Errol Campbell Andrew (born 13 December 1940 in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

) is a former

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 and

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

. During his career as a jockey he rode as E. C. Andrew, but when he was riding speedway he was known as Bill Andrew.

Speedway career

Andrew began riding at the

Palmerston North Showgrounds Central Energy Trust Arena is the current name of the 180,000 square metre publicly owned recreational complex just west of the Palmerston North city centre in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. It has three linked indoor stadiu ...

track in 1961.Batt, A.(2012). ''The Big Thrill : Speedway at the Palmerston North Showgrounds. Speedway Classics He rode for the

Newcastle Diamonds Newcastle Diamonds were a motorcycle speedway team that raced in the SGB Championship, every Sunday night during the season (March–October) from their home at the Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium, previously known as Broug ...

in the Provincial League in 1962 and 1964. He rode in the

British League The British League was the main motorcycle speedway league in Britain from its formation in 1965 until 1995 when British speedway was restructured. It initially had a single division, with a second division starting in 1968 (which was renamed the ...

for the

Poole Pirates Poole Pirates (also known as Poole Speedway) are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the SGB Championship. The club have been the champions of the United Kingdom on ten occasions. Poole Speedway is promoted by l ...

from 1965 to 1968. He then had two years with the

Newport Wasps Newport Wasps were a British motorcycle speedway team based in Newport, South Wales from 1964 to 2012. They were the 1999 Conference League champions. The Wasp logo incorporates the traditional black and amber colours of the City of Newport. ...

. His final season was with the

Halifax Dukes The Halifax Dukes were a Speedway team which operated from 1949–1951 and again from 1965 until their closure in 1985 at The Shay Stadium in Halifax. The team were nicknamed the "Dukes" after the local Duke of Wellington's Regiment, whose tra ...

. He rode in two British Championship finals in 1965 and 1968 and was a member of the 1966 Great Britain team for a home and away test series with Poland. In 1966 he also rode in the Wills Internationale and the

British League Riders' Championship The British League Riders Championship was an individual motorcycle speedway contest between the top riders (or two riders) with the highest average from each club competing in the British League in the UK, or the top division of the league during ...

. He was runnerup in the 1970 New Zealand Championship. From 1962 to 1973 he rode for New Zealand in team competitions in the United Kingdom and at home.

Horse racing career

Andrew rode as a jockey in New Zealand and in England. When he was living in Somerset in the early 1970s he rode in steeplechase events for the Kennard Organisation. He also rode for John Richards and Stan Wright.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrew, Bill 1940 births Living people New Zealand speedway riders Newcastle Diamonds riders Poole Pirates riders Newport Wasps riders Halifax Dukes riders Sportspeople from Palmerston North