Memories

I was named after a speedway rider, Wimbledon captain Norman Parker, so I guess you could say that speedway has always been in my blood. My father and older brother used to go to Harringay in the late 40s, but I was considered too young to brave the London elements so had to be content with hearing about the matches. I continued to take an interest in speedway via newspapers and television and often, on my bicycle at the age of 7 or 8, would pretend to be Split Waterman or Aub Lawson. By the time my parents considered me old enough to go to speedway there was only one track left in London, Wimbledon, but that was too far away from our Hackney home to get to by public transport.

By 1960, three things had changed: 1. My dad had bought a car 2. He had started buying the Evening News 3. New Cross had re-opened. In those days the Evening News regularly had speedway reports and also printed the programme for the forthcoming evening’s racing at Wimbledon and New Cross. One day in May 1960, I saw the programme for that night’s racing at New Cross and asked my dad if we could go. He agreed we could. And so on 11 May 1960 we made our way to New Cross via Mile End, the Rotherhithe Tunnel and the Old Kent Road and I found myself sitting below the main stand almost opposite the starting gate waiting for the evening’s racing to begin. I was 12 years old.

That evening’s match was New Cross v. Norwich. The New Cross team was captained by Split Waterman with the rest of the team being Jimmy Gooch, Leo McAuliffe, Bobby Croombs, Eric Williams, Derek Timms, Tommy Sweetman and Reg Luckhurst. Amazingly the very first race I ever saw pitted my two boyhood heroes, Split Waterman and Aub Lawson against each other. It resulted in a victory for Aub. That night Aub Lawson and Ove Fundin were almost unbeatable for Norwich and scored 16 paid 17 and 18 respectively. Between them they scored 34 of Norwich’s 42 points. But it wasn’t enough to beat New Cross and MY team, as the Rangers had now become, won their first official fixture of the year, having lost their first 5 including two at home.

I said Lawson and Fundin were almost unbeatable because in heat 10, Jimmy Gooch managed to beat Lawson to the biggest cheer of the night. Goochie instantly became my favourite rider and stayed that way until I was forced to support West Ham in 1964 following New Cross’s closure. I remember that the biggest incident of the night came in Heat 15, the nominated riders’ heat. When it was announced that New Cross’s pair would be Split Waterman and Eric Williams there was a lot of booing. Not only had Goochie beaten Lawson, but he was the Rangers highest scorer of the night, having scored 10 to Split’s 6 and Eric’s 8. However, there was some poetic justice when Split fell and injured himself in an unsatisfactory start and Jimmy was allowed in to replace him. He duly came third, beating Williams. For me it was a night to remember as my first visit to speedway. And here I am still a supporter 44 years later.

Norman Jacobs

I remember attending with my parents viewing from a pram in the early 50's, then nothing until 1959 when they re-opened. Being now 10 I was excited at the prospect of seeing and 'smelling' speedway again. When they reformed the team in 1960 after those few meeings in 1959, I was over the moon.

One day, I was going to Goddards pie and mash shop in Deptford for my lunch, I walked by an entrance to Sweetmans garage and noticed a couple of speedway bikes. I walked in to look at them and when a guy came out and asked me what I wanted I asked, "can I have a job cleaning them". The guy was Ken Brett an ex West Ham rider but now a tuner and co-promotor at New Cross. I got the job cleaning the bikes after school for 7 shillings and six pence a week. Which in todays money is about 35p!

I then got to help Ken strip the bikes down and then in time to assist him rebuild them. I got to know the riders very well like Split Waterman, Doug Davies, Leo McAuliffe, Ronnie Moore, Cyril Maidment Colin Goody, Barry Briggs etc. The riders would take me to the meetings, and I was 'fuel and oiling'. Often I as getting home in the early hours. Fortunately, my parents did not seem to mind. When they re-opened (again) in 1963 this time in the provincial league, I got to help Bobby Dugard. I was also 'in charge' of Split's bike and actually in the pits for finalist Leo McAuliffe, at the World Final at Wembley in 1963. Great memories.

Jim Blanchard

New Cross Speedway

'Speedway the New Way'

Memories