Alec George Statham (30 May 1912

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

- 8 March 1977) was a

Speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

rider who won the

London Riders' Championship The London Riders' Championship was an individual speedway competition for top riders of teams from London. It was a very prestigious competition, especially in its early days. However, as the number of teams from London dwindled, so did interest ...

in 1949 whilst with the

Wimbledon Dons The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.Jacobs, N. ''Speedway in London'', The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They w ...

, and also represented England many times.Belton, Brian (2003). ''Hammerin' Round''.

Biography

Statham began

grasstrack Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of track racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. It is one of the oldest types of motorcycle sports in the ...

racing at the age of sixteen. He first rode in speedway as a novice at the

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name * Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

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.Morgan, Tom (1949) ''Who's Who in Speedway 1949'', Sport-in-Print, p. 68 He rode for the Harringay Tigers in 1935 before dropping down a division to the

Southampton Saints Southampton Saints were a speedway team which operated from 1928 until its closure in 1963. Its track was located at Banister Court Stadium in Southampton, Hampshire. History Southampton was one of the founder members of the 1929 Speedway Sout ...

. 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 The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

with

Harringay Harringay (pronounced ) is a district of north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the New River, where it crosses Green Lanes by Finsbury Park, and Duckett's ...

, soon rising to heat leader status.Storey, Basil (1947) "Once Rode Just for Fun", in ''Speedway Favourites'', Sport-in-Print, p. 7 After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he joined the

Odsal Boomerangs Odsal Boomerangs were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal Stadium, Rooley Lane, Odsal, Bradford, West Yorkshire, from 1945 to 1950. The team became the Odsal Tudors during the 1950 season.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British S ...

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, captaining the team, before moving to the

for a record 2,000 transfer fee, repaying that with 336 points in the 1948 season. Statham first rode in the

team in the 1938 test series against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, scoring 2 points in the first test at Belle Vue and 3 points at West Ham.Foster, Peter (2005) ''A History of the Speedway Ashes'', Tempus, , p. 66-9, 72 He travelled to Australia for the 1938/9 series, scoring 2 points in the fourth test. It was in the post-war period when Statham became a leading rider for England, regularly selected between 1947 and 1949.

World final appearances

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

- 18th - 6 semi-final points *

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

- 7th - 13pts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Statham, Alec 1912 births 1977 deaths British speedway riders English motorcycle racers Birmingham Brummies riders Southampton Saints riders Harringay Racers riders Wimbledon Dons riders