Speedway.

After the Rugby was over yesterday I was watching some Speedway being broadcast from Cardiff. I had not watched, or even thought about Speedway for many years but seeing it again last night reminded myself and others of the days when Silverton had a close involvement with the sport. This was back in the days when former rider Neil Street lived at the bottom of Park Close and maintained a workshop there along wuth his son-in-law, the former world Speedway champion, Phil Crump. I can well remember the sound of engines being tuned up in the mornings and reports of visits to the workshop by many of the top names in Speedway during the mid 1970's. I believe that Phil Crump's son, Jason is now carrying on the family tradition as a notable Speedway rider.

Additionally, Speedway was a major spectator sport for people from the village with a regular contingent going to Exeter County Ground on a monday night to watch Exeter Falcons. No one who ever went will forget the smell of the track. The aroma of cinders, petrol and engine oil and coming home covered in the dust from the track. So it was good to see from the television coverage last night that Speedway continues to retain its appeal for new generations.