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Redmond moves

The Neath team were the surprise packets of the 1962 season, with first year riders Jon Erskine and Charlie Monk having promising debut years. Unfortunately their success on the track wasn’t matched at the turnstiles and promoter Redmond moved the team to St Austell for 1963 although, with Plymouth closing and Devils Julian, Wickett and Blewett joining the Gulls, both these riders were loaned out to Long Eaton. Ray Cresp signed for St Austell despite the long journey from his London base. However it was no surprise to learn that he was looking for a track with less travelling for 1964 and with Redmond moving his operation to Glasgow a swap looked in the offing with Cresp going to Wolverhampton and Mattingley leading the newly reformed Tigers.  With the fallout from the NL/PL split, Cresp threw his lot in with local track West Ham who were opening to shore up the NL, frustrating this swap. However Redmond asset Jon Erskine was wanted by Mike Parker to both build the track at Newport and also to ride for the newly opened Wasps, so it looks like it was Mattingley for Erskine.

Redmond somehow persuaded Chris Julian to drive to Glasgow from his Cornish home and while Ray Wickett rode in a couple of Tigers early meetings - while also turning out for Exeter at the same time - this was never going to be a permanent arrangement. Redmond enterprisingly arranged a swap with Terry Stone becoming a Tiger and Wickett becoming a full time Exeter Falcon. The Tigers programme cover featured a photo of Wickett with the caption "Clean bowled by Exeter". They don’t make headlines like that anymore. Redmond was obviously a persuasive character as Stone moved up to Glasgow, flat sharing with Kiwis Ovenden and Hicks. While Stone’s stay in Scotland only lasted a couple of months and a broken leg while riding elsewhere put his racing on hold, Wickett only managed a few meetings at Exeter and drifted out of the sport, so a minor win for Redmond

 

Hoskins moves

The Speedway Star reported that Willie Templeton would like a transfer to Glasgow for 1965. This was not at all surprising, as he had averaged about eight points a meeting in seven appearances at the White City, considerably better than his average of nearly six with Edinburgh. Ian Hoskins said that Dave Younghusband and Eric Boocock were interested in joining Edinburgh although Reg Fearman’s comments on this proposal were not recorded. Possibly Hoskins was hoping to arrange a three way swap which would have seen Willie Templeton go to Glasgow, Ray Cresp, a Redmond asset, go to Long Eaton who would then have sent either Younghusband or Boocock to Edinburgh.

As it turned out Ray Cresp went to join the Archers, but Bluey Scott came in the opposite direction, becoming a Tiger, along with Willie Templeton with Edinburgh getting to sign Henry Harrfeldt, the younger brother of Sverre who had finished sixth in the 1963 World Final, in his place. Henry proved to be a good second string in his first season but a badly broken leg, just weeks into his second term, ended his career. With Willie having a career high year in his debut season for the Tigers, it is hard not to conclude that they got the better end of this transaction, while the Scott-Cresp swap looked pretty even, with both riders giving their new teams two years of solid scoring before retiring at the end of 1966. Possibly they were both winners, riding for teams with far less travelling involved.

Wayne Briggs returned for 1965 still recovering from a badly broken thigh sustained at Newport the previous July but, after a few low scoring meetings, was again out injured and Edinburgh promoter Ian Hoskins was pressing to be allowed to sign a replacement heatleader. Tommy Roper was allocated to Edinburgh and got as far as being programmed for a home meeting, but he never rode, and it always seemed he was holding out for a move to Halifax. He seemed to only be prepared to ride for Edinburgh if he could fly up for home meetings but there were no suitable flights on a Saturday night. Ultimately Reg Fearman offered to send Austrian Alfred Sitzwohl to Edinburgh in exchange for Roper. Boy did Fearman see Hoskins coming on this one! Sitzwohl was well off the pace in his one and only team appearance at Long Eaton and was hugely unimpressive in second half events north of the border. Roper proved to be a high scoring second string at The Shay, more or less a fourth heatleader, and was a major part of their BL winning team in 1966 before moving to Belle Vue where he twice got championship medals in 1970 and 1971. Game, set and match to Fearman!

 

Exeter moves

Alan Cowland had ridden for Exeter for four years but, recently married, was looking for a move to a London track, much nearer his home. As it turned out he got a swap deal, moving to Wolverhampton with Tommy Sweetman making the reverse journey in 1966. It is believed a Monday racenight fitted in better with his optical business. Cowland subsequently joined Wimbledon in 1967 but was on the move after a couple of seasons at Plough Lane, turning out for Leicester, Newport and Hull before seeing second division action at Workington. Mildenhall and Peterborough. It has to be said that Exeter got the best of this deal, with Sweetman having a career year in 1966.

The shrewd Lansdale and Mawdsley promotion also came out ahead in a mid-season swap that year, when they traded Doug Dearden for Kings Lynn Alan Smith. On the face of it, a young rider with some promise being traded away for a veteran on the comeback trail doesn’t look like their best move. Smith had previously ridden for the promotion at Rayleigh and filled the Falcons lower order, averaging close to five points, although he hung up his leathers for good at the end of the season. Dearden didn’t have a great time at Saddlebow Road and only managed a few meetings in their colours, possibly not helped by the protracted journey from his Southampton base.

 

Surprise moves

Not all moves seem to have been agreed in advance like the Cowland- Sweetman swap. Cradley’s John Hart was surprised when he was phoned to ask if he would ride for Sheffield who were letting Clive Featherby go in the opposite direction. Hart had been happy at Cradley and would have preferred to stay in the Midlands but had no hesitation when he heard that workmate George Major was also Owlerton bound, simplifying their working arrangements.

 

Scotland? No thanks

There was always a problem getting riders to ride for Scottish teams, none more so than in 1968 when Glasgow got a really rough deal from the Rider Allocation Committee. By mid-season the Tigers were getting mauled on a regular basis and Alan Jay who had been displaced by some team reshuffles was allocated to the Paisley Road West side to stiffen the middle order. However he refused to come but a compromise was reached with Jay going to Newcastle and the Diamonds releasing former Tiger Alf Wells back to his old stamping ground, a move that allowed the Tigers to make a fist of the rest of the season.

Wells was at the centre of a disallowed swap the following year. The Tigers had moved from The White City to Hampden, and he never really settled on the Mount Florida circuit, descending into a loss of confidence, loss of form downward spiral. Tigers brought in Berwick’s Maury Robinson as a short term replacement with Wells getting a couple of meetings at Berwick but the swap was never concluded as the BSPA ruled that Wells couldn’t drop down to the second division, a decision that led to him retiring and subsequently joining second division Bradford the following year.

 

Newcastle? No thanks

If Glasgow had got a poor deal from Rider Allocation in 1968, it was nothing to how Newcastle were dealt a shocker the following year. Ivan Mauger was insistent that he wasn’t going to ride for Newcastle and a number of names were put forward as a replacement, including Charlie Monk, Olle Nygren and Bert Harkins but none would agree to join the Diamonds. In the end Garry Middleton was persuaded to line up at Brough Park but from the outset it was always going to be a problem with him scrambling to get back from his Sunday commitments on the continent and sometimes battered and bruised too. Ever the pragmatist, promoter Mike Parker accepted a swap chain that saw his Diamonds get a season long guest facility and release Middleton to Hackney, who in turn sent Tommy Sweetman to former track Wolverhampton, with the Wolves letting Cyril Francis return to Newport.