RONNIE MOORE wasted no time in setting a track record for the new 395-yard circuit, scorching around in 72.0 seconds in the opening meeting of the 1960 season. His record time was subsequently equalled by both Ken McKinlay and Peter Craven later on in the year. Speedway in general was on the up-and-up with the formation of the Provincial League, which boasted ten teams, the same as the National League. However, it was not to be a very happy year for the Robins - they were wooden spoonists for the first time, with a team that desperately needed some new faces. Regrettably, Swindon lost four home matches during the league campaign, as well as losing all nine of their away fixtures. That left them languishing 4 points adrift at the foot of the table, behind Coventry.
The Robins had a very long tail, although this was significantly improved by the signing of Brian Brett from Southampton and Brian Meredith from Coventry. Young Australian Johnny Board, who had joined the Robins' camp the previous year, returned for another go, while Ron Taylor, a very promising lad from the grass-tracks, was also signed. Taylor started well, but should have enjoyed more rides than he did in order to further his progress. Mike Broadbank was the top rider for Swindon with 161 league points and an 8.33 average in a pretty mediocre side. ‘Chalky' White finished the campaign with an 7.97 average, and while Ian Williams (6.92), Neil Street (6.83) and Tadeusz Teodorowicz (6.74) all offered solid enough support, it was an out-and-out No. 1 rider that the Robins desperately required.
Swindon again reached the semi-final of the National Trophy, but there was more heartache as they went down to a crushing 131-84 defeat at the hands of Wimbledon, for whom Ronnie Moore notched 16 points in each leg. For the second successive year, Swindon also lost the Supporters' Club Cup to old rivals Oxford. In the Britannia Shield, the Robins won four of their group matches, but it was only enough to see them finish as runners-up to Wimbledon, with the Dons progressing to the final.
The Abbey Stadium played host to another three prestigious individual events during the year, the first of which saw ‘Teo' brilliantly win the Midland Riders' Championship qualifying round on 28 May. Chum Taylor produced a marvellous 15-point maximum to take victory in the World Championship qualifying round on 2 July, while Bjorn Knutsson plundered a full-house to lift the Jack Parker Trophy on 29 July.
On 5 August, Blunsdon staged a qualifying round in the recently introduced World Team Cup. This saw Australia, New Zealand, England and a Challengers side battle it out to decide the qualifying place. England won the meeting with 33 points, from the Challengers (with 28 points), New Zealand (23) and Australia (12). Ian Williams rode for England as reserve, scoring a single point, while Neil Street rode for Australia, but failed to score. Meanwhile, Mike Broadbank appeared for the Challengers, netting 9 points.
The winter was a very worrying time for the Swindon fans, as Mike Broadbank spent much of it in hospital with a respiratory complaint. The 1961 season soon came around and Swindon stepped up their search for a top rider. The Robins' management turned their eyes to Sweden and signed twenty-two-year-old Arne Carlsson, who had occupied seventh place in the 1959 World Final. As it turned out, Carlsson was something of a disappointment and only completed seven league matches for a 6.00 average. Bob Roger, after two years of trying to convince the authorities that he was fully recovered from his injuries of 1958, tried a comeback, which ultimately wasn't successful and it saddened the Swindon faithful to see him struggle for points. Brian Meredith and Brian Brett were good reserves in a Robins' line-up that had much more solidity about it than in the previous season.
Swindon moved up to fifth position in the ten-team National League, with Neil Street leading the scoring with 127 points for a 7.83 average. Broadbank, discharged from hospital in April, battled on gamely for Swindon and achieved a 6.96 average from the dozen league matches he managed to complete. The biggest improvement in the camp came from Teo, though, who upped his average from 6.74 in 1960 to a solid 7.52 figure. This was a much better year for the Robins although, with a bit more consistency at the Abbey, it could have been even greater. A couple of home defeats at the hands of Southampton and Wimbledon cost the side dearly, but this was slightly offset by a solitary away victory at Oxford.
Swindon reached the National Trophy final, having battled past both Leicester and Norwich, but there was disappointment for the fans when the Robins lost to Southampton, 98-70 on aggregate. There was some success, though, as Swindon defeated Oxford by a single point over two legs to claim the Hutchins Cup. Then, in the Supporters' Club Cup, Swindon overcame the Cheetahs by a comfortable 98-58 aggregate score-line. The Swindon public were treated to no less than five individual events during the course of the season, the first of which saw Arne Pander win the Midland Riders' Championship qualifying round on 10 May, courtesy of a superb 15-point maximum. Next up was the prestigious Speedway Internationale meeting on 17 June, and this saw Wimbledon's Ronnie Moore triumph with maximum points, ahead of Barry Briggs and Bob Andrews. Blunsdon was lucky enough to be chosen to host the final of the Midland Riders' Championship on 21 June, when an all-star field produced a firecracker of a meeting. After twenty pulsating heats, Jack Geran and Arne Pander were locked together on 12 points apiece and a run-off was required to decide the destiny of the title. It was Leicester's Geran who subsequently held his nerve to take the nail-biting run-off and with it, the glory. On 8 July, Swindon staged a World Championship qualifying round, and this saw Wimbledon's Cyril Maidment scorch to an immaculate maximum and finish a point ahead of the mega-popular Teo.
The fifth and final big meeting on the Abbey Stadium calendar was the Jack Parker Trophy on 12 August, when a top-class line-up thrilled the packed terraces. Leicester's Ken McKinlay cleaned up with a 15-point haul, finishing ahead of Barry Briggs, Ronnie Moore and the Robins' own Mike Broadbank. ‘Broady' gamely qualified for the World Final in Malmo, Sweden, but finished way down the field with just 2 points.
Interestingly, the name of local youngster Martin Ashby began to feature in the second-half of home meetings. Little did anyone know then, but Martin (or ‘Crash', as he was dubbed) would go on to become the all-time No. 1 at Swindon, making more appearances for the club than anyone else. He also scored more points than anyone else for the Robins, until his mammoth total was overhauled by Leigh Adams in August 2008.
The 1962 season saw the Robins slip down the league table, handicap racing was introduced and George White retired. Former Bristol rider Roger Wise, a local man from Highworth, became team manager, with Bob Jones concentrating on the mechanical side. There were but seven teams in the National League and Swindon could only manage to finish in sixth position. As mentioned, George White had retired, in order to concentrate on his business interests and to provide for his family, but ‘Chalky' was never really replaced and the Robins found life difficult as a result. Once again, they were vulnerable at home, losing both league matches against Southampton, as well as being held to draws by Belle Vue and Wimbledon. On their travels, they lost eleven of their twelve matches, the only success being a 40-37 victory at Oxford.
Swedish international rider Olle Nygren had a couple of matches when Arne Carlsson was injured, and when Ipswich closed down after fifteen league matches, their Australian rider, Peter Moore, was allocated to Swindon. Buster Brown returned for the odd match, and Howard Cole (riding under the pseudonym Kid Bodie), Brian Leonard, Stuart Wallace and Martin Ashby were also used, as the Robins desperately tried to put together a winning combination. Mike Broadbank was the No. 1 rider, scoring 190 league points for an 8.21 average, but the support he received was scant, as reflected in the finishing averages of the main body of the side: Neil Street (6.81); Arne Carlsson (6.06); Ian Williams (6.00); Brian Brett (5.42); Tadeusz Teodorowicz (4.61); Martin Ashby (4.28).
For the second year running, Swindon reached the National Trophy final, after aggregate victories over Ipswich and Oxford. Unfortunately, they again lost, this time to Wimbledon by an aggregate score of 94-74, but the highlight in the second leg at Blunsdon was the quite brilliant 15-point maximum from young Ashby, riding off scratch. Meanwhile, the Robins maintained the upper-hand over Oxford, retaining the Hutchins Cup by an aggregate score of 86-69.
Ronnie Moore was triumphant in the Blunsdon-staged World Championship-qualifying round on 30 June, romping to a full maximum to finish ahead of Bob Andrews and Les Owen. Broady didn't compete in the Swindon round, but again made it through to the World Final at Wembley on 8 September, where he replicated his 2-point score of the previous year. One other big individual meeting was held at the Abbey Stadium in 1962, namely the Jack Parker Trophy, which saw the great Ove Fundin sweep to a majestic maximum and claim the first prize. Southampton star Barry Briggs was runner-up, while Peter Craven and Ronnie Moore completed the top four.
The 1963 term saw a virtually unchanged Swindon side in action, and although Arne Carlsson was not retained, the young Swede went on to surprise everyone, riding his way to Wembley for the World Final! Great servant Bob Jones was back in his dual role of team manager and mechanic after the resignation of Roger Wise. In only the second home meeting of the season, Wimbledon's Ronnie ‘Mirac' Moore established a new track record of 71.8 seconds, bettering the previous best that was set in 1960. Although the season went on through to the end of September, Moore's time proved to be unbeatable and stood as the best all year long.
There were still just seven sides in the National League and the Robins finished in fifth spot. Peter ‘Piccolo' Moore, the fast-starting Aussie, became the No. 1 rider scoring 207 points to average 8.89. In what was to be his final season with Swindon, Ian Williams handed over the team captaincy to Mike Broadbank, who finished second in the Robins' averages on 8.74. There was quite a hefty drop to third-placed man Teo, whose end-of-term average was 6.57, although this represented a marked improvement on his figure of the previous year. Meanwhile, there were two bright spots in the team, with Brian Brett moving his average up to 6.44, while Martin Ashby showed steady improvement to finish on 5.80.
Once again, it was Swindon's home form that cost them dearly, with three defeats and a draw, although they did win a couple of matches on the road, at Oxford and Southampton. There was an interesting occurrence in the home match against Wimbledon on 8 June, when Ivan Mauger recorded 11 points for the Dons. Swindon won the match 40-38, but it was subsequently decided to deduct Mauger's points as he had started from the wrong handicap. The man who would later go on to win the World Championship more times than anyone else rode the meeting from scratch, but should have actually ridden off a 10-yard handicap! The outcome had no bearing on the destiny of the 2 league points, but the result of the meeting was amended to a 40-27 victory for the Robins.
Swindon again held the upper-hand on local rivals Oxford, retaining the re-named Hutchins Challenge Trophy with a 96-72 aggregate victory. The Robins also disposed of Oxford in the quarter-final of the National Trophy, only to then go down to a 2-point aggregate defeat against Norwich in the semi-final. On the individual front, Broadbank won a World Championship qualifying round at Blunsdon on 5 July. His winning total was 14.5 points, having dead-heated for first place with Ron How in a neck-and-neck heat seventeen. Broady also won his other qualifying round at Wimbledon, but unfortunately didn't make the big night at Wembley. Teo qualified as reserve for Wembley, and Peter Moore also wore the Swindon colours, scoring 6 points.
The final meeting of the season at Blunsdon saw a top-notch field compete for the Bristol Tipped Trophy, with Oxford's Arne Pander coming out on top, while Sverre Harrfeldt was second, and Broadbank third. Southampton closed down at the end of the season, leaving the National League with just six teams. Also at the end of 1963, both Australians Neil Street (after seven seasons) and Peter Moore (after a season-and-a-half) announced that they would not be returning to race in Britain in 1964.
The National League as a whole combined to re-open West Ham in 1964, and moved to promote Provincial League Champions Wolverhampton in order to strengthen the league. In the end, though, Wolves stayed in the successful Provincial League, which boasted twelve teams, while the National League struggled on with just seven sides. Mike Parker had undoubtedly been the driving force behind the formation of the Provincial League back in 1960 and was a tough nut for the Control Board to crack, as the two leagues grew further and further apart. As a result, the Provincial League rode outside the jurisdiction of the Control Board and grew even stronger as time passed by.
Swindon remained in the National League and with Southampton closed, promoter Bert Hearse brought the Saints' superstar and former World Champion, Barry Briggs, to Swindon. The arrival of ‘Briggo' renewed interest in speedway in the town and he made his debut for the Robins at Oxford on 27 March in an Easter Cup match. He was to dominate the season, and on 10 July, in an International Best Pairs event, which saw the first visit of Russian riders to Swindon, he captured the track record, reducing it to 71.0 seconds.
Brian Brett had previously lowered the circuit's best time on 13 June in a league match against Norwich, but Briggo made mincemeat of his time of 71.6 seconds, shattering it by six-tenths of a second. Another newcomer to the Robins' nest was Colin Pratt from Provincial League Stoke, but he didn't stay long, never actually riding a league match for Swindon, and quickly moved on to Provincial League Hackney.
In mid-summer, Swindon had a shock when Briggs threatened to retire unless the handicap system was abolished. His views were supported by international referee Cecil Telling, and on 22 August his protest was upheld and his retirement threat forgotten. The Robins looked to have a side with a good blend of youth and experience. Young local boy Bob Kilby had his first rides, and showed from the beginning that he had what it takes. Ashby was also progressing along the right lines, and with Brett, as well as the ever-reliable Broadbank, the future looked bright.
Swindon also sprang a surprise by signing John Debbage from Norwich, where he had lost his team-place. The Robins gave odd rides to Kiwi Alan Stapleton, although he was only to ride in a single league match. Former Harringay stalwart Danny Dunton even had rides for Swindon, as did Roy Bowers and Leo Ramm.
The previously mentioned International Best Pairs meeting on 10 July saw Broadbank and Ashby ride to success, but all eyes were on the Russian pairing of Boris Samorodov and Anatoly Gruzintsev, who gleaned 12 points between them in spectacular fashion. Individually speaking, Brett won a World Championship qualifying round at Swindon on 18 July, when plundering a brilliant 15 points. At Gothenburg, Sweden, Briggo gave Swindon their first-ever World Champion, scorching to the title with a 15-point maximum. Broadbank also qualified for the big night on 11 September, and registered 6 points.
The wonderful successes of Briggs, however, were overshadowed towards the end of the campaign by a terrible injury to Tadeusz Teodorowicz, sustained at West Ham on 1 September. The popular Teo had made excellent progress since joining the Robins in 1959. He had been so proud to be the British reserve in the 1963 World Championship Final and, during 1964, had qualified for the British Final at Wembley. His chances of further success ended when he took a nasty tumble in heat four of the aforementioned match at West Ham, after he had appeared at first to simply over-slide. However, he was taken to hospital, having become unconscious in the ambulance. For several months, he fought for his life but, regrettably, on 22 January 1965, he was to lose the battle without ever regaining consciousness. He was just 33 years-of-age when he passed away.
Fifth position in the seven-team National League was a disappointment, with the amazing Briggs topping Swindon's scoring with 133 league points and a monumental average of 10.51. With the league only having seven teams, each side completed just twelve fixtures and Briggo recorded 6 full maximums out of his dozen appearances! The other mainstays of the Swindon side finished as follows in terms of averages: Broadbank (9.80), Brett (7.14), Teodorowicz (6.57), Ashby (6.00), Kilby (4.90) and Bowers (2.88).
As had become the norm, Swindon's home form was a let down, with four defeats out of the six league matches in front of their own fans. The Robins, however, again reached the semi-final of the National Trophy after defeating Wimbledon, but West Ham proved too strong over two legs, with the Robins going down to a 92-76 loss. Having not been staged since 1960, the Britannia Shield made a one-off return in 1964, with the Robins managing to win half of their fixtures for a mid-table finishing position of fourth.
An enquiry conducted by Lord Shawcross happily paved the way for speedway to move forward and get out of its self-made muddle. The National League and the Provincial League would amalgamate in 1965, to form an eighteen-team British League, of which Swindon would be founder members. Past feuds and disagreements would be forgotten and the British Speedway Promoters' Association was formed. There would be a Rider Control Committee to watch over team strengths, and speedway was on the threshold of a new beginning.
In 1965, the re-vamped British League saw a Swindon team with Norman Parker back at the helm. The Rider Control Committee originally allocated Broadbank to Oxford, leaving the Robins with a top three of Briggs, Brett and Ashby. Brett, however, insisted he was retiring, so Broady stayed at Blunsdon, captained the side and enjoyed a terrific year, scoring freely wherever he rode. Backing the efforts of the three heat-leaders were two local lads, Kilby and Mike Keen, plus newcomers Peter Sampson and Alan Jackson. Bowers came into the side in the beginning, but he didn't last long. Meanwhile, young Kiwi Frank Shuter arrived and his fence-scraping antics provided much entertainment for the fans.
Swindon still struggled, despite possessing one of the best spearheads in the league, as they often received scant support from the back-up department of the side. This was very much a deciding factor in twelve of the away matches, which were lost by just 4 points or less, and the Robins finished fifteenth in the eighteen-team league. Briggs was magnificent throughout the season, scoring a mammoth 378 league points and 21 maximums (20 full and 1 paid). His final average was an amazing 10.91, but Broady wasn't far behind on 10.54. Ashby continued his improvement, raising his average to 8.75, but the rest of the regular Robins all finished around the 4-point mark or below, as follows: Bowers (4.29), Kilby (4.11), Keen (3.89), Sampson (3.17), Jackson (2.00) and Shuter (1.53).
The home league match against Wimbledon on 3 July was shrouded in controversy, with Swindon originally winning 41-37. However, the Dons protested about Swindon's use of Clive Hitch and the result was later amended to a 37-36 defeat! The problem arose because Hitch was, at the time, without a track to ride for and was therefore in the rider pool awaiting allocation to another club by the Rider Control Committee. The Robins' use of Hitch was deemed illegal and the 6 points that he scored were expunged from the match result, with the other Swindon rider positions being upgraded accordingly. This, however, only affected Sampson, whose points tally was increased from 2 to 3, to leave a final result of 37-36 in favour of the visitors. Hitch, incidentally, later found himself allocated to Long Eaton by the Rider Control Committee.
On 20 August, Swindon journeyed to Wolverhampton for a league match, but suffered a humiliating 24-54 thrashing. Broadbank was magnificent in defeat, however, notching a full 15-point maximum. His amazing 15-point haul amounted to no less than 62.5 per cent of the Robins' meagre total of 24. After a bye in the first round of the Knock-Out Cup, Swindon beat Newcastle in round two, but went down to a narrow 49-46 defeat to Glasgow at the next hurdle. There was some success though, when the Robins recorded an aggregate 87-69 victory over old rivals Oxford in the Supporters' Club Cup.
A memorial meeting was staged for Tadeusz Teodorowicz, when a star-studded field turned out to pay their respects to the popular Pole. Briggs came out on top with 15 points, with West Ham's Sverre Harrfeldt taking second place on 14. Briggo also scored a maximum when winning a World Championship qualifying round at the Abbey on 12 June, and he followed that up with a further 15-pointer to take the Wills Woodbine Trophy on 21 August.
In the World Final at Wembley, Briggs finished fourth with 10 points, while Broadbanks was a non-riding reserve. The brilliant Briggo also retained the Golden Helmet all season long, beating off the challenges of Charlie Monk, Ken McKinlay, George Hunter, Nigel Boocock, Sverre Harrfeldt and Olle Nygren. The icing on the cake for Briggs, though, was when he won the first-ever British League Riders' Championship at Belle Vue on 16 October.
In 1966, things really improved at Blunsdon, with the Robins finishing third in the British League and, at one stage, mounting a real challenge for the Championship. Clive Hitch arrived at Swindon, as did Pete Munday, allocated from Poole, while Kilby and Keen came on in leaps and bounds. Six of the team scored at least one full or paid maximum, as the Robins went unbeaten at home all season for only the second time in the club's history. Swindon also won five matches on their travels, these successes being at Glasgow, King's Lynn, Long Eaton, Poole and Wimbledon. Hitch became a real thrill-maker - his ‘Hitchy' dives on the third and fourth bends had the Swindon faithful cheering, while Kilby showed that he was not far away from British League heat-leader status.
Briggs' dominance at Blunsdon continued unabated, as he roared to victory in both of the big meetings staged during the year, namely the Midland Riders' Championship qualifying round and a World Championship qualifying round. Briggo went on to win the World Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden and his team-mate Broadbank also rode, scoring 4 points. Briggs also raced to his second British League Riders' Championship success at Belle Vue with a 15-point maximum, and again topped the Swindon averages with an 11.08 figure.
The immaculate Kiwi rattled up a quite staggering 18 full maximums during the course of his thirty-one league appearances! He also retained the Golden Helmet all season long, again defeating Nigel Boocock, Gote Nordin, Arne Pander, Broadbank, Ivan Mauger and Sverre Harrfeldt along the way. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to extend his winning streak, as the competition was suspended at the end of the 1966 season, and did not resume until 1970.
Ashby enjoyed a great year and, like Ginger Nicholls in 1949, was married in the morning before making the dash to Swindon, where he topped the score-chart for the Robins against Newport on 10 September. Crash, as he was affectionately known, recorded 271 league points to finish with a 9.01 average. In a much more solid Robins outfit, Broadbank averaged 9.70, with Hitch on 5.91 and Kilby on 5.76. Keen progressed well, moving his average up to 5.39, while Shuter also increased his final figure, finishing with a 4.46 figure.
We can't finish 1966 without mentioning a really special meeting that was staged at the Abbey Stadium on 9 July. This was when a West of England team took on the tourists from the USSR in an international match. The match-up resulted in a 59-49 victory for the English team, which included 18 points from the mighty Briggs, as well as 16 points from Broadbank. A third Robin also appeared in the English side, with Ashby posting a useful 6 (paid 9) tally. The spectacular Russians proved to be extraordinary entertainers, with four of their septet finishing on double figures - Boris Samorodov (13), Igor Plechanov (12), Viktor Trofimov (12) and Yuri Chekranov (10).
The 1967 campaign was special, really special! It was the year when Swindon became the Champions of the British League. Unfortunately, the spectacular Hitch was posted to Coventry by Rider Control, which disappointed the Swindon fans, but nevertheless the team still boasted four heat-leaders in Broadbank, Brigg, Ashby and Kilby. The race for the league title was a cliffhanger, since the Championship was not won until the very last match against King's Lynn, at the Norfolk club's circuit.
Earlier in the year, Swindon had lost their league match at King's Lynn, but a protest over the homesters' use of Howard Cole earned them a reprieve. The first attempt to re-run the fixture (on 14 October) was foiled by the weather, but the following week - on 20 October - the Robins raced to a 44-34 win and the League Championship was on its way to Blunsdon. Little did anyone know then, but it would be another thirty-three years before Swindon lifted any further major silverware!
The rampant Robins again won all their home matches, while gaining away wins at Coventry, Glasgow, the aforementioned King's Lynn, Newcastle, Newport and Wimbledon. Briggs carded a final league average of 11.05 points per match, and Ashby (8.79), Broadbank (8.48) and Kilby (8.46) provided the necessary firepower to support the legendary Kiwi all the way. Backing up the four-pronged attack were Shuter (4.52), Keen (4.40) and Munday (4.37). The only other rider that Swindon used during this glory season was Peter Jackson, who had been allocated from Wimbledon at the start of the campaign, but his opportunities were restricted to just four league matches, from which he averaged 3.43.
In the Knock-Out Cup, Swindon had a bye in the opening round before defeating Exeter at Blunsdon. However, they were dumped out of the competition in the next round, when they lost 51-45 at West Ham. An 88-68 aggregate win over Coventry in the Midland Cup final, however, brought another trophy to the Abbey in what was undoubtedly one of the best-ever years in the Robins' history.
Three prestigious meetings were held at Blunsdon during the year, the first being a World Championship qualifying round on 13 May, which saw Glasgow's main-man Charlie Monk take victory, having romped to a 15-point maximum. Jim Airey recorded a maximum when winning a Midland Riders' Championship qualifying round on 10 June, while Ray Wilson's 14 points were enough for him to emerge victorious from the Tadeusz Teodorowicz Memorial meeting on 13 September.
In the World Final at Wembley, Briggs had to settle for fifth place after scoring 11 points, while Broady qualified as a reserve, but didn't get a ride. Briggo, however, did have the satisfaction of winning the British League Riders' Championship at Belle Vue, for the third year in succession.
During the winter months, Broadbank held a very successful training school at Blunsdon with Mick Bell (who was to join Swindon as team manager in 1997) and Barry Duke, another local boy, as trainees of great potential. Both Broady and Kilby toured Soviet Russia with the Belle Vue team, and the experience was particularly beneficial to the young Kilb. The ‘reward' for winning the League Championship was that Swindon lost Ashby in 1968, allocated to Exeter by the Rider Control Committee. Naturally, Crash didn't want to leave the Robins' camp, but there is little doubt that he matured as a rider as a result of the move. Indeed, he made a World Final appearance at Gothenburg, Sweden, where Briggs finished as runner-up to Ivan Mauger.
On the management front, Norman Parker retired as team boss, with his place being taken by Dick Bradley, a local man and former rider with both Bristol and Southampton. Happily, Hitch was back after his year at Coventry and whilst he didn't miss a match for Swindon, it was unreasonable to expect him to be a ready-made replacement for the departed Ashby. Meanwhile, Kilby missed several meetings while on the injured list, after he had lost the top of his index finger in a frightful-looking crash at Oxford.
The loss of Ashby and the burden of being without Briggs for much of the season, due to injuries and international calls, finally took its toll. The Robins lost a home record that went back nearly three seasons, when Newcastle visited the Abbey for a league match on 29 June and won by the narrowest of margins (39-38), with the Robins using rider replacement for the absent Briggo. The last time Swindon had lost at home was actually on 1 October 1965, when Halifax were the visitors. The defeat against Newcastle brought to an end an impressive run of 54 consecutive victories, which comprised 47 league matches, 2 in the Knock-Out Cup, 4 in the Midland Cup and a single challenge match. Regrettably, the rot set in at Blunsdon after the loss to Newcastle, and further defeats followed against Cradley Heath, Hackney and West Ham.
Away from home, it was a sorry tale of fourteen defeats, although the Robins did manage to win at Oxford, Poole and West Ham, as well as forcing a draw at Cradley Heath. The end result was that the side slumped to eleventh position in the nineteen-team British League Division One. Of the thirty-six league fixtures, Briggo rode only in twenty, although he still achieved a brilliant 10.88 average and recorded 10 full (plus one paid) maximums.
Broadbank remained ever-present throughout a difficult season, and topped the Swindon scoring with 304 points for an 8.49 average. Kilby averaged 8.28, while Hitch (6.27), Keen (6.23) and Shuter (5.44) proved to be solid middle-order men. Meanwhile, Munday wrote his name in the Swindon history books on 4 May; riding at reserve in a league match against his old club, Poole, he raced to a four-ride, 12-point maximum in wet and miserable conditions. He enjoyed a steady season overall, with his exciting, if unspectacular riding style yielding a 4.89 average.
Swindon had hoped for some luck in the Knock-Out Cup, having seen off the challenges of Oxford and Poole (after a replay) in the second round and quarter-final, respectively. However, in the semi-final, the unfortunate Robins crashed to an almighty 80-28 defeat at Wimbledon. There was some success for the Robins, though, when they gained a slender 78-77 aggregate victory over Leicester in the final of the Midland Cup.
Having surprisingly failed to win a single big meeting at Blunsdon the previous season, Briggs was back to form in recording a scintillating 15-point maximum to win a World Championship qualifying round at the circuit on 1 June. There was one other individual meeting at Blunsdon in 1968, and this saw Wolverhampton's Jim Airey plunder a full-house to win the Midland Riders' Championship qualifying round on 10 August. As previously mentioned, Briggo was second in the Gothenburg-staged World Final but, yet again, he won the British League Riders' Championship at Belle Vue, edging out Eric Boocock in a run-off for the title, after both had tied on 14 points.
On 20 July, the Abbey played host to an international match between Great Britain and Sweden, which featured many of the world's big stars. The British side came out on top with a 62-46 victory, and leading the way with paid 17 points was former Robin Martin Ashby. Meanwhile, Broadbank gleaned 14 points for the British, while Nigel Boocock scored 11. For the Swedes, Bengt Jansson led the way with 15 points, with Anders Michanek scoring 14 and Soren Sjosten grabbing 10. Once again during the winter months, both Broady and Kilby went on tour, this time to Australia with the British Lions. The highlights of the tour for Kilby were 8-point returns at Brisbane and Melbourne, while Broadbank's best performance was a 10-point tally at Brisbane.
On the team front in 1969, Shuter was moved to Poole by Rider Control, while Jackson linked with Wolverhampton. Both Mac Woolford and Barry Duke were given opportunities in the Robins team and, at the latter end of the season, future World Long-track Champion Jon Odegaard rode in a couple of league matches. Des Lukehurst rode in a match for Swindon and young Australian Bob Tabet also had a couple of outings. Early on in the season, on 19 April, Briggs knocked a fifth of a second off his own track record, which had stood since 1964. The new best time of 70.8 seconds was set in the opening heat of a First Division match against Poole.
One of two special events staged during the season was the Twenty-First Anniversary meeting on 19 July, when Wimbledon (including Ronnie Moore) were the visitors. (NOTE: This, however, was incorrectly named as the 21st Anniversary meeting. The track had, of course, opened in 1949, so the 21st Anniversary would actually be in July 1970.) The night was a memorable one, for not only did Swindon win 44-34, but many former Robins riders returned to Blunsdon and a highlight was their parade around the track, throwing sticks of rock to the children.
The second special event of the year was the England v. New Zealand Test match, with Ashby returning to Blunsdon to ride for the home nation (and scoring 12 points). Kilby was also capped as reserve, but failed to score. Meanwhile, Briggs skippered, and top-scored for the Kiwis with a paid 18-point maximum. The final result was a crushing 65-43 victory for the New Zealanders.
The Abbey Stadium also played host to two important individual meetings, with Norman Hunter taking victory in a Midland Riders' Championship qualifying round on 14 May, while the legendary Briggs emerged triumphant from a World Championship qualifying round on 11 June. Briggo went on to finish second to Ivan Mauger in the World Final at Wembley on 13 September, after defeating Soren Sjosten in a run-off.
It wasn't the best of seasons for the Robins, who finished tenth in a nineteen-team British League Division One. Home form was again their Achilles' heel, as they lost league matches against Coatbridge, Glasgow and Poole. In the Knock-Out Cup, Swindon lost out to Cradley Heath in the quarter-final, while defeat in the Midland Cup came at the semi-final stage to a determined Leicester side who won both legs.
Briggs once again topped the averages with an 11.09 figure, scoring 425 points and recording 17 full maximums. Amazingly, for the fifth season in a row, he again won the prestigious British League Riders' Championship at Belle Vue. Briggo lacked real support at Swindon in 1969, with Kilby next in the averages on 7.80, followed by Keen on 6.80. The outstanding career of Broadbank was halted in the home league match on 26 July against Hackney, when the Swindon captain crashed heavily and was taken to hospital with a broken thigh. Unfortunately, the injury was to keep him out of action for over a year.
CALL FOR SITES
Swindon Motorsports Ltd launches "Call for Sites" to help identify new motorsports arena in Swindon.
RONNIE MOORE wasted no time in setting a track record for the new 395-yard circuit, scorching around in 72.0 seconds in the opening meeting of the 1960 season. His record time was subsequently equalled by both Ken McKinlay and Peter Craven later on in the year. Speedway in general was on the up-and-up with the formation of the Provincial League, which boasted ten teams, the same as the National League. However, it was not to be a very happy year for the Robins - they were wooden spoonists for the first time, with a team that desperately needed some new faces. Regrettably, Swindon lost four home matches during the league campaign, as well as losing all nine of their away fixtures. That left them languishing 4 points adrift at the foot of the table, behind Coventry.
Swedish international rider Olle Nygren had a couple of matches when Arne Carlsson was injured, and when Ipswich closed down after fifteen league matches, their Australian rider, Peter Moore, was allocated to Swindon. Buster Brown returned for the odd match, and Howard Cole (riding under the pseudonym Kid Bodie), Brian Leonard, Stuart Wallace and Martin Ashby were also used, as the Robins desperately tried to put together a winning combination. Mike Broadbank was the No. 1 rider, scoring 190 league points for an 8.21 average, but the support he received was scant, as reflected in the finishing averages of the main body of the side: Neil Street (6.81); Arne Carlsson (6.06); Ian Williams (6.00); Brian Brett (5.42); Tadeusz Teodorowicz (4.61); Martin Ashby (4.28).
In 1965, the re-vamped British League saw a Swindon team with Norman Parker back at the helm. The Rider Control Committee originally allocated Broadbank to Oxford, leaving the Robins with a top three of Briggs, Brett and Ashby. Brett, however, insisted he was retiring, so Broady stayed at Blunsdon, captained the side and enjoyed a terrific year, scoring freely wherever he rode. Backing the efforts of the three heat-leaders were two local lads, Kilby and Mike Keen, plus newcomers Peter Sampson and Alan Jackson. Bowers came into the side in the beginning, but he didn't last long. Meanwhile, young Kiwi Frank Shuter arrived and his fence-scraping antics provided much entertainment for the fans.
