OFF-TRACK movements at the Abbey Stadium in 1981 saw head man Wally Mawdsley make a number of changes, with Bob Radford taking up the position of press officer, while future club promoter Ron Byford became pit marshal. Meanwhile, Bert Harrison took over from Graham Hambly as announcer, with Paul Johnson moving in from Ipswich as promotions executive.
On the team front, Scott Autrey relocated to Poole after seriously contemplating missing out on the British scene altogether due to a hankering to ride on the rodeo circuit in his American homeland. Coming in to sport the No. 1 race-jacket, Steve Bastable arrived via Birmingham and was also made skipper of the side, in place of Bob Kilby.
The long serving ‘Kilb’ was still getting over a back injury sustained at Poole the previous season and, in the end, didn’t ride at all. Young Swede Bjorn Andersson, the brother of Jan, also arrived at Blunsdon and together with the immaculate Phil Crump, plus Steve Gresham, Malcolm Holloway and Steen Mastrup, it gave Swindon a very useful top six that virtually picked itself.
Mike Ferreira, still at National League Canterbury, was a tremendous No. 8 rider, but it was the second reserve spot in the team, which was up for grabs, with many riders being tried throughout the year. Young Finn Veijo Tuoriniemi, who had been with Eastbourne during 1980, was given an opportunity, but failed miserably.
A number of raw, but promising novices were also given a run-out and these included Terry Broadbank (the son of Mike, who preferred the correct spelling of his surname, without the addition of an ‘s’ on the end), Steve Bishop, Kevin Smart and Martin Satchell, but like young Australian Darryl Simpson, they were out of their depth in the British League.
Dane Henry Nielsen (brother of Hans) and Swede Lennart Bengtsson were also given opportunities. Nielsen, who rode during his holiday period, looked as though he could be the final piece of the Swindon jigsaw, but unfortunately he wasn’t keen on a full-time speedway career in Britain.
The Blunsdon season had been due to kick-off with the Arkells Brewery Super Pairs on 21 March, but inclement weather put paid to the meeting. The Robins therefore made their season’s bow at Wimbledon in the newly launched League Cup five days later, when Phil Crump scorched to an 18-point maximum and helped his side to a 49-46 victory.
A week later than planned, the Swindon doors opened for the first time on 28 March, when Steve Bastable raced to a paid maximum (13+2), as his new side overwhelmed Hackney 62-34 in a League Cup encounter.
As the season went on, the problem reserve slot became increasingly noticeable but, despite this, Swindon rose to a final position of third in the sixteen-team British League, thanks in the main to the marvellous Phil Crump.
Indeed, ‘Crumpie’ was back to his very best and bagged another mountain of points (313 to be precise) to finish with a 10.39 average. He was well backed by Steve Bastable, who also won the British Final courtesy of a wonderful display at Coventry on 3 June, when he defeated Kenny Carter and John Louis in a three-man run-off for the title.
‘Stevie B’ attained an 8.75 average for the Robins, while there was a great deal of solidity about the rest of the team, as borne out by the final averages of the other regular teamsters: Steve Gresham (7.18), Steen Mastrup (6.85), Malcolm Holloway (6.83) and Bjorn Andersson (5.01). Meanwhile, Mike Ferreira did very well, yielding 68-points from eleven league matches for a highly creditable 6.73 average.
The Robins’ shift up the league table saw a marked improvement in home form, with two losses, against Hackney and Wimbledon, and a single draw, versus Ipswich, to report. Away from the Abbey, the side remarkably tasted victory on seven occasions – at Belle Vue, Coventry, Eastbourne, Hackney, King’s Lynn, Leicester and Reading – whilst draws were attained at Hull and Ipswich.
In the Speedway Star Knock-Out Cup, Swindon met Edinburgh from the National League and a train carrying the team, management and supporters, was organised by Malcolm Holloway and aptly dubbed as the ‘Mad Wellie Express’.
The Supporters’ Club also deserved much praise for the success of the project, since they put down the deposit required by British Rail and stood guarantor for the finance. The journey to the Scottish capital for the second leg of the tie took place on 12 June and, in what was a thrilling match, the Robins won by just two-points, 49-47, thanks largely to a wonderful 18-point maximum from the amazing Phil Crump.
Swindon went on to beat Leicester in the next round, before losing both legs of the semi-final at the hands of Ipswich. Earlier, in the League Cup, the Wiltshire side didn’t fare too well, finishing fifth in the eight-team Section ‘B’ table. A couple of home defeats (against Ipswich and King’s Lynn) out of seven matches gave them little chance of progressing in the competition, and so it proved.
Test match speedway was again held at Blunsdon, with England facing the USA on 2 May and this saw the Lions avenge their defeat of the previous year, running out victors by 64-points to 43. Michael Lee topped the England scoring with 16-points, while Steve Bastable and Dave Jessup each bagged 13+1. For the Americans, Bruce Penhall scored 11, with Steve Gresham notching 10.
The local Swindon newspaper began their sponsorship of a big individual meeting in 1981, with Hackney’s Bo Petersen becoming the first Evening Advertiser Superstar on 4 July. The only other big individual meeting at the Abbey was the Godden-Newton 16-Lap Super on 12 September, when Phil Crump showed his immense stamina to emerge victorious.
‘Crumpie’ also later represented Swindon in the Belle Vue-staged Daily Mirror British League Riders’ Championship on 17 October, recording 10-points for fourth place in a meeting won by Kenny Carter of Halifax.
The Sprockets took a year out in 1981 and only a handful of junior challenge matches were held at Blunsdon, with the side running under the name of ‘Young Swindon’. Among the hopefuls who represented the team and appeared in second-half racing throughout the season were Steve Bishop, Terry Broadbank, Brian Butterfield, Gary Hale, Chris Hunt, Kevin Smart and Martin Satchell.
Meanwhile, another youngster who started racing in post-match practice was one-time mascot Alun Rossiter, who would go on to skipper his hometown club and later become promoter.
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