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Post by tobyhalter on Mar 21, 2010 9:28:13 GMT 1
I have found this reference to an appearance by the Skirrows as part of the second-half at a 1957 Wimbledon speedway meeting. Is more known of this - were there other appearances?
WIMBLEDON v RAYLEIGH - 5th August 1957 WIMBLEDON: Barry Briggs 14 Gerald Jackson 13 Ron How 10 Cyril Brine 8 Bob Andrews 6 Cyril Maidment 4 Gerald King 0 RAYLEIGH: Ken Adams 10 Les McGillivray 9 Jack Unstead 8 Birger Forsberg 6 Eric French 3 Pete Lansdale 3 Peter Clark 2
SKIRROW CAR SCRATCH RACE: Jimmy Wright, Mark Black, Dave Hughes, Tommy Foster 77.0 SKIRROW CAR MATCH RACE: Jimmy Wright beat Mark Black 77.2
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Post by haflinger121 on Mar 21, 2010 10:45:28 GMT 1
Interesting. Oddly enough, this is the first time I've seen any reference to car racing at Wimbledon (other than the short-lived Atom experiment, which wasn't actual racing) at Plough Lane prior to Spedeworth opening it up as a stock car track in 1962. '57 is rather late for a Dave Hughes Skirrow troupe appearance, and I too would love to know if there were any more such events.
Do you happen to know the date of this meeting, Toby?
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Post by tobyhalter on Mar 21, 2010 11:01:43 GMT 1
My message does give the date as August 1957 - before the result of the speedway match. I agree it was very late in the Dave Hughes' group's activities - Jimmy Wright was also a speedway rider at one-time, as I think was Mark Black. I was surprised to see this event ever took place because at one-time then promoter Ronnie Greene when trying to popularise he ill-fated Atom car had made it clear that Skirrows were not suitable for Wimbledon speedway!
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Post by haflinger121 on Mar 21, 2010 12:28:03 GMT 1
Doh! Sorry mate, if I'd bothered to read it properly, I might have noticed the date. As regards Ronnie Greene's attitude, he probably felt that 4WD cars would tear his track up too much, while at same time, he wanted something a bit different that might bring in extra punters.
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Post by tobyhalter on Mar 21, 2010 15:12:19 GMT 1
More on midgets at Wimbledon in 1957 but not Skirrows. This is obviously the midget car built by Percy Brine and Charles Batson. Is any more known? Details were:
WIMBLEDON v POLAND - 19th April 1957 WIMBLEDON 73: Barry Briggs 14 Cyril Maidment 14 Cyril Brine 11 Alf Hagon 11 Split Waterman 7 Bob Andrews 7 Ron How 6 Ivan Mauger 3 POLAND 31: Edward Kupczynski 10 Alojzy Frach 6 Jerzy Bloch 6 Tadeusz Teodorowicz 5 Adolp Slabon 3 Konstanty Pociejkowicz 1 N. Kosierb 0
DEMONSTRATION CAR RACE: Ted Friend beat Charles Batson 78.2
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Post by haflinger121 on Mar 21, 2010 19:25:50 GMT 1
Hmm...even more interesting! I think we can safely say that Greene hadn't totally lost interest in midgets after the Atom car affair, whatever else.
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