The Archive · 1940

Speedway's Popularity

A maximum crowd of 15,000 saw speedway's re-opening at West Ham on Friday. The West Ham team beat a combined New Cross-Wembley side, reinforced by some provincial riders by 47 points to 37. Arthur. Atkinson, favourite for the abandoned world championship last season, and Eric Chitty, the Canadian, both won their four races for the home side. Atkinson, however, had to fight hard in the third heat before he could defeat Tommy Price. The tussle between the twa made the third heat the best race of the match.

The matting yas such. a that ^Moskins the- West Ham speedway manager announced that it was hoped that, in the future, meetings would be held every Saturday afternoon.

Tommy Croombs captain of the West Ham team stated that he is retiring from speedway racing. Croombs was one of the foremost English riders and one of the greatest "white-liners" in the game. He has been associated with West Ham since 1928, d before that rode for Lea Bridge. Croombs rode on Friday but in the first race wrecked his machine and after an attempt to ride the track's spare machine, decided to stand down.

There was also a big crowd at Belle Vue where the feature was a Best Pairs competition made up of riders from Wembley, Cheffield and the home track. But the meeting was marred by an accident to Frank Varey. It came to the deciding test of the Manchester Scratch Race, which Kitchen won by half a length from Eric Langton. In trying to overhaul Kitchen, Varey

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