DATE OF BIRTH: 29 August 1916, Hackney, East London.
BRITISH CAREER: (1939) New Cross; (1946) Wimbledon; (1947-48) Plymouth; (1949) Liverpool; (1950-51) Swindon.
CAREER RECORD WITH SWINDON: Meetings: 71 (42 League; 6 National Trophy; 6 Festival of Britain Trophy; 4 Autumn Cup; 12 Challenge; 1 Four-Team Tournament) Rides: 279 Points: 492 Bonus: 46 Total: 538 Average: 7.71 Maximums: 8 (7 full and 1 paid)
CLUB DEBUT: 25 March 1950 versus Cradley Heath (Home) Challenge; 8 points (4 rides).
THE term ‘armchair rider' has been widely used to describe several speedway aces over the years and, in the early 1950s, Swindon had a real stylist who could rightly be referred to in this manner. He was Alexander Gray, and he sat bolt upright on his machine, with his back perfectly straight, left leg almost as straight, and his foot so close to the white line that it looked as though it was drawn there by an invisible magnet.
He had initially ridden for New Cross in 1939 but, prior to making any league appearances for the Rangers, his career was halted by the Second World War. After the cessation of hostilities, he rode for Wimbledon in 1946, prior to spending two seasons with Third Division Plymouth, his most successful campaign occurring in 1948, when he plundered a total of 212 league points.
He then linked with Liverpool in 1949, and it was whilst riding for the Chads that the Blunsdon patrons first caught a glimpse of this wonderful stylist. The date was 10 September, and a combined Swindon and Poole side faced Liverpool in a challenge match. Alex gave a most impressive display too, topping the visitor's score-chart with 10 points, before going on to win his second-half scratch race. Despite his fine riding, he couldn't prevent the home combination from registering a narrow 43-40 victory, but there is little doubt that the Swindon management had made a mental note of his capabilities around the Blunsdon bowl.
As is well-documented, the Robins took over the fixtures of Hull upon the late-season closure of the East Yorkshire outfit in 1949, with two of the riders they acquired from the defunct club being Alf Webster and Derek Glover. During the winter, these two were transferred to Liverpool in exchange for Gray, and this certainly buoyed the Swindon supporters as the incoming star had raced to no less than 370 points in league matches for the Merseyside outfit.
He duly made his debut for the Robins in the opening match of 1950, a challenge encounter versus Cradley Heath at Blunsdon on 25 March. Alex actually won his first-ever race for the club, before going on to total 8 points, although his excellent riding didn't stop Swindon from suffering a 45-38 defeat.
The following week, Swindon began their league fixtures at the Abbey against Poole, and ran riot to claim a massive 62-21 success, with Gray romping to a paid maximum (11+1 points). Seven days later, he was again in majestic form when his former side, Liverpool, came to Blunsdon, scorching to a 12-point full-house as the Robins collected another hefty win by 61 points to 23.
There were several more maximums as the season progressed, however, it wasn't just at Blunsdon that the Londoner was capable of such feats, for when Swindon visited Aldershot on 7 June, he bagged the lot in a thrilling 42-42 draw. When Tamworth came to the Robins' nest on 29 July, the match resulted in another home victory, and for Gray there was yet another maximum. The week before that had seen team captain Mick Mitchell surprisingly dropped and put up for transfer, with Alex subsequently appointed as skipper in his place. It was a well-deserved honour and was a measure of the high esteem in which he was held at the club.
Although the tall scores eased off a little towards the end of the campaign, he still finished with a tally of 259 points, which was sufficient for him to post a league average of 8.15. Along with team-mate Hugh Geddes, he represented the Robins in the Division Three Riders' Championship at Walthamstow on 23 October but - although he took the chequered flag in heat nine - he was only able to glean a total of 6 points from the meeting.
All the signs were good for Gray to enjoy another fine campaign with the Robins in 1951, but things got off to a bad start when he piled-up during the pre-season practice. Then, in the very first challenge meeting versus Oxford, he went up and over at the starting gate in the opening heat. Regrettably, from that point on, Swindon fans never saw him as dominant as he had been the previous year. Occasionally, he showed flashes of his old brilliance, as at Wolverhampton in a league encounter on 11 May, when he recorded a four-ride maximum.
However, by June he had been relegated to a reserve berth, and a month later his health was such that he was forced into retirement from racing. He had represented the Robins in just seven league matches, scoring 45 points for a 7.69 average. Alex never rode again; however, sometime later in the final programme of the 1952 season, Swindon promoter Reg Witcomb thankfully reported that he had gradually regained his health and was in business in London. "We shall never forget the many brilliant performances he put up for us", wrote the Robins' boss.  Â
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DATE OF BIRTH: 29 August 1916, Hackney, East London.
He duly made his debut for the Robins in the opening match of 1950, a challenge encounter versus Cradley Heath at Blunsdon on 25 March. Alex actually won his first-ever race for the club, before going on to total 8 points, although his excellent riding didn't stop Swindon from suffering a 45-38 defeat.
All the signs were good for Gray to enjoy another fine campaign with the Robins in 1951, but things got off to a bad start when he piled-up during the pre-season practice. Then, in the very first challenge meeting versus Oxford, he went up and over at the starting gate in the opening heat. Regrettably, from that point on, Swindon fans never saw him as dominant as he had been the previous year. Occasionally, he showed flashes of his old brilliance, as at Wolverhampton in a league encounter on 11 May, when he recorded a four-ride maximum.
