Bernard MacArthur was amongst the most highly rated young riders in the early 1960s and seemed set for a big future in the sport. He had ridden at Bradford in 1959 in unlicensed meetings using the assumed name of Steve Degny. He rode for both Liverpool and Sheffield in the first year of the Provincial League in 1960 and was tipped for big things after a good season at Owlerton in 1961, so much so that Belle Vue snapped him up for 1962, swapping Tony Robinson for him. But he found the going tough in the NL and retired after just a few. It was surprising that on PL promoters sought to tempt him back in the following seasons.

The Second Division gave a number of juniors the chance of more rides and a team place when it started in 1968.  Brian Black and Walter Elliott who rode as Mark Hall as he didnt want his employers to know about his riding activities, were among those who benefitted at Berwick. Both had averages around 7.00 in the first two years but neither came to the tapes for 1970 though Elliott was a co promoter at the short lived Newtongrange that year. Lex Milloy  was another Berwick starlet at the time but his time was dogged by serious injuries which saw him retire at the end of 1970. He subsequently made quite a name for himself as a stunt man in a number of action films. Andy Meldrum was another Bandit who retired too early, having risen to heatleader in 1972 and 1973 before decamping to Sunderland for 1974 which proved to be his last season in the sport 

Halifax junior Ian Bottomley rode for Reading in 1968as a second string but hit good form when he moved to the big Crewe track the following year. He was unable to subsequently reproduce this scoring and moved to newcomers Hull in 1971 which proved to be his last year, Ian Champion was another Reading recruit, having previously had outings at Long Eaton. His early season form had suggested that he was going to be one of the top riders in the lower section but his form too  subsequently sloped off.  However a return to Long Eaton in 1971 showed that he could still compete with the best the league had to offer when the mood was right, but he quit during the following season .

 Alex Hughson and Al Brady were two Scots whose career started with the Monarchs and who became homeless when the Coatbridge licence was sold to Wembley ahead of the 1970 season. Hughson emigrated to Rhodesia where he restarted speedway, running three tracks  at Salisb'ury, Gwelo and Bulawayo which were staffed by British riders who rode there during our winters.  Brady moved to Berwick where he had his best season in 1971 , something he couldnt match the following year causing him to quit though he returned briefly to ride for the reopened Coatbridge in their last year in the BL in 1973.

Kiwis Wayne Briggs, Bruce Ovenden , Graeme Smith and Allan Brown all gave the game away at a time when they still had more to offer. The youngest Briggs had had a ten year career and was wanted by Glasgow for 1972 but though he rode in ice racing events in Scotland that winter couldn't be persuaded to turn out for the Hampden side who were weak at second string following the Templeton brothers departure. The highly popular Ovenden returned home after two years in Glasgow's colours and suggestions that he might return for 1966 sadly came to nought. Smith was another who went home and resisted attempts by Berwick to persuade him to come back to ride in their colours in 1973, a real pity as he was  a master of the big fast Shielfield circuit and would have been a big draw. Allan Brown had made steady progress with Kings Lynn but was another Kiwi who found the pull of his homeland too much to resist. 

American DeWayne Keeter was one of Leicester's "Magnificent Seven" who had a perfect attendance record of riding in all league and cup meetings, though he went home before the end of season Midland Cup competition... and yes he didn't return.

Londoner Mike Gardner got his first rides for Rayleigh in 1968 and made quite an impression when called up by Cradley in 1969. He certainly impressed me when I saw him rack up nine points at Hampden in one of his early meetings in the Heathens green and white. He was never quite the same after a bad leg injury and had spells back in the lower division with Birmingham, Crewe and Stoke 

Duncan Meredith  was just 22 when he retired