BROADSIDING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18849, 11 April 1931, Page 14

BROADSIDING

CFF TO ENGLAND. By the time the season Is In full swing in England, there will be quite a | collection of New Zealand riders scatj tered round the country on the variI oils tracks, and it would not be surj prising to see them form a New Zealand team states “Sparkwell.” in the I Auckland “Star.” Alf Mattson has gone to “Squib” Burton’s track in Leicester, and Jack Garmson has gone with him. Wally Kilmister has again been booked up with “Roarin' John" Hoskins, the father of dirt track racing. and will ride on both the Wembley and Westham tracks in London. Bill Allen .will ride with Jim Kempster on the Wimbledon track in London. and Blacklock, of Christchurch, will appear at the Crystal Palace Stadium, which is Roger Frogley’s track. Ben Bray, who has gone Home primarily to represent New Zealand in this year’s T.T. races, is certain to try his luck on the English cinder tracks, and will probably join Mattson and Garmson at Leicester. It is anticipated that all the New Zealand riders will do well at Home, for the reason that the English team which came this way during the season. with the exception of Burton, were all about average English riders. Some of them, according to their teammates. improved out of sight with experience on Dominion tracks. Fast ‘B’ Grade Rider* All through the season there has been a consistent improvement in the riding of the "B” grade men. and recently they reached a standard which almost touched that of the “A” grade riders —and the are all very evenly matched. Sheppard’s effort in his heat of the Vauxhall Cup. when he clocked 1.23 4-5. equalled “A” grade riding and time. McDonald did a good four laps with his bike under splendid ' control in 1.31 3-5. A comparative newcomer to the track. Brian Smith, showed great promise in his heat in the Vauxhall Cup, which he won in 1.31. There was a big improvement in the general riding and judgment of Williamson, who also won his heat in the Cup event in 1.30. Cyril Walker showed his best form, and put up his fastest time to date, covering his heat in 1.31 4-ss. Even a sprained ankle, injured the previous week, did not stop the daring Alf Way, who rode splendidly in the third heat of the Big Twelve, to cover the distance in 1.27 of the evening was that old favourite 2-5. Probably the most consistent rider with the crowd, Cyril Anderson. The Australian has ridden quite a lot on Western Springs during the season, and has always gone out to do his best, which is more than can be said for some of the Australians. Anderson provided one of the big thrills of the evening when his machine caught fire. Harold Stevens, andother hard-headed Aussie, who knows all the tricks of the trade, rode brilliantly in the first heat for the Big Nine. When Mitchell and Way fell, he had an open track, and covered the four laps in the fast time of 1.21.