Terrible Twos – Belfast Dunmore Park 1968

Belfast’s Dunmore Stadium staged a full season of challenge matches in 1950 from May until the beginning of September after which time track lighting would have been required. Presumably it was a success, but it wasn’t repeated, and stock cars subsequently took over the arena. By 1968 speedway had another go. It is unclear who the promoters were but the riders for the initial meeting on a Monday in early June were largely from Swindon and Hackney. Bob Kilby (9) and Clive Hitch (8) – both Swindon – took the first two places in a pruned back meeting in which 12 riders had four rides each, meaning that you didn’t meet every opponent. No fewer than three riders tied for third with seven points – Mike Keen (Swindon), Mike Broadbank (Swindon) and Pete Smith, the sole Poole representative in the party.

Belfast v Scotland

The next meeting, again on a Monday, in early July saw the home team augmented local riders Mills, Carlisle and Byrne with  Mike Broadbank, Colin Pratt, Malcolm Brown and ….. Doug Templeton! The latter probably changing sides, possibly replacing Kilby to balance the sides up. Scotland’s opening pairing was Hughson and Tannock suggesting that Tannock had been promoted from reserve in lieu of Templeton with the quaintly named Mervyn McConkey taking his place at the tail end.

As in a lot of challenge meetings, the home team edged out the visitors allowing the supporters to go home in good spirits. Scorers

Belfast: Brown 11, Broadbank 10, D Templeton 9, Pratt 6, Carlisle 6, Byrne 4, Mills 2

Scotland: W Templeton 15, Harkins 11, B McMillan 8, Tannock 5, Hughson 4, Hunter 4 McConkey 0.

Hunters low score is probably attributable to him only coming back a few weeks earlier after a horrific confidence sapping crash at Glasgow in May. Curiously all times were declared as whole seconds with Willie Templeton (twice) and Malcolm Brown recording the fastest time with 76.0/

The meeting report in the Coatbridge programme didn’t pull any punches saying

A Scottish Select rode in Belfast against a Belfast side which included Colin Pratt, Mike Broadbank and Malcolm Brown.

Doug Templeton was surprised to learn he was also down to ride for Belfast. On a track that lacked a starting gate and had holes from a previous stock car meeting filled with concrete on the morning of the meeting, the racing and the very poor crowd had a night to be remembered

Riders came to the start wearing the same helmet colours. Changes were not notified to the announcer and no provision for the progressive score was allowed for in the programme.

Belfast won the match by one point in the final heat and the score of 48-47 over 16 heats was purely of statistical interest.

It is considered unlikely that more than one further meeting will be held at Dunmore Stadium after this” In fact no further meetings were run.

 

Mervyn McConkey failed to score but must have impressed Ian Hoskins enough to earn a booking for his junior side, Coatbridge Kings meeting against Berwick near the end of the season.