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Post by Administrator on Apr 17, 2012 14:04:42 GMT
This has been posted on oldtimespeedway by former West Ham rider Ron Butcher: ::::::::::::::::
--- In oldtimespeedway@yahoogroups.com, R Butcher <r.butcher@...> wrote:
Hi I doubt if many would remember a particular Hammers v New cross event that took place in the 40s. It was a two man race between Tommy Croombs and Ron Johnson, each rode on their respective tracks but riding the same amount of yards in distances. This race was conducted by the BBC over the radio.
This strange event was the result of a request by a speedway supporter to Brian Johnson who then, was the presenter of the program. I had heard from the previous week when and what time the race would be, I think I was sixteen at the time.
Anyhow a friend Bob Weller, my brother John and myself climbed over the Custom House track fence and sat in the terraces in the dark accept for the track lights and watched the West Ham preparations and Tommy Croombs circuit.
Not of course knowing who won till retreating home as quick as we could, but in the course of this we passed the greyhound kennels setting off the residents howling.
Worse, was on reaching home we found that "Johno" had won. Little then, did I know that in June1949, I would walk freely into this same stadium and ride that same silver sand track as Tommy did that night. Ron Butcher
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