Chris rode on the grass tracks in Cornwall in the mid 50s at a time when  there was no speedway in the county but got a few second halfs when The County Ground reopened in 1958. for Open Licence meetings. He got his chance  when Bristol reopened in the newly formed Provincial League in 1960, getting a team place in midseason after impressing in a junior challenge meeting against Aldershot. Amongst his early meetings was a useful 8+2 at Edinburgh as the Bulldogs won 58-38 in a KO Cup tie. His first 500+ mile journey to Scotland. They would go on to lift this trophy after beating Rayleigh in the final. When the Bristol stadium was sold to developers he moved along with the rest of the team to Plymouth, certainly  more convenient from Fraddon home. 

He progressed in his two years at Pennycross with the Bulldogs who became the Devils in their second season, before they too closed but this time for financial reasons. He got the chance to move to nearby St Austell where Trevor Redmond had relocated his Neath side in 1963. He averaged close to 8.00 with the Gulls that year before they too put the shutters up. Redmond moved the team to Glasgow but only Chris and Ray Wickett were in the opening Tigers line up. While Wickett quickly got a move to Exeter in a swap deal for Terry Stone - "Wickett Clean Bowled By Exeter"  was  the headline on the programme cover., Chris faced the huge weekly commute with his usual Cornish grit. He broke the journey, sleeping in Cradley  car park overnight with a cardboard box separating him from his bike in the back of his van. 

Chris certainly took to his new home rattling up scores of 11, 10 and 11 in Northern League meetings against Middlesbrough, Sheffield and Newcastle., while he rather got caught uo in the tension of Edinburgh's visit, only scoring four after falling in one heat. He had a couple of weeks off, not being involved in Scotland v New Zealand - though he would subsequently get capped for Scotland - and the Sunderland meeting which he missed after gashing his thigh at Newport in an individual meeting. 

The Provincial League fixtures would b ring tougher sides to The White City  but it wasn't apparent  with him recording double figures in the early meetings  including top scoring at Exeter and Long Eaton. In mid June Tigers narrowly lost a tousy meeting at Sheffield with Chris very much in the thick of things. He met Clive Featherby  in a latter heat and the pairs first bend clash led to partner Terry Stone having no room and putting Alan Jay in the fence

The race was stopped and the riders were returning to the pits before it was announced that Terry Stone had been excluded. Alan Jay then attacked Terry at the pits gate and a melee erupted as riders and mechanics joined in the fracas, which required police intervention before order was restored.  In the second half he lost control and hurtled into the fence sustaining a fractured skull and a broken arm. His condition was initially described as “critical” but thankfully he improved. However it seemed certain that he would be out for the season.

The Tigers toiled without him and amazingly he announced he would come back in early August. Unsurprisingly his scores were less but scores of 7 against Sheffield and Cradley suggested he was getting back in the groove. By now he was flying up from London and his flight was delayed meaning he missed his first two rides and arrived just n time to be told he was being replaced by Charlie Monk as a tac sub. However his 5 from two rides weren't enough to stop the Tigers losing to Middlesbrough on a night when they somehow managed to track eight riders. 

1965 brought the PL/NL amalgamation and in the rider reshuffle Chris got sent to Cradley a lot nearer his Cornish home but still a full days drive . After four years at Dudley Wood where not all his teammates enjoyed being his partner! he moved to Newport before finally getting "home"  to Exeter where he enjoyed the Mauger inspired glory years. He rode briefly in NL2 for Mildenhall and Weymouth before retiring at the age of 40. My last memory of him was his third place in a World Championship Qualifying Round at Coatbridge on a damp night in 1973. 

He subsequently got involved in gyrocopter development and was considered an expert in this field but sadly he has killed in a crash just days before St Austell reopened in 1997. A larger than life character who is still warmly remember by his supporters though not all opponents and in some cases teammates!