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Southampton 1961 Pictures
Barry Briggs with a young Charlie Monk lurking behind
This article was first published on 5th October 2006
"Great and interesting photos of Bannister Court, the home of the Southampton Saints. It seems such a crying shame that speedway isn't staged in a big city like Southampton. I'd of thought a multi sports stadium featuring speedway, greyhounds and other sports would be popular in Southampton. Immagine the interest that local derbies between Poole and the Southampton Saints would create! "
"Regarding the Ken McKinlay photo, I am sure it's Ken and not Ove. Being first a Norwich and later a West Ham supporter in the 60's I saw both often. I'm quite sure its Ken. Good to see the Southampton pics, I had forgotten the Briggo jersey. I remember Southampton coming to Norwich in '62/3. Briggs/Knutsson were a formidable duo, Briggs always seemed a hard rider in those days before he came to stand as speedway's best known rider. When he came 2nd in Sportsman of the Year BBC TV almost admitted the existence of the sport!
I keep my narrowboat near Long Eaton. Looked to me last year as if the site had been cleared, but I could be wrong. The stadium was probably about the roughest in the sport when I went there in the 80's. It was there that I heard of the tragic death of Billy Sanders (I was a Witches supporter then, as now)."
"Love the pics of old Soton Speedway, remember it well, was always there.......remember Briggo's black and white jersey that he always wore and eventually they set fire too............."
"The photo of 'Ken McKinley' looks more like one of Ove Fundin to me??"
" When I was a teenager, I used to hang around in the pits at Leicester Stadium (Blackbird Road) to 'help' Ken McKinlay unload his equipment. If I'd been shown this photo and asked to name the rider I would have said 'Hurri Ken' McKinlay without hesitation."
"I think it's the missing bobble hat that's throwing people --- try printing the photo and drawing on the hat (or do it digitally if you're more computer literate than me) and I'll wager the argument will be settled!"
"That might be Fundin's mechanic but it is definitely McKinlay's bike. Look at the handlebars. Only Ken McKinlay and I think Graham Warren had handlebars that swept up in that kind of "U" shape and to that height. Fundins bars were lower and were unique in having a slight but very distinctive forward bend before they swept upwards - check the old photographs. In later years Fundin seemed to get lower handlebars that appeared to be copied by Bjorn Knutson. By the end of the sixties many riders had lower handlebars but McKinlay, the great stylist, kept the distnctive "U" shaped handlebars to the end of his career. I think, also, Fundin's bikes always had Rotrax forks, not the style of the bike in the photograph."
"The picture taken at Southampton is in fact Ove Fundin as the person helping is Les Mullins his mechanic."
"That is definitely Ken McKinlay, and not Ove."
"As an old West Ham fan who has only recently found this site I would agree that it is indeed Ken McKinlay. A hero of my teenage years!"
"The Southampton Pits 1961 pictures, great, more similar please, the web site in general - again, great, something for speedway enthusiasts of all generations."
"Photo is definitely Dad with his long time friend and mechanic Peter Greet."
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