The Roaring 20's & 30's
In
the beginning....
In 1936 the first world championship was staged at Wembley in London.It
was, however, six years earlier when inspired promoters of the day brought
together the star Australians - including Vic Huxley, Frank Arthur and
Ron Johnson - to race against a team of Englands best.
In the summer of 1930, England
played host to Don Bradman's inspired Australian cricketers. Such was
the interest between the two nations that it seemed ripe for speedway
to enter the fray. Newspapers ran big stories, posters were put up all
over the city.
And so it was on Monday evening, June 30th,
30,000 eager fans bustled through the turnstiles at Wimbledon
Stadium to see an English side including Frank Varey, Jack Parker and
Gus Kuhn -take on the "Kangaroos" in the very first official
test match. Outside, the traffic was chaotic and the start was delayed
for 45 minutes in order to get everyone inside.
The Englishmen lost the match 17-35, but carried on to win the next
four encounters, at Belle Vue (twice), Stamford Bridge and Wembley Stadium
before a combined audience of 150,000.
In following years the tests were held at Crystal Palace, Leicester,
New Cross, Harringay and West Ham before ever increasing crowds: in
September 1932 - in the midst of The Depression - 82,000 people flocked
to Wembley Stadium to see England win, 51-42. Although they repeatedly
came close, the battle-hardy Australians couldn't manage a series win
until 1934.
At
the end of 1934 the first English team set sail for the antipodes. All
but one of the five tests were held at the huge 1/3rd mile Sydney Showground,
(the remainder in Melbourne), however the visitors picked up victories
in two of the five matches. "Tiger" Stevenson captained the
squad, alongside Joe Abbot and Eric Langton, (Langton enjoyed Australia
so much he later settled there). Although British circuits were most
often smaller (often erected inside greyhound tracks), Tiger was said
to have preferred racing at the Showground. 
An estimated
50,000 squeezed in to watch Sydney's first test. Spectators hung themselves
over the wooden 'safety fence' during the races, contemporary reports
saying: "From close quarters they waved their programmes and absorbed
the exhilarating sight of their heroes, the deafening noise from their
machines and the unique smell of burning castor oil." Daredevil
Billy Lamont was particularly well known for his leg-trailing exploits;
racing his machine just inches from the fence, he became known as "the
programme snatcher".
In later years,
test matches were also held at the 1/4 mile Sydney Sportsground (next
door to the Showground), Melbourne Motordrome and Olympic Park. The
tests also carried on in England, where they continued to be a major drawcard
right up until 1939 when World War Two began.
About the Steve Magro Speedway Archive