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Archive Review Archive
Woodside Avenue, Eastleigh. SO50 9ES
History
Compiled by Wilf Paskins, member since 1945
History - Grass Track
The Club held it s first grass track races on Easter Monday in 1946, less than a year after the war in Europe, at Hound Farm near Hamble. The circuit was about one third of a mile in length and the event attracted an entry of thirty riders including Charlie May, Bob Oakley, Bert Croucher, Jimmy Squib and Freddie Williams who all graduated to become very successful speedway riders. Riding in the Novices race with Freddie Williams was Syd Lawton, who later became a Norton Works road racer and a much respected tuner and race entrant. A second event was held at Pinns Farm, West Wellow on a field adjacent to the meadow the Club was using for scrambles, and two more in 1947 at the same venue.
In 1948 the Club combined with the Bishops Waltham MCC to run grass track meetings under the name of The Ashton Combine on a field at Ashton Farm, on the outskirts of Bishops Waltham. This circuit was almost ideal for grass track racing as the land contours provided first class parking and viewing facilities. Five events were run in 1949, five more in 1950 and three in 1951. These events usually attracted about 70 solo riders mostly on JAP or Rudge speedway bikes and eight sidecars. Bert Croucher, Bob Oakley, Dink Philpotts, Bingley Cree, Cecil
Bailey, Mike Lane and Freddie Williams usually providing the excitement in the solo races with Archie Appleby, Don Slate and Tich Trollope doing spectacular things in the sidecar races. The events were supported by big enthusiastic crowds. This period was arguably the heyday of the Club s grass track activities. The Club was able to field so many star riders that they regularly challenged other clubs in the Southern Centre of the ACU to team match races which they most often won. Further mention of Archie Appleby should perhaps be made, almost invincible in the sidecar races on his 600 Manx Norton with brother Tom in the chair, both well on the wrong side of 40, both nearly deaf yet they achieved considerable success, not only on the grass but in road racing, in scrambles and trials. Archie s philosophy was simple, he rode the bike but it was Tom s job to look after the chair.
In 1952, Ashton Farm was sold and permission to run grass track races was withdrawn and no events were held in that year. 1953 saw a meeting at Braishfield, 1954 and 1955, one each year at Exton following which, the Ashton Combine was dissolved mainly for reasons in connection with the road racing activities at Thruxton. It was 12 years before the Club ran another grass track event when in1967 a circuit at West End was used and in 1968 a circuit at Butlocks Heath, both venues being near Southampton.
The farming situation at the field used in West End changed and the Club was unable to find an alternative venue and also lacked a member enthusiastic enough to pursue grass track racing activities. In 1976 the situation changed and the West End venue again became available for two years. A venue became available at Grately, nr. Andover in 1978 when three meetings were held followed by three more in 1979. In this period Bernie Leigh, Mark Bisson, Pat Jeffery and Keith Richards on solos were regular competitors as were Ken Lane, Arthur Dibben and Vic Hiscock riding sidecar outfits.
In 1982 the Club again started to run race meetings jointly with the Bishops Waltham club who seemed to have circuits available but not the members to run the meetings and this co-operation maintained till 1990 with a total of eleven events being run at various locations including Grazely, near Reading, West End, Waltham Chase and Enham. During this period the demand for events from riders was high, entry lists of a hundred or so solo riders and thirty sidecars were not uncommon.
In each of the years 1991,1992 and 1993 the Club ran two events at Finkley Manor Farm near Andover and some fine racing was witnessed when the field was not too dry, otherwise dust was a major hazard as were an abundance of flintstones which were uncovered by spinning wheels. Regular riders in these two latter periods included Tim Frampton, Russell Foot, Phil Holder, John Wicks, Mark Harris, Mark Seabright, Keith Richards and Kevin Buck on solos and Paul Nelson, Mike Keep, Pete Dyer, Derek Golden and John Hiscock on sidecars.
The Club has not run a Grass Track meeting since 1993.
