THE FRANK HODGSON STORY

FRANK HODGSON (CAPTAIN of the MIDDLESBROUGH BEARS 1946-1948)

BORN: Middlesbrough May 2, 1908

CAREER RECORD

1936 - DAGENHAM

1937 - NOTTINGHAM

1937/1939 - HACKNEY

1946/1948 - MIDDLESBROUGH

1949 - NEWCASTLE

1950/1952  GLASGOW WHITE CITY*

FRANK was born and bred in Middlesbrough and particularly keen on most sports including football, cricket and swimming. He started riding motor cycles as a schoolboy and competed very successfully in trial, scrambles, grass track and hill climbs.

He moved to London to live in 1935 where he worked as a signwriter. His speedway career began by accident when some friends of his took him down to Arlington (Eastbourne) one Sunday afternoon when the Sussex track was a non league venue. He was co-erced into having a blast round the track. From there he became proficient enough to claim a place in the Dagenham 'Daggers' line-up in 1936 that raced at Ripple Road (yet another retail park). He joined Nottingham in 1937 but later transferred to Hackney where he partnered Dicky Case and Cordy Milne. In 1938 Frank was made captain of Hackney when they topped the Second Division table and rode for two seasons at Waterden Road up until the outbreak of war. 

CLOCKWISE: Jack Hodgson, Wilf Plant, Fred 'Kid' Curtis & Frank Hodgson

After the war Frank, at the age of 37, was signed to skipper his hometown team alongside brother Jack, Wilf Plant, Fred 'Kid' Curtis, Geoff Godwin, Jack Gordon, Eddie 'Crusty' Pye and Len Tupling. The Bears went on to win back to back league titles in consecutive seasons - 1946 and 1947. To this day the most successful period in the club's history. Attendances averaged around 11,000 a meeting.

At the end of the 1947 season Frank was rumoured to be being chased by all the major clubs in speedway at the time.  Wembley offered the then Second Division record fee of £2000 plus a rider called Bill Kemp, but Frank preferred to stay with his hometown team where he was earning First Division money. The team did race in some challenge matches against National League sides notably Wimbledon, West Ham and New Cross.

In 1947 five Middlesbrough riders featured in the top 20 averages of the National League Division Two.  Indeed three Boro Bears headed the table.  Frank Hodgson had scored the most points  (429 from 44 matches), followed by Fred 'Kid' Curtis (398 from 42 matches) and Wilf Plant (390 from 40 matches).  Newcastle's Norman Evans was ninth with Bears Jack Hodgson eleventh and Geoff Godwin 20th.  Middlesbrough were the only team to have a 100% home record throughout the 1947 season.

A 1940s MIDDLESBROUGH SPEEDWAY PROGRAMME

In 1948 the attendances began to drop alarmingly from an opening night crowd of 14,000 to 6,000 in one week. Wilf Plant was sold to Fleetwood to appease the crowd who were allegedly fed up with one sided matches at Cleveland Park. This didn't improve attendances and it was to be 13 long years before league speedway would return to Middlesbrough's Cleveland Park again.

MIDDLESBROUGH SPEEDWAY BADGE 1948

Frank moved with the promotion to Newcastle's Brough Park in 1949 who themselves had seen their team transfer to Glasgow Ashfield.  Frank joined Glasgow White City* in the early fifties and then retired from the sport at the age of 44.  He concentrated on his decorating business and set up a  market garden in the grounds of his home in Skutterskelfe Hall, Hutton Rudby.  Occasionally he could be seen driving his pride and joy around Teesside - a 1927 Galloway vintage car.   

He was an occasional visitor to Cleveland Park during the Ron Wilson era (1968-1978).  He was to Middlesbrough Bears what Wilf Mannion was to Middlesbrough FC.

Sadly Frank died at the age of 74 at his home in Hutton Rudby on May 9, 1983.

* Thanks to Derek Watson for pointing out that FRANK HODGSON rode for Glasgow White City and NOT Glasgow Ashfield as we had originally written.  Incredibly Glasgow had two speedway teams running in the same city in the early 1950s.  We are happy to correct this fact.

Further information about Frank's career will be added at a later date.