Alec Statham

Alec Statham (30 May 1912 Coventry, England - 1977)[2] was a Speedway rider who won the London Riders' Championship in 1949 whilst with the Wimbledon Dons, and also represented England many times.[3]

Alec Statham
Born(1912-05-30)30 May 1912
Coventry, England
Died1977 / 8 / 3[1]
NationalityBritish
Current club information
Career statusRetired
Career history
1935, 1937-39Harringay Tigers
1936Southampton Saints
1946-47Odsal Boomerangs
1948-50Wimbledon Dons
Individual honours
1945Northern Riders' Champion
1949London Riders' Champion
Team honours
1936Provincial League Champion
1936Provincial Trophy Winner
1950National Trophy Winner

Biography

Statham began grasstrack racing at the age of sixteen.[4] He first rode in speedway as a novice at the Brandon track, going on to ride for Coventry, signed for Birmingham in 1932, and then Southampton, riding as a hobby with his garage business his main priority.[4][5]

He rode for the Harringay Tigers in 1935 before dropping down a division to the Southampton Saints. He gave up racing, thinking he was not good enough to progress, but due to financial difficulties with his garage business in 1937 he returned to the National League with Harringay, soon rising to heat leader status.[4][5] After the Second World War he joined the Odsal Boomerangs in Bradford, captaining the team,[4] before moving to the Wimbledon Dons for a record GB£2,000 transfer fee, repaying that with 336 points in the 1948 season.[5]

Statham first rode in the England team in the 1938 test series against Australia, scoring 2 points in the first test at Belle Vue and 3 points at West Ham.[6] He travelled to Australia for the 1938/9 series, scoring 2 points in the fourth test.[6] It was in the post-war period when Statham became a leading rider for England, regularly selected between 1947 and 1949.[6]

World final appearances

References
  1. "England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007". Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  2. Addison J. (1948). The People Speedway Guide. Odhams Press Limited
  3. Belton, Brian (2003). Hammerin' Round. ISBN 0-7524-2438-6
  4. Storey, Basil (1947) "Once Rode Just for Fun", in Speedway Favourites, Sport-in-Print, p. 7
  5. Morgan, Tom (1949) Who's Who in Speedway 1949, Sport-in-Print, p. 68
  6. Foster, Peter (2005) A History of the Speedway Ashes, Tempus, ISBN 0-7524-3468-3, p. 66-9, 72
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