Looking Back....

Pictured above: 1970- BRADFORD NORTHERN Left to right ALAN Knapkin,GARY Peterson,ALAN Bridgett,ALF Wells,PETER Thompson,SID Sheldrick, ROBIN Adlington.On machine: DAVE Schofield

 "Looking back over my shoulder....Mike & The Mechanics. Down The Time Tunnel-Vintage Bradford Speedway

THIS IS JUST WHERE I CAME IN...31 YEARS AGO    WEDNESDAY 15th JULY 1970                                                       NORTHERN RIDERS TROPHY     I thought I would just take a look back at the very first time I saw Speedway. I really had no idea who won that first race.....but I might have guessed yes it was Gary Peterson in 73 1/5 secs-thats how times were logged back then. Gary won it from fellow Kiwi Paul O'Neill of the Crewe Kings and later the Halifax Dukes, with bespectacled Roger Mills of Teeside and Gary's young Kiwi protege Robin Adlington in last. Gary reeled off another four race wins on the night for a faultless 15 and the first of a hatrick of Odsal Individual Meeting truimphs in that season

Race Record: 1. G Peterson-Bradford 15, 2. A Knapkin-Bradford 14, 3. E Broadbelt-Rochdale 13, D Schofield-Bradford 11, P O'Neill-Crewe 9, S Sheldrick-Bradford 9, A Bridgett-Bradford 8, T Owen-Rochdale 8, R Mills-Teeside 7, P Thompson-Bradford 6, Hec Haslinger-Doncaster 5,  A Paynter-Berwick 5, A Meldrum-Berwick 5, R Adlington-Bradford 2, I Bottomley-Crewe 2 ,B Jameson-Teeside DNR,  Res T King-Bradford DNR                                                                                                                                              

                                                              Gary Peterson : 1970 Northern Riders Trophy  Winner at Odsal

COME ON YOU LOT! ..................Have a go at this, TIBS has turned up a rather graining B&W photo taken at Odsal in 1974. By now Bradford were under the direction of ex-No 1 and Skipper Alan Knapkin. Decimated by his premature move up to promoting and the absence of Antipodeons- Adlington,Langlois,Fullerton and Maxfield the newly titled BARONS cut an unfamiliar picture to a Bradford Speedway public used to a successful team. Knapkin gambled on a more locally based team.So who were they ? take a look at the photo,Knapkin is on the far right but thats all your getting for now. Post your answers on the Message Board-

AND DON'T FOR GET TO VOTE IN THE TIBS POLL FOR THE ALL TIME BEST BRADFORD RIDER!

A 1974 LINE UP OF "BARONS" AT ODSAL BUT CAN YOU NAME THEM ALL ?

ANSWERS ON THE GUESTBOARD PLEASE ANS  ( NOW REALLY ? COME ON NOT ONE OF YOU HAD A GO AT THIS !    I GIVE UP....Left to Right  EDDIE Argyll, ROGER  Austin, BRIAN Chaldercott, MICK Fairbairn, MICK Fielding, TONY Featherstone ( Cpt on machine ), BRIAN Donovan, COLIN Meredith, MIKE Fishwick, STEPHEN Wilcock and Promoter ALAN Knapkin

BRADFORD LINE UPS DOWN THE YEARS  

WE LUVED THE 70'S  

1. 1970- northern lights..........                                                                   2. 1971- so near yet so far..........

3. 1972-the reality check

L/R: ROBIN Adlington, MICK Fairbairn, ALAN                                                                                                                        Bridgett, Stan Holey, BARRY Meeks, DAVE Baugh                                                                                                                      SID Sheldrick, ALAN Knapkin (Cpt on bike )

4. 1973-an australasian summer.....                                                        5. 1974 - making the best of it........

L/R: MIKE Fullerton, ROBIN Adlington, BRENTON                            L/R: BRIAN Donovan, COLIN Meredith- kneeling          Langlois, ALAN Knapkin ( Cpt on machine ), ROB                            MICK Fairbairn, TONY Featherstone ( Cpt on bike ), Maxfield COLIN Meredith and DAVE Baugh.                                     ROGER Austin ,ALAN Knapkin, MIKE Fishwick, Bill Marsh                                                                                           MICK Fielding, DAVE Parkin, STEPHEN Wilcock

1975-the beginning of the end..........                                              1975-and into baron times......

L/R: DAVE Baugh, MICK Fairbairn ( kneeling ) COLIN                                                                                                             Meredith, TONY Featherstone ( Cpt on machine ),                                                                                                                    STEVE Wilcock, MICK Fielding, Bill Marsh ( Manager )                                                                                                                 and EDDIE Argyll ( kneeling )

**QUALITY CONTROL:  WHEN VIEWED IN WINDOWS 2000 TEXT ON THIS PAGE APPEARS FRAGMENTED. TIBS ARE WORKING ON THIS AND THE PROBLEM WILL BE CORRECTED SHORTLEY. TIBS ASSURES ALL VISITORS THAT ALL IS FINE IN WINDOWS 95      Ray Allen TIBS 18/09/2001 10.00pm - SOLVED 21/09/2001 1408pm TIBS

IN EIGHTIES AND NINETIES- PHEW!

1. 1986-having it all.......???.                                                                        2. 1987-carrying on............

L/R: SEAN Willmott, GORDON Whitaker, NEIL Evitts                              L/R: MICHAEL Graves, SEAN Willmott, LANCE King, Eric Boothroyd (Prm), LARRY Ross, MICK Graves                               on machine: NEIL Evitts -Cpt, STEVE Bastable,     LANCE King. on machine KENNY Carter-Cpt                                         RANDY Green and GARY Havelock.  

3. 1988-new horizons?.......                                                                       4. 1989-gaining strength........

L/R: OLI Tyrvainen, SEAN Willmott, RANDY                                           L/R: PAUL Thorp kneeling, ANTAL Kocso, HENRIK  Green, ROB Pfetzing, MICK Graves,                                                      Kristensen, NEIL Evitts-Cpt on bike, MICK Graves   GARY Havelock and NEIL Evitts-Cpt                                                       ANDY Smith and GLENN Doyle  kneeling.              kneeling

5. 1990-raising the stakes.......                                                                6. 1991-new professionalism......   

L/R: GLENN Doyle, GARY Havelock ( on bike )                                       L/R: CRAIG Hodgson, PAUL Thorp(kneeling),SEAN  BRIAN Larner, NEIL Evitts ( Cpt on bike ), PAUL                                     Wilson, Allan Ham (Prm), GARY Havelock ( Cpt )       Thorp, MARVYN Cox ( on bike ) and ANDY                                            MICHAEL Graves, GLENN Doyle (kneeling) and    Smith                                                                                                         SIMON Wigg

7. 1992-true brits.......                                                                             8. 1993 - kings of the ko cup........

L/R: SIMON Wigg, KELVIN Tatum, KEVIN Little,                                    L/R: Allan Ham (Prm), KELVIN Tatum, DARREN   PAUL Thorp, Allan Ham (Prm), DARREN Pearson                                  Pearson,SEAN Wilson, GARY Havelock(Cpt)ANTAL(kneeling), GARY Havelock (Cpt on bike), SEAN                                    Kocso, PAUL Bentley, PAUL Pickering, SIMON     Wilson (kneeling)                                                                                     Green (kneeling) and RICHARD Smith (kneeling)

9. 1994-                                                                                                     10. 1995-  

SEEDS SOWN AT SEEDHILL-NELSON LANCASHIRE 1968-1970

                                                     Pic: "The Golden Wonder"--Alan Knapkin in the colours of Nelson Admirals and                                                               unmistakeable yellow leathers

Can I recommend The Pocket Size History Of Defunct Speedway Tracks-NELSON by Howard Jones. This neat little publication absolutely reeks nostalgia and sets the scene for the return of Speedway to Odsal in 1970. The Admirals-Golden Gary Peterson and all transferring to Bradford mid season from the Lancs town. How lucky were we?!.

The booklet tells the complete story of the short lived life of Speedway in Nelson and has you yearning for the reality of time travel inorder to see it for yourself. "Well don't dispair YOU STILL CAN for the site at Seedhill Carr Road is still there although skirted by a motorway. The pit wall complete with Nelson & Visitors Rider No's is still there to this day" !.

This may sound mad,but I why am I drawn to make the pilgrimage to see it for myself ?. Enjoy Ray

THE VISIT

Fired by the excellent PSHODST publication I made my way through Halifax picking up the A646 to Burnley. The road snakes its way through the quaintness of Sowerby Bridge- Mytholmoroyd- Hebden Bridge where the hillsides skirt the low lying fields-we were playing Football in a blizzard there back in early Spring! and onto Todmorden. The rather overcast skies giveway to shafts of sunlight on the hills and we are in Lancashire. Rather quiet for the day after Bank Holiday 29/05/2001,given the children are off from school. My own girls are with me and they are a little curious as to why Dad wants to visit this small Lancs town with the name of an historical Sea Admiral-NELSON. Through Burnley we head out and can clearly see the M65 Motorway that sliced its way through a piece of Speedway History in the early 80's-Not that long ago actually if we put it in the context that Speedway returned to Odsal in 1986.

Anyhow we drive into Nelson reaching the town centre that seems fairly well kept. We are able to park the car on the precinct that is lined with various Banks, and shops-and we locate Carr Road leading down from the centre back to the M65. A sign advertises a Circus Event is in town at Carr Road on the site of Seedhill Stadium -once the home of those long forgotten Nelson Admirals. Taking Carr Road back to the motorway the road dips down under a bridge where we caught site of the Circus tents and rides. Immediately opposite the site is a car park and this backs onto playingfields. Starring across the road at what was once a tidy-having seen the photos courtesy of PSHODST-Stadium its sad to see the site is derelict ( without the Circus ). Here 30 years ago on Summer Saturdays the Mike Parker promoted speedshow was the home track for the likes of Gary Peterson,Alan Knapkin,Dave Schofield,former Crewe Welshman Dai Evans, Jack Winstanley et al. We walked amongst the Circus tents,wires and caravan homes and could see the Red brick perimeter wall that skirts two sides of the site. To the rear the wall looks over the Criket field and the new Athletics track is in the distance.

I was keen to seek out the wall that was the back of the old pits area,and still carry's to this day the name of NELSON and VISITORS together with Rider No's 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. Here behind the overgrown trees is a piece of Speedway History that as PSHODST rightly says few in the town of Nelson will know little about. I ask my daughter to take my photo next to the pit marked No 3-where three decades ago a young up and coming New Zealander Gary Peterson was just beginning to make the Speedway World take notice. Fate would take Gary away from this Lancs hamlet that afforded him his first regular rides in the UK and the rest is History as they say.

Its sad that the sport was allowed to die in this backwater-indeed the folks of Nelson who followed the Admirals-so aptley titled don't ya think ? are still on a promise from then team boss Derek Tattersall that the Admirals would return. When the promotion upped sticks to Bradford on the 20th June 1970 they left advertising that it would be "Welcome Back Speedway"-4th July 1970............but it never happened. You cannot help but feel that something was lost here all those years ago. Coming from Bradford I have a lot to thank Nelson Speedway for, because without its demise......well who knows ?     

ABOVE: "End of the Line" for the Admirals - the last match programme v Peterborough Panthers.  The Carr Road crew signed of with a resounding 56-22 demolition of the visitors, before moving "lock stock and 7 smoking barrels" to Bradfords vast Odsal Stadium. Full match scoring on the night was:-  

NELSON Admirals 56   Alan Knapkin 12 (max), Alf Wells 11, Dave Schofield 9, Sid Sheldrick 9, Alan Bridgett 6, Peter Thompson 5, Robin Adlington 4.    PETERBOROUGH Panthers 22  Pete Seaton 8, Pete Saunders 4, John Stayte 4, Richard Greer 3, Mervin Hill 2, C Smalley 1, Brian Davies 0

Ray Allen for TIBS......................Oh! yes I'll post the pics when they are developed.

PICTURE:  Here I am on the site of the Old Seedhill Stadium ( now direlict ) except for the red brick perimeter wall-now overgrown by trees on two sides of the site. This is the pits area where in those sadly far off summer evenings the home team readied their machines.  NELSON can be seen painted on the wall, Gary Peterson would have been positioned 3 to my right as you look at the photo......