southampton with no trouble at all; and rode at Belle Vue as though he owned it last time.
  No trouble, either, for Ron How to get his qualifying points from the same two tracks.
  Eric Williams, though, is an enigma.  Last year's flyer is too seldom with us to speak about consistency.  And he hasn't proved happy at Norwich.  Lots of Southampton luck might get him through.
  Nigel Boocock's spectacular style isn't exactly suited to Southampton and he was unhappy at Belle Vue, too, earlier in the year.  Like Waterman he'll have to struggle.
  Alby Golden, after failing to find form with the Saints, got the touch back in time to qualify.  But, even with a home round, and a Norwich outing, I doubt that Alby will make it.  

.  .  .  these men can make it