MacPHAIL, John
DATE OF BIRTH: 13 April 1988, Edinburgh, Scotland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Stoke II; (2004) Armadale, Newcastle II, Stoke II; (2005) Buxton, Armadale; (2009) Scunthorpe II; (2011) Buxton.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Edinburgh-born rider took his first outings at Berwick when aged just fourteen. He continued to practice at the Sheffield training track and Northside in Workington, as well as at Shielfield Park, before filling-in for a short-handed Stoke Spitfires team in a Conference Trophy match at Armadale on 6 September 2003.

Further one-off outings at Conference-level came his way for Armadale, Newcastle and Stoke in 2004, before he was given an opportunity with Buxton in April the following term. Regrettably, shortly after joining the Hitmen – in only his fifth official meeting for the side – he suffered a broken wrist and an injury to his nose in a Conference League fixture against Boston at Dale Head Lane on 8 May.

That occurred after borrowing a bike from team-mate Jonathan Bethell for his first outing in heat two when, understandably not being used to the set-up of a different machine, he crashed heavily at the end of the second lap. He required an operation to pin the wrist but, after a period of recuperation, he returned to second-half action at Berwick and also took a late-season outing for Armadale.

MacPhail continued to rebuild his confidence at Shielfield Park from 2006 through to 2008 and also rode in occasional second-half events at Glasgow, Newcastle and Edinburgh, too. Then, in June 2009, the youngster was introduced to the Scunthorpe Saints’ line-up following an injury to James Sarjeant.

Just a month later, though, he was displaced in their declared squad by Richard Franklin but, due to an injury that was to curtail Scott Richardson’s season, MacPhail found himself recalled to the side at the end of August.

The Scot failed to land a team berth in 2010 but, on 9 February 2011, he was named as the first rider on Buxton’s team-sheet for the season ahead. MacPhail, who lives and works in Jedburgh just north of the Borders, joined the Hitmen on loan from Berwick and was keen to make his mark on the National League.

Although he had been riding on and off for a few seasons, he had had very little chance to try and prove himself capable of holding down a regular team spot. In fact, this was the first season where he had started the year with a team place and, naturally, he was aiming to grab the chance with both hands.

However, he was to lose his place in the side when a team re-declaration on 24 May revealed that former long-serving Hitman Paul Burnett was returning to racing after a three-year absence from the sport.

McGOWAN, Travis
DATE OF BIRTH: 13 January 1981, Mildura, Victoria, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (1999-2000) King’s Lynn; (2002) King’s Lynn; (2003-05) Oxford; (2006-07) Reading; (2008-09) Swindon; (2010) Glasgow; (2011) Somerset, Coventry.
MAJOR HONOURS: Australian Under-16 Champion: 1993; Australian Under-21 Champion: 1998, 2000, 2002; Victoria State Champion: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
CLUB HONOURS: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2000 [King’s Lynn]; Craven Shield winner: 2005 [Oxford]; Elite Shield winner: 2008 [Swindon].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 9.09 (PL), 5.45 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: McGowan first rode a speedway bike at the age of ten and showed such rapid development that he took victory in the Australian Under-16 Championship for 1993. As a teenager, he continued to progress, winning the first of three Australian Under-21 titles in 1998.

That led to a call from King’s Lynn the following year and the fresh-faced youngster came into the then Knights’ line-up as a May replacement for Darren Groves, who had found the pace of Elite League racing too hot in a brief stint with the side.

McGowan’s debut occurred in a high-profile league match versus Peterborough at Saddlebow Road on 19 May. This was because it was only the second Elite League match to be screened live by Sky Sports, following closely on from the first at Coventry six days previously.

Having remained with the Norfolk outfit for another term, the Aussie took a season away from the UK in 2001, but resumed with the Knights in 2002. The rider from Mildura – the birthplace of so many top-notch speedway exponents – followed his promoter, Nigel Wagstaff, to Oxford in 2003 and was to spend three terms with the Cowley-based team, before he accompanied Cheetahs’ skipper Greg Hancock to Reading.

A resurgent McGowan was to enjoy his best-ever British season and also played a full part, as the re-named Bulldogs produced a remarkable string of results to finish second in the final Elite League table – on race-points difference to Peterborough. Fittingly, both sides battled through to the Play-Off final and, in an overwhelmingly tense second leg at the East of England Showground, the Panthers claimed a 7-2 (courtesy of a tactical ride) and a brace of 5-1s from the final three heats to win 95-94 on aggregate.

McGowan stayed put with Reading in 2007, after the Berkshire outfit had fended off strong overtures from Peterborough to acquire his signature; however, it wasn’t a good season for the club – who became immersed in off-track problems – or the rider, who was struck by the injury bug.

In mid-year, he suffered a shoulder injury whilst riding in Poland. Then, having taken over the captaincy from the departed Hancock, he crashed heavily with Swindon’s Leigh Adams and Andrew Moore in an aborted Knock-Out Cup semi-final at Smallmead on 14 September, re-damaging his shoulder.

Having returned to his homeland, he was to compete in the Australian Championship, but his quest for honours was halted after he again suffered a badly injured shoulder in round two of the series at Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway on 2 January. Prior to that, on 3 December, Swindon had announced the signing of the likeable speedster following Reading’s decision to join the Premier League.

Despite his injury setback, McGowan still linked with the Robins for the start of the 2008 campaign, as planned. It proved a difficult season for him, though, as he struggled to recapture his best form. Somewhat unsurprisingly, after a succession of disappointing scores, he was released by the club on 1 September. The Aussie subsequently agreed to join Premier League Mildenhall, but the move was vetoed by the BSPA because it came after the transfer deadline of 31 August.

Remarkably, McGowan was subsequently recalled to the Swindon side as a replacement for the injured Seb Aldén in a move that did receive approval from the sport’s governing body. He promptly recorded a season’s best score of paid 14 points in a Play-Off semi-final clash at Lakeside’s intricate Arena-Essex strip, as the Robins headed out of the title race.

That performance and a low starting average meant it was a no-brainer that he would be included in Swindon’s starting septet for 2009, despite interest from an array of other clubs. Improved performances helped the Robins reach their second Play-Off final in three seasons but, as in 2007 versus Coventry, there was more heartache for the Wiltshire side as they were beaten by Wolverhampton. In the close season, on 17 December, it emerged that McGowan had agreed to join Premier League Glasgow on loan for the 2010 campaign.

McGowan sustained knee and back injuries when he was hit by Marcin Rempała’s errant machine in heat fifteen of the Tigers’ league encounter versus Berwick at Ashfield Stadium on 22 August. Typically, the gritty Aussie rode on through the pain barrier and whilst he overcame the knock to the knee quickly, he was to receive a lot of pain from the base of his back.

He went on to be Glasgow’s only ever-present rider and achieved a 9.33 average, having notched 397 points from their 36-match schedule. As such, he deservedly scooped the club’s Rider of the Year award at a packed Hilton Hotel on 30 October.

Despite his popularity with the Scottish side, on 3 December – in front of a packed Oak Tree Clubhouse – the Aussie was named as a certain starter in the Somerset side for 2011. The forward-looking club named all seven team members on the night, with McGowan being one of five riders from Down Under in the septet – his fellow countrymen in the line-up being Sam Masters, James Holder, Dakota North and Cory Gathercole.

As with his move to Glasgow, the Aussie joined the Rebels on loan from his parent club, Swindon. And he also subsequently linked with top-flight Coventry to share a ‘doubling-up’ berth alongside another compatriot, Richard Sweetman.

McGowan played his part as Somerset won their first six league matches on the spin, but that run came to an end at Scunthorpe on Easter Monday [25 April], when they lost 49-41. In a double whammy for the Rebels, the Aussie sustained a broken wrist when he fell in the initial running of the nominated heat.

As the tapes rose on the ill-fated race, Somerset’s Christian Hefenbrock got a flying start to lead into the first turn. Behind him, though, things got very tight between the other three competitors. As they shuffled wide, McGowan and Scorpions’ Shane Parker tangled, before coming down in a nasty looking crash. Parker slid into the fence at high speed, whilst McGowan’s bike reared up and spat him off over the high side, before he slammed into the air safety barrier and the ground.

On 31 May, the Aussie made a return to action for the Rebels in a home league encounter versus Sheffield, which was screened live by Sky Sports. Clearly race rusty, he could only manage 4 points as the Tigers raced to a 53-40 victory and avenged the defeat they had suffered at the hands of the high-flying Somerset side when they had visited Owlerton on 14 April.

In the top-flight, McGowan was to average over 4 points a meeting for Coventry until a mid-August re-shuffle saw the Warwickshire outfit opt to replace him and fellow ‘doubling-up’ rider Peter Kildemand with Piotr Pawlicki.

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 1
Events: 1 – 14th on Australia’s list; 157th on SWC all-time list
Points: 3 – 14th on Australia’s list; 136th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 1
Gold medals: 0

McKINNA, Adam Kenneth
DATE OF BIRTH: 17 August 1986, Crewe, Cheshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004-05) Armadale; (2006) Newcastle, Scunthorpe; (2007) Newcastle, Cleveland, Boston; (2008) Berwick, Buxton, Redcar II; (2009) Newcastle; (2010) Newcastle, Weymouth; (2011) Belle Vue II.
CLUB HONOURS: Conference Trophy winner: 2005 [Armadale]; Play-Off winner: 2010 [Newcastle]; Knock-Out Cup Winner: 2010 [Newcastle].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Kenny McKinna (born: 21 October 1962, Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland). Nephew of Charlie McKinna (born: 25 June 1961, Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland) and Martin McKinna (born: 6 December 1965, Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.15 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The son of the legendary Scottish rider, Kenny, began his racing career with Armadale at Conference League level in 2004 and, after representing the Dale Devils for a second term, he subsequently enjoyed his first stint with Newcastle in 2006.

McKinna moved around a bit in the interim but, after finding himself unattached at the start of the 2009 campaign, he made six guest appearances for Glasgow, before being re-introduced to the Newcastle line-up for a third time at the end of May as a direct replacement for Casper Wortmann. Some solid performances brought a real-time average of over 4 points per match and the rider was rewarded when, in early November, the Diamonds confirmed that he would remain with them in 2010.

Then, late in February, McKinna was also named as a member of the new Dudley side that had entered the National League, with home fixtures split equally between Wolverhampton’s Monmore Green raceway and Birmingham’s Perry Barr circuit. Unfortunately, just after the season’s start, he sustained bad bruising to his lower back when he crashed in heat seven of Newcastle’s home match versus Glasgow in the Premier Trophy on 5 April.

That meant he had to miss Dudley’s historic opening meeting against the USA Dream Team at Birmingham two days later. And, due to his injury setback, McKinna was replaced shortly afterwards in the Heathens’ squad by Jake Anderson, who had in fact guested in his place in the club’s initial match.

With a touch of irony, the Crewe-born rider was able to return to the Newcastle line-up for the Diamonds’ league match at Birmingham on 21 April. But he was to be injured again in heat two of a league encounter versus Stoke at the famous Geordie venue on 30 May.

He had made a good start to the race, but fell on the first corner and was inadvertently hit by closely following visiting rider Taylor Poole. He was taken to hospital, having suffered a broken bone in his neck and also bruised kidneys.

The initial prognosis was that he would have to wear a brace for at least two weeks, but that proved optimistic and the rider was later advised that a three-month lay-off was more realistic. As such, on 11 June, the Diamonds announced the signing of Anders Andersen to replace the unlucky McKinna. The rider made a good recovery, though, and towards the end of July he joined Weymouth to fill the position previously held by Terry Day.

Following Andersen’s departure from Newcastle in August, he was recalled to the Diamonds’ 1-7, thereby bringing his short stint with the Wildcats to an end. His place in the side at Radipole Lane was filled by Daniel Halsey. However, McKinna was also recalled to Weymouth line-up early in September, following the collarbone and knuckle injuries sustained by Byron Bekker.

He went on to enjoy a good end to the campaign, helping Newcastle to victory in the Play-Offs in October, when they defeated Sheffield in the final. At the end of the month, they also won the Knock-Out Cup by beating Edinburgh 91-88 on aggregate. With little between the two teams, his returns of 4+2 points from the away leg and 4 from the return match were vital contributions, indeed.

Overall, the season saw him complete a total of thirty-three official matches in the Diamonds’ blue and white colours, from which he garnered 91 points and a 3.29 average. Meanwhile, his two spells with Weymouth saw him total 64 points from eleven appearances for an average of 6.40.

Following the close season decision of Belle Vue to run a second team in the 2011 National League, the Manchester outfit announced on 16 February that McKinna would be part of a solid line-up that also included local boys Kyle Howarth and Jason Garrity, along with Byron Bekker, Scott Richardson, Karl Mason and Chris Widman. There was, of course, a family link with Belle Vue as his father, Kenny, had represented the Aces from 1983-87.

MALLETT, Darren Carl
DATE OF BIRTH: 25 May 1986, Boston, Lincolnshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001) Somerset, Boston; (2002) Boston; (2003) Boston, King’s Lynn; (2004) King’s Lynn, King’s Lynn II, Boston; (2005) Boston, King’s Lynn; (2006-08) Boston; (2009) King’s Lynn II; (2010) King’s Lynn, King’s Lynn II; (2011) King’s Lynn II.
CLUB HONOUR: Conference Trophy winner: 2003 [Boston].
RIDER LINKS: Son of Dennis Mallett (born: 16 May 1961, Boston, Lincolnshire).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 7.48 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Mallett looked set for a move to Birmingham in May 2009 that would have seen him break away from his long association with the King’s Lynn track, which had seen him represent Boston between 2001 and 2008, as well as making several appearances over the years for the Stars, when required.

However, the deal collapsed as it was said that his work place wasn’t willing to allow him to finish early on a regular basis in order to accommodate his travel to meetings. He saw the season out at National League level, scoring 234 points from the side’s full quota of twenty-four matches for an excellent 8.31 real-time average. In February 2010, the club announced that he was remaining on board with the re-branded Young Stars for the new campaign.

Early in his career, when aged just 15, Mallett bizarrely turned out for BOTH teams in the 2001 Conference Trophy final between Boston and Somerset. In the first leg at the Norfolk Arena on 22 September, the Rebels arrived short-handed when Simon Phillips had to miss the meeting at short notice due to a family problem, so they ‘borrowed’ the then-Boston junior – for what actually counted as his official debut in the sport – to at least bring team up to seven riders, although he didn’t score any points.

Then, in the second leg at the Oak Tree Arena on 28 September, Mallett was a member of the Barracuda-Braves’ line-up that took to the track trying to preserve a 9-point lead. He went on to score 1-point on the night, but it was Somerset who overcame their deficit to win comfortably 104-75 on aggregate.

King’s Lynn had only just got going with their official fixtures for 2010, before they made a change to their line-up. This saw Aussie rider Ricky Wallace – who had failed to score in his previous two matches – being replaced by Mallett. The Stars were hopeful that the Boston-born racer would step-up to the plate after opting to utilise the services of one of their own young British riders from the Young Stars team.

After doing well for the side and maintaining an average of almost 5 points per match, he was sidelined with a kidney infection and later suffered a bout of food poisoning. And, in August, he was released when the Stars’ management executed an astonishing raft of changes.

The first move had seen Adam Roynon replace Joe Haines and this was immediately followed by another four amendments to their team declaration, as Wortmann and Chris Mills were released, whilst the unwell Mallett and the injured Kevin Doolan and also had their names removed from the 1-7. Olly Allen effectively replaced Doolan in the No. 1 slot, with the other incoming riders being Lasse Bjerre, Jamie Courtney and Cal McDade.

Mallett had represented the Stars on twenty-one occasions, scoring 98 points for a 4.85 average. He caught the eye at home when notching 14 points from six starts in a league match versus Scunthorpe on 7 July. Meanwhile, his best return on the team’s travels was 6+2 points, which he achieved on three occasions: from five rides at Rye House in a Premier Trophy fixture on 17 April, from six outings in a Knock-Out Cup tie at Glasgow on 23 May and again from half-a-dozen starts at Newcastle in a Premier Trophy semi-final encounter on 20 June.

At NL level for the Young Stars, he made seventeen appearances and scored 163 points for an 8.10 average. And, in February 2011, King’s Lynn confirmed that Mallett would again line-up in the colours of their National League side at the start of the campaign.

Mallett became the second holder of the Bronze Helmet for 2011, when he out-paced Scunthorpe’s Ashley Birks following the Young Stars’ National League fixture at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Easter Monday [25 April].

Regrettably, though, the Young Stars’ No. 1 looked likely to miss the remainder of the season, when he sustained a broken femur after crashing in the nominated race of a home league encounter against Buxton on 11 May.

Mallett subsequently underwent a successful operation to have a rod inserted in his leg, which needed to stay in place for twelve months. He was replaced in the King’s Lynn side by Kyle Hughes. Meanwhile, team-mate James Cockle took over the defence of the National League Bronze Helmet.

MASON, David Lee
DATE OF BIRTH: 20 December 1976, Crawley, West Sussex.
BRITISH CAREER: (1995) Sittingbourne, Reading, Arena-Essex, Swindon, Poole, Oxford; (1996) Sittingbourne, London, Reading; (1997) Arena-Essex; (1998) Newport, Stoke, Arena-Essex, Mildenhall; (1999) Swindon, Rye House; (2000) Rye House, Arena-Essex, Poole; (2001-03) Rye House; (2004-07) Weymouth; (2009) Mildenhall, Rye House II; (2010) Rye House II; (2011) Hackney.
MAJOR HONOUR: Conference League Riders’ Champion: 2001.
CLUB HONOURS: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2005 [Weymouth]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2005 [Weymouth].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.50 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Crawley-born rider is the all-time highest point-scorer in British speedway’s third tier of racing. He is also, arguably, the most successful rider at that level as – aside from his CLRC success in 2001 – he also defended the Bronze Helmet Match-Race Championship on twenty-five occasions during 2000 and 2001.

Mason decided to take a break from racing to head-up Lewis Bridger’s pit crew in 2008, although he did agree to help out Plymouth as a back-up rider if any of their heat-leaders got injured. In the event, he didn’t appear for the Devils, but subsequently made something of a surprise return to racing with Mildenhall in 2009.

However, he was released in August, when the Fen Tigers took the opportunity to sign James Birkinshaw. Otherwise known as ‘Magic’, Mason subsequently returned to Rye House – having previously skippered the senior Rockets side – to link with their National League operation in place of Dan Blake.

In December, the Hoddesdon-based club announced that the captaincy of the Cobras had been awarded to Mason for 2010, as he continued his love affair with the club he led so successfully when the track had re-opened in 2000. His personal interest in helping younger riders also made him invaluable to the team.

Unfortunately, though, he was run over in a petrol station at the beginning of the campaign and, upon his return to action, the Rye House skipper was injured in his first league race of the season for the Cobras at King’s Lynn on 18 April.

In heat four, Mason clipped fallen home rider Jake Knight and suffered concussion from the resultant fall. While the 2001 Conference League Riders’ Champion recuperated, the club moved him from the No. 5 position to the No. 2 slot and utilised the rider replacement facility.

Having lost weight during the winter through illness, he was to struggle a tad on his return to action. On top of that, he was to be plagued by bouts of ill heath as the season went on. Understandably, that affected both his availability to ride and his scoring. To his credit, he battled on and posted an average of 6.46, having notched 70 points from the thirteen meetings he appeared in.

On 14 February 2011, the resurgent Hackney Hawks who would race in the National League, with home meetings jointly staged at both Lakeside and Rye House, confirmed that Mason would represent them in the season ahead. The rider had links with the former side, having previously ridden for London Lions in 1996 who, of course, rode out of the Hawks’ original base at Waterden Road.

MASON, Karl Lewis
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 March 1986, Hillingdon, London.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001) Buxton, Mildenhall, Somerset; (2002) Newport II; (2003) Newport, Newport II; (2004) Newport, Newport II, Coventry II; (2005) Newport, Newport II; (2006) Newport II; (2007) Newport, Weymouth; (2008) Weymouth; (2009) Newport II; (2010) Bournemouth, Weymouth; (2011) Belle Vue II.
CLUB HONOURS: Four-Team winner: 2008 [Weymouth]; League Championship winner: 2008 [Weymouth].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.85 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Mason took his first rides on a speedway bike at Buxton in March 1994, but it wasn’t until 20 May 2001 that he made his official debut for the Hitmen in a Conference Trophy match at home to Rye House. Only a handful of appearances came his way that year, as he also represented Mildenhall and Somerset in British speedway’s third tier.

He linked with Newport the following term and, after initially riding for the then-Mavericks at Conference level, he also went on to eventually appear officially for the Wasps in October 2003, having previously taken several outings as a guest for the side.

He was to remain attached to the Welsh club – riding variously at PL and CL level – from 2004 through to May 2007, when he lost his place in the senior team to Barry Burchatt. Having also started the season on the books of Conference League Weymouth, he saw the term out with the Wildcats to post an average of 6.56. However, he was back with Newport in 2009, when he appeared for the re-branded Hornets in the National League and upped his real-time figure to 7.07, having notched 117 points from seventeen matches.

In February 2010, it was announced that he had joined Bournemouth, where he was seen an important part of the Buccaneers’ set-up. But, despite maintaining a healthy average, he was released amidst sweeping changes in August. Both Daniel Halsey and John Resch were also relieved of their duties, whilst replacing the trio were Jerran Hart, James Sarjeant and Danny Stoneman. At the time, Mason had totalled 96 points for a 6.92 average from fifteen appearances in the Dorset side.

The Londoner wasn’t on the sidelines for long, though, as he snapped-up by his former club, Weymouth, as a replacement for Gary Cottham. He went on to total ten appearances for the Wildcats, which yielded 49 points and a 5.52 average. That gave him a combined tally of twenty-five appearances at NL level for Bournemouth and Weymouth, from which he scored 145 points for an overall average of 6.36.

Following the close season decision of Belle Vue to run a second team in the 2011 National League, the Manchester outfit announced on 16 February that Mason would be part of a solid line-up that also included local boys Kyle Howarth and Jason Garrity, along with Byron Bekker, Scott Richardson, Adam McKinna and Chris Widman.

MASTERS, Samuel (Sam) Peter
DATE OF BIRTH: 23 May 1991, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Somerset; (2011) Somerset, King’s Lynn.
MAJOR HONOUR: New South Wales Under-16 Champion: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007; Australian Under-16 Champion: 2007; New South Wales Under-21 Champion: 2010; Premier League Riders’ Champion: 2011.
RIDER LINKS: Nephew of David Stevens (born: February 1961, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia). Cousin of Daine Stevens (born: 19 December 1985, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia) and Jaye Stevens (born: 8 February 1982, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 6.72 (PL), 4.03 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Masters started riding in dirt and long-track events when he was just six years-of-age. He turned to speedway when aged eleven after watching his uncle, David Stevens, and cousins, Daine and Jaye Stevens, in action. And, after scooping four New South Wales Under-16 Championships in a row – plus one Australian Under-16 title – he eventually moved into the senior ranks in August 2007. Then, in November 2009, Somerset revealed Masters as their first signing for the 2010 campaign.

The youngster joined the Rebels as a full club asset after they had who won the race for his signature ahead of five other sides; this despite the rival clubs being able to offer the Aussie better personal terms than those being tabled by the Oak Tree Arena-based outfit. His father, Peter, who accompanied Masters to the UK for the early months of the new season, stated that is was not a question of money, but instead what was best for rider’s career, future and welfare.

Having agreed to ride for Somerset, he celebrated by winning the New South Wales Under-21 Championship at Tamworth on 14 November, ahead of Alex Davies, Taylor Poole and Dakota North. Following that, on 16 January at Mildura, he finished a highly creditable fourth in the Australian Under-21 Championship.

He went on to be a big hit with the Rebels, showcasing bags of speed and ability on his way to 258 points from thirty-two official meetings and an impressive first-season average of 7.17 points per match. His excellent efforts were duly recognised when he scooped the club’s Rider of the Year award.

It came as little surprise on 3 December when, in front of a packed Oak Tree Clubhouse, the Aussie was named as a starter in the Somerset side for 2011, having agreed terms for a second term with the Rebels. The forward-looking club named all seven team members on the night, with Masters being one of five riders from Down Under included in the septet – his fellow countrymen being Cory Gathercole, James Holder, Dakota North and Travis McGowan.

On 17 December, Masters was also named in the King’s Lynn side to share a ‘doubling-up’ berth with Lasse Bjerre, the Norfolk outfit having decided to move up from the Premier League into the top-flight following the conclusion of the previous month’s BSPA AGM.

Following an injury to Morten Risager, a re-shuffle at King’s Lynn on 16 May saw Masters’ ‘doubling-up’ role switched alongside Tomáš Topinka, whilst Bjerre continued in a similar role with the incoming Lee Complin, who had effectively replaced Risager.

On September 25, the Somerset star became the second Rebels rider to become Premier League Riders’ Champion with a fabulous victory at Sheffield’s pacy Owlerton circuit. The Australian youngster followed in the footsteps of Magnus Zetterström in 2006 by winning the crucial final ahead of home man Ricky Ashworth, with Leicester’s Kauko Nieminen third and Ben Barker of Plymouth fourth.

However, Masters’ season was to conclude early, when he received a 28-day ban from the Speedway Control Bureau following comments he made via his Facebook page after making a guest appearance for Rye House against Scunthorpe at Hoddesdon on 2 October.

MEAR, Robert John
DATE OF BIRTH: 12 January 1989, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (2004-07) Rye House II; (2008) Rye House, Rye House II; (2009) Rye House, Lakeside; (2011) Lakeside.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.15 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The rider, known as ‘Mearkat’, was named as the No. 8 at Elite League Lakeside in 2009. Unfortunately, he sustained a broken left ring finger and abrasions to the rest of his hand when his throttle jammed open and he was forced to part company from his steed whilst riding for the Hammers in heat nine of an Elite League encounter at Swindon on 28 May.

Mear then sustained another hand injury in Rye House’s league match at Stoke on 29 August when, in heat five, home rider Lee Complin collected him on the third bend, with both riders subsequently crashing down. The upshot was a broken knuckle on his right hand for the Hertfordshire lad.

That prematurely brought the curtain down on his season and, remarkably, he was unable to get fixed-up with a Premier League berth in 2010, although he remained on the radar of Elite League Lakeside, who had initially hoped to utilise his services in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity alongside Paul Hurry, had he signed for a second tier outfit.

It was, indeed, the Hammers who brought him in from the cold on 19 January 2011, when the Welwyn Garden City-born rider was named in a reserve berth for the season ahead, as he aimed to kick-start his speedway career.

The Hertfordshire-based rider proved a revelation in the early weeks of his first season of full-time Elite League racing and, on 12 May, it was announced that he had joined Lakeside on a full transfer after talks with Rye House had successfully reached agreement over a deal. Indeed, Mear had been one of the bright spots of an inconsistent start to the campaign by the Hammers, having impressed greatly on his return to the sport after a year out.

In maintaining an average in excess of 5.5 points per match, Mear was deservedly called up by Great Britain for a Test appearance against Australia at the Lakeside circuit on 3 June, when he scored 4+2 points and helped the Brits claim a 2-0 series victory.

MELLGREN, Anders
DATE OF BIRTH: 22 June 1991, Hagfors, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010-11) Newport, Somerset.
CLUB HONOUR: Knock-Out Cup winner: 2011 [Newport].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.51 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: A highly talented rider, Mellgren twice won the Swedish 80cc Championship, in 2006 and 2007, following in the illustrious tyre-tracks of Andreas Jonsson, Freddie Eriksson, Jonas Davidsson, Fredrik Lindgren, Ricky Kling and Simon Gustafsson, all of whom were previous victors.

A visitor to Newport’s Queensway Meadows venue in December 2009, he put in several laps of practice and was subsequently named in the Wasps’ starting line-up for 2010. The Swede then gave notice of his immense promise when notching a well-acquired 9-point haul in the New Year Classic at the Welsh circuit on 3 January.  

Mellgren was maintaining an average in excess of 5 points per match for Newport, but was sidelined after sustaining a broken collarbone in heat two of an away Swedish Elite League fixture for Valsarna against Rospiggarna on 8 June.

That had seen home rider Kauko Nieminen take a fall whilst leading the race, with the Swede sustaining the injury after laying his machine down. Towards the end of the month, the Wasps’ management announced the signing of compatriot Robin Aspegren as his replacement.

However, following successful surgery on his collarbone, Mellgren was due to return to the Newport line-up for a home league match versus Stoke on 18 July, but missed the meeting after unfortunately suffering a recurrence of his injury whilst riding in his homeland. As a result, the Welsh outfit moved quickly to re-declare with Aspegren, who had made a good impression during his spell in the team.

Mellgren had made seventeen appearances for the side and registered 82 points for a 5.35 average. His personal highlight at home occurred on 9 May, when he accrued 11+1 points from five rides in a Knock-Out cup tie versus Berwick. On the team’s travels, his best showing was in a league fixture a week later at Glasgow on 16 May, when he ended the meeting with 7+3 points from five starts.

On 12 April 2011, the Newport management announced Mellgren’s return to the side. This followed injuries to both Alex Davies and Robin Aspegren, which initially saw Joe Haines replace Davies. A further re-shuffle led to a recall for Mellgren – effectively in place of Davies – with Chris Słaboń coming in for Aspegren although that move was called off after commitments in his home country ruled out the Polish-born rider.

The Swede’s return was to be short-lived as, towards the end of April, Davies received medical clearance to resume racing and promptly returned to the Wasps’ line-up at Mellgren’s expense. The Hagfors-born rider did, however, return to the British scene later in the season as an injury replacement for Dakota North at Somerset, his acquisition announced by the Rebels on 28 June.

North was finally declared fit to return in the second week of August, though, and that brought the Swede’s stint in the side to a close. However, towards the end of August, Newport re-called Mellgren for a third spell with the club. He replaced Justin Sedgmen, who had struggled for form since joining the Wasps in May.

MILLS, Christopher (Chris) William
DATE OF BIRTH: 29 March 1983, Chelmsford, Essex.
BRITISH CAREER: (2001) Arena-Essex; (2002) King’s Lynn II, Wimbledon; (2003) Isle of Wight, Oxford II; (2004) Reading, Oxford II; (2005) Reading, Oxford II, Somerset, Oxford; (2006) King’s Lynn, Reading; (2007) King’s Lynn, Lakeside; (2008) Reading, Lakeside; (2009) Sheffield, Lakeside; (2010) Bournemouth, King’s Lynn; (2011) Ipswich.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2005 [Oxford II], 2006 [King’s Lynn]; Knock-Out Cup winner: 2006, 2007 [both King’s Lynn]; Premier Trophy winner: 2006, 2007 [both King’s Lynn].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.99 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Mills’ first speedway skids occurred at King’s Lynn in 1999, when he attended a training school presided over by Shane Parker. He subsequently made his maiden appearance in the sport for Arena-Essex in a Premier League fixture at the Isle of Wight on 25 September 2001. That was to be his one and only official appearance of the season.

In 2002, the youngster joined King’s Lynn Kids for a year of Conference-level action and impressively attained a real-time average of 7.40. The year also saw him represent Wimbledon in the Conference Trophy, the London side having re-opened on 2 May that season after spending eleven years out of action. The Essex-boy joined the Isle of Wight in 2003, whilst also continuing to further his experience with the Oxford Silver Machine Academy side in the Conference League.

In 2004, ‘Millsy’ first linked with Reading and again continued to serve Oxford in the Conference sphere of the British racing scene. Unfortunately, he did endure a spell on the injured list, having suffered a broken collarbone whilst representing the Silver Machine Academy in a league match versus Rye House at Cowley on 24 September. Come 2005 and he was again identified with both Reading and Oxford in the same capacity as the previous term.

However, he only appeared in eight meetings for the Racers in the Premier Trophy, before losing his team spot to veteran Steve Masters in June. He eventually re-located to Somerset late the following month. In the Conference sector, he enjoyed a fruitful campaign with Oxford, as they just shaded the League Championship by a single point from Wimbledon in a desperately tight finish. The tail-end of the ‘05 season also saw him ride in four Elite League matches for the senior Oxford side, the highlight being a return of 6+1 points at home to Wolverhampton on 28 October.

A move to King’s Lynn followed in 2006 and Mills also filled the role of No. 8 at Reading, upon the club’s elevation into the Elite League. In what was a wonderful year, he played a full part as the Norfolk side completed a glorious treble, winning the League Championship, Knock-Out Cup and Premier Trophy. For Reading, though, he made just five appearances, before a switch in July saw Glenn Cunningham take over in the No. 8 berth.

The Chelmsford-born rider spent a second successive term with King’s Lynn in 2007, again helping the Norfolk side to victory in both the Knock-Out Cup and Premier Trophy. The term also saw him take over from Chris Neath as the club No. 8 at Lakeside in June, although he was to only appear on three occasions for the Hammers.

A return to Reading followed in 2008 – when they dropped back into the Premier League – but it was a season of great sadness for the Berkshire club as, at then cessation of the campaign, they waved a fond farewell to their Smallmead home after 33 years at the venue.

With the Racers in the speedway wilderness, Mills moved to one of his favourite tracks, Sheffield, for the 2009 campaign. Meanwhile, for a third successive term, he also remained a valued squad member at top-flight Lakeside.

Surprisingly, there were no takers for his services during the close season, although he remained hopeful of picking up a team spot. And, following a calf injury suffered by Jamie Smith during Rye House Cobras’ Press Day on 15 March, he agreed to join the National League outfit as a replacement No. 1 during the unlucky Peterborough-born rider’s enforced absence.

However, before he had an opportunity to make his Rye House debut, Smith made a dramatic recovery and Mills was released. He wasn’t without a team for long, though, as on 9 April Bournemouth revealed that they had signed him in place of back injury-victim Jay Herne.

Then, at the tail-end of June, he returned to the Premier League, when he re-joined King’s Lynn as a replacement for Linus Eklöf. Mills had made nine appearances for the Buccaneers, scoring 92 points for an average of 9.21 and his place in the side was subsequently filled by James Brundle.

Mills’ stint in the Stars side didn’t last long, though, as the club’s management executed an astonishing raft of changes in August. The first move had seen Adam Roynon replace Joe Haines and this was immediately followed by another four amendments to their team declaration, as Mills and Casper Wortmann were released, whilst the injured Kevin Doolan and the unwell Darren Mallett also had their names removed from the 1-7. Olly Allen effectively replaced Doolan in the No. 1 slot, with the other incoming riders being Lasse Bjerre, Jamie Courtney and Cal McDade.

But when new averages became effective in September, they permitted King’s Lynn to re-introduce Mills at the expense of Adam Lowe who, himself, had replaced Courtney towards the end of August. He went on to appear in sixteen official matches for the Norfolk club and attained a 5.97 average, having notched 95 points.

His best performance at home for the Stars occurred when he tallied 9+3 points from six rides out of the No. 7 berth in a league fixture against Scunthorpe on 7 July. Meanwhile, on their travels, Mills’ most eye-catching showing was a Glasgow on 12 September when, having moved up to the No. 3 slot, he registered 7+3 points from five outings.

Mills’ nomadic career continued unabated when, on 8 December, it was announced that he had agreed to link with Ipswich ahead of the 2011 campaign. That followed the Witches’ decision to drop down to the Premier League at the BSPA AGM in Bournemouth the previous month.

The rider was to miss the Witches’ league match at Sheffield on 21 April, having been released to undertake the best man duties at a family wedding, as agreed when he signed his contract. The club had agreed to the fixture being moved to a later date so it could be televised but, when that fell through, they reluctantly moved it back to its original date due to only having limited Thursdays available for away meetings.

MONBERG, Jesper Bruun
DATE OF BIRTH: 14 October 1977, Esbjerg, Denmark.
BRITISH CAREER: (1997-2003) Wolverhampton; (2004) Ipswich; (2005) Oxford, Peterborough; (2006) Peterborough; (2007) Ipswich; (2008) Wolverhampton; (2011) Swindon.
NOTE: Jensen also appeared for Oxford prior to joining Ipswich in 2007, but this is not credited in his career record because the club closed down prematurely, with all their matches expunged from the records.
MAJOR HONOURS: Nordic Under-21 Champion: 1995; World Team Cup Champion: 1997; World Under-21 Champion: 1997; European Champion: 2005.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2002 [Wolverhampton], 2006 [Peterborough].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.51 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The rider was long-associated with Wolverhampton, appearing for them from 1997 to 2003 although, in the latter year, he only represented the Monmore men in the British League Cup, making just a single appearance in the competition that ran for one season.

He was identified with Ipswich in 2004 and helped the Witches reach the Knock-Out Cup final, but they were beaten 99-87 by Poole on aggregate after only securing a 6-point advantage from the first leg at Foxhall Heath on 21 October.

The Dane had spells with Oxford and Peterborough in 2005, remaining with the East of England Showground the following season and, in a terrific season for the Panthers, they finished at the top of the final league table – albeit on race-points difference – ahead of the then-nicknamed Bulldogs, both sides having attained 64 points from their forty matches.

Fittingly, both sides met in the Play-Off final, Peterborough getting there by virtue of defeating Coventry 52-40 at the East of England Showground on 25 September. The first leg of the final took place seven days later at Smallmead on 2 October, when Reading were only able to claim a hard-fought 49-47 success. The Panthers clearly started the second leg at their pacy home circuit as favourites, but Reading fought like tigers to lead 41-31 after heat twelve.

Just when it looked as if the Berkshire side were heading for the League Championship, Panthers’ Hans Andersen took victory in a tactical ride and with team-mate Richard Hall in third place, the resultant 7-2 reduced the Bulldogs’ advantage to 43-38.

Ryan Sullivan and Hall then combined for a 5-1, setting up an overwhelmingly tense last-heat decider as Reading clung desperately to a 44-43 lead. It wasn’t to be for the Bulldogs, however, as Sullivan and Andersen joined forces for a 5-1 over Greg Hancock, giving the Panthers the narrowest of aggregate successes by 95 points to 94.

The 2007 campaign saw the Dane stage a successful testimonial meeting at Peterborough on 25 March, when a three-team tournament resulted thus: Peterborough 42, Oxford 35, Wolverhampton 31.

He had initially begun the term in Oxford’s colours, but received a 28-day ban from the BSPA. This occurred when, prior to the track’s premature closure, he was deemed to have been withholding his services from the Cheetahs’ line-up. He subsequently re-joined Ipswich for a second stint.

The rider was known as Jesper B. Jensen throughout the majority of his racing career, before adopting his wife’s maiden name of Monberg in March 2008. Although he had no British team berth that year, he was to again link with Wolverhampton in August and went on to appear in sixteen official meetings, scoring 92 points for a real-time average of 5.85.

Peterborough had hoped to include their asset in the Panthers’ 2009 line-up on a green-sheet average of 4.51 (excluding bonus points), which he had achieved in his largely unsuccessful stint at Wolves the previous year.

However, the BSPA Management Committee ruled that, although the rider had completed the requisite twelve league meetings, he hadn’t ridden in six home matches and six away as required within the rules at the time. They therefore stated that his average would be 6.49, which he had attained with Ipswich in 2007. This resulted in Peterborough discounting Monberg from their plans for the campaign.

The rider hadn’t raced in the UK since his spell at Wolverhampton in 2008, but was keen to revive his career with Swindon in 2011, when he was permitted to use the 4.51 average that had raised issues two years previously.

That followed early-season problems at the Wiltshire club, which led to the announcement of the double signing of Monberg and fellow Dane Nicolai Klindt on 17 April; the incoming duo took the place of the injured Grzegorz Zengota and his Polish compatriot, Tomasz Chrzanowski, who had struggled for points in the opening matches of the campaign.

Showing how important it was to him, Monberg brought his own equipment to the UK on 19 April after driving over from Denmark ahead of his first appearance for the Robins, such was his desire to do well for the club.

On 20 April, Swindon co-promoter Gary Patchett slammed reports suggesting Monberg had only joined the club on a 28-day deal. He insisted that the rider – who remained a Peterborough asset – hadn’t spoken to the Panthers about any potential return to the East of England Showground and that he was committed to the Robins’ cause.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 20 – 40th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 66 – 53rd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 63 – 49th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 6 – 58th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a
Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 1
Events: 3 – 11th on Denmark’s list; 91st on SWC all-time list
Points: 31 – 9th on Denmark’s list; 66th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 1
Gold medals: 0

MORLEY, Ben
DATE OF BIRTH: 10 March 1994, Southend, Essex.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009-10) Rye House II; (2011) Rye House, Hackney.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (PL), 4.88 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: As a 15-year-old, Morley was handed a team berth in Rye House’s National League side in 2009 and the youngster produced several eye-catching performances on his way to an encouraging real-time average of close on 5 points per match. After the season, the Southend-born speedster engaged in a heavy programme of practice and, in December, he was again named as a starter in the Cobras’ line-up for 2010.

Morley was to show plenty more of his undoubted promise to attain an average in excess of 5 points per match, prior to sustaining an ankle injury at Newport on 16 July in what proved to be an eventful National League fixture for him. He took five outings in the match and was in good scoring positions each time. Unfortunately, he crashed in four of them, whilst in the other his front wheel collapsed on him.

As a result of the encounter at Queensway Meadows, his ankle had taken more of a battering than anyone had realised and he was forced to pull out of the next fixture at home to Bournemouth on 24 July after two painful outings. He was subsequently taken to hospital where a break was confirmed and, following an operation, he was released five days later.

Whilst he recuperated, Rye House moved to sign Ricky Scarboro as cover for his absence. That situation was reversed in September, though, when the fit-again Morley returned to the line-up at the expense of Scarboro. He went on to capture the ‘Mr. Cobra’ Rider of the Year plaudit courtesy of 73 points from fifteen matches, which yielded a 5.78 average.

He also turned more than a few heads with some tail-end guest appearances for the senior Rockets’ line-up, which saw him contribute points in all five of his Young Shield matches. Indeed, the likes of Leigh Lanham, Craig Watson and André Compton could all personally attest to his potential after being headed home by the 2009 British Under-18 finalist. As such, on 22 November, he was named in the Rye House line-up for 2011.

And, on 14 February 2011, the resurgent Hackney Hawks who would race in the National League, with home meetings jointly staged at both Lakeside and Rye House, confirmed that Morley would also represent them in the season ahead.

The youngster was to endure a torrid time in his first full campaign with the Rockets, but things finally clicked in a home league match versus Ipswich on 2 May, when he scored 6+1 points. Included in that tally was a memorable race win in heat twelve, when colleague Ritchie Hawkins showcased his team-riding skills to nurse Morley over the line.

Although he continued to show total heart and soul in every ride, unfortunately, his lack of points in the Premier League led to a loss of confidence, which also affected his National League form. Morley was effectively over-riding, which also led to a large number of falls.

Having been given a fair crack of the whip in the Rye House line-up, he was replaced by James Brundle in a mid-June re-declaration of the Hertfordshire team. The decision allowed the rider from Southend to concentrate fully on his NL duties with Hackney.

MORRIS, Ashley
DATE OF BIRTH: 6 May 1994, Wolverhampton, West Midlands.
BRITISH CAREER: (2009) Scunthorpe II; (2010-11) Dudley, Edinburgh, Leicester.
MAJOR HONOUR: British Under-15 Champion: 2009.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2010 [Edinburgh]; National Shield winner: 2011 [Dudley]; Four-Team Championship winner: 2011 [Dudley].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.25 (NL), 3.00 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Morris initially began riding on a 150cc machine in 2006 and, under the guidance of former Buxton rider Neil Painter, he eventually moved on to a full 500cc machine in 2008, when he initially used Dan Greenwood’s steed at King’s Lynn on a practice day. Injuries curtailed his participation in that year’s British Under-15 Championship and, in fact, limited him to a solitary appearance in the first round at Stoke on 10 July.

Indeed, in that meeting at Loomer Road, he sustained a painful chipped bone in his hip, when he was sent through the fence after a collision with another rider. Then, just two days afterwards, he compounded his problems by breaking a wrist in an Academy fixture at Coventry.
 
Having turned fifteen years-of-age, he was introduced to Scunthorpe Saints’ squad as their official No. 8 rider late in May 2009, when James Sarjeant moved from the position into the main body of the side. Morris reached the pinnacle of his fledgling career on 19 September, when he sealed overall victory in the British Under-15 Championship at the Northside track in Workington. He went on to complete fifteen official matches for Saints, yielding 76 points and an impressive 5.56 real-time average.

Towards the end of January, he was named as the first member of the new Dudley side, which would contest the National League in 2010, splitting their home matches between the Wolverhampton and Birmingham circuits.

In May, it was revealed that the British Under-15 Champion had signed for Wolverhampton. Morris put pen to paper on his 16th birthday but, while his long-term future lay with the Monmore club, he would remain with Dudley for at least the rest of the 2010 campaign.

Late in August, he also got an opportunity to further advance his learning curve when Edinburgh signed him as a replacement for Arlo Bugeja. He went on to make a dozen appearances for the Monarchs and – in what was great experience for the youngster – the side wrapped-up the League Championship along the way.

He totalled 21 points for the Scottish outfit, which produced a real-time average of 2.36. Meanwhile, he remained ever-present for Dudley, appearing in their twenty-four official matches and scoring 145 points for an average of 6.28.

On 11 December, Dudley unveiled Morris as their first signing for the 2011 season; a year when they would race solely out of Wolverhampton’s Monmore Green raceway. He had certainly made a good impression with club bosses during the 2010 campaign and it was thought likely that he would again ‘double-up’ with a Premier League club to continue his development. And, three days later, Edinburgh confirmed that he would line-up with them again in that capacity.

Indeed, the Wolverhampton-based youngster was to combine the Monarchs’ fixtures with racing for Dudley in the National League and so faced a busy season once again. In 2010, he had joined the Scottish team on 27 August – one of the club’s youngest-ever riders – and proved popular with the fans for his stylish efforts.

However, on 26 April, Edinburgh announced that they had decided to release both him and Jay Herne because they hadn’t been getting the points they required from the reserve berths. Kyle Howarth was drafted in to fill the spot vacated by the departure of Morris. But he did subsequently return to the Premier League on 2 July, when he was named as an injury replacement for John Oliver in the Leicester team.

Morris was left badly bruised after a spill on a difficult Kirkmanshulme Lane track during Dudley’s league fixture against Belle Vue Colts on 13 July and had to withdraw from the Leicester team for their Premier League trip to Ipswich the following evening, before again resuming racing.

On 30 July, he was a member of the Dudley side that came through the semi-final stage of the National League Four-Team Championship at Stoke’s Loomer Road raceway, prior to taking victory in the final ahead of Belle Vue, the Potters and Mildenhall, as the Heathens added to their early-season National Shield success.

The Heathens’ favourite was taken to hospital with concussion as his side saw their unbeaten home record shattered by Mildenhall on 2 August. Morris was involved in a first-bend accident with the Fen Tigers’ Lewis Blackbird in heat nine and, having fallen heavily, he required lengthy attention although he was talking to medics before being taken from the circuit. Thankfully, after a thorough examination at New Cross Hospital, the teenager was given the all-clear.

MORRIS, Nicholas (Nick) Craig
DATE OF BIRTH: 7 June 1994, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Buxton, Glasgow; (2011) Glasgow, Coventry.
MAJOR HONOUR: Queensland Under-16 Champion: 2009, 2010; New South Wales Under-16 Champion: 2010.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2010 [Buxton], 2011 [Glasgow].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.44 (PL), 3.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Morris started riding at the age of ten and, having acquired his first bike in February 2005, he took his initial practice skids on vacant land near the site of the old Savanah Speedway in Townsville, North Queensland, in readiness for his first official meeting at Pioneer Park the following month.

His interest in the sport came about due to his father, Lee, taking him along to meetings from four years-of-age. He enjoyed a blossoming career in football at school and had played at club level, but had to choose between following that route or pursuing his speedway interests. However, he did continue to participate in school sports, including Rugby League, but had to drop the competitive activities that clashed with speedway.

As a highly-rated 15-year-old, Morris was runner-up in the 2009 Australian Under-16 Championship and also finished third in the 350cc title chase. He subsequently arrived in the UK with his dad in August that year and managed to get in plenty of practice at numerous tracks. Indeed, he rode at King’s Lynn, Swindon, Coventry, Stoke, Berwick, Scunthorpe and Glasgow during his stay, and competed in individual and team events.

Those included appearing in a round of the Scunthorpe Summer Series on 26 September, when he made the final alongside three Danish riders. He also represented a Glasgow select side versus Team Viking from Scandinavia on 28 September, when he unfortunately crashed whilst leading heat two and was withdrawn from the remainder of the meeting due to back pain.

The Glasgow management were impressed with what they had seen of him and it was they who eventually won the race to capture his signature to begin his Premier League career in June 2010, when he turned sixteen.

And, in December, Buxton announced the signing of Morris in preparation for their National League campaign. Prior to his arrival in the UK in March, he enjoyed his last term in Australian junior speedway by defending his Queensland Under-16 title at Gladstone and also lifting the New South Wales Under-16 Championship.

In another speedway connection, Nick’s father was a Cradley Heath supporter before he emigrated Down Under and, doubtless, he was delighted with the Heathens’ return to the speedway scene – under the name of Dudley – in 2010, when the side split their home meetings between the circuits of Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Morris made an encouraging start to his British career with Buxton, culminating in an excellent tally of 11+3 points from five rides when the Hitmen entertained Mildenhall in a Knock-Out Cup tie on 2 May. Indeed, he formed a devastating reserve partnership with fellow Aussie Robert Branford; the two riders being paid for a combined total of 26 points against the Fen Tigers. Unfortunately, though, this was later deleted from the records, following the mid-term closure of Mildenhall.

Early in June, he was drafted into the Glasgow side – at the same time as the big arrival of former Great Britain international Joe Screen – replacing fellow Aussie Michael Penfold, who had struggled to get to grips with racing in the UK.

It didn’t take Morris long to bag his first maximum for the Tigers; this came in a Premier Trophy encounter against fierce Scottish rivals Edinburgh at Ashfield on 25 July, when he carded an unbeaten 12+3 points from five starts. In so doing – at 16 years 1 month and 18 days – he became the second youngest rider in Glasgow’s history to register a full-house, behind Kiwi legend Mitch Shirra.

He went on to total 124 points for the Scottish side from twenty-one official appearances, which equated to a 5.47 average. Meanwhile, Morris was a key figure in what turned out to be Buxton’s most successful season in their 16-year history, as he achieved a 7.91 average courtesy of 162 points from eighteen matches.

His appearances for the Peak District club were curtailed due to Glasgow sharing the Hitmen’s Sunday race-day and also by the fact that he returned home to Australia in mid-October, thereby missing out on an exciting run-in that included the team’s participation in the finals of both the Knock-Out Cup and Play-Offs.

Nonetheless, he had done a solid job for Buxton, highlighted at home by a paid maximum tally of 16+2 points in a league encounter with the Isle of Wight on 16 May. Meanwhile, on his travels, a best score of 13+2 points from six outings was achieved in a Knock-Out Cup quarter-final tie at Rye House on 29 May.

On 27 December, Morris was confirmed as a starter in the Glasgow side for 2011 and there was little doubt that the Tigers’ management held high hopes for the teenage Australian rider, who could yet ride for Great Britain.

In what was his initial term of UK racing, the intention had been to give him a year in the National League; however such was his improvement that on his 16th birthday he was introduced into the Glasgow side and celebrated with a paid win in his first-ever race at Berwick against the experienced Paul Clews and his partner Jade Mudgway.

As well as again representing the Tigers in 2011, he was also handed a ‘doubling-up’ position at Coventry, which he shared alongside a fellow Tiger of the Sheffield variety, namely Josh Auty. And he was to collect the prized scalp of Nicki Pedersen during Coventry’s 54-38 victory over Peterborough at Brandon Stadium on 22 April.

Indeed, Morris took advantage of the Danish superstar clipping the fence whilst being overtaken by Bees’ skipper Edward Kennett – a move which sparked a frank exchange of views between the two riders – and then held off Pedersen for the final lap of the race.

Two days after finishing ahead of the multi-World Champion, Morris hurt his wrist and ankle when he tangled with Newcastle’s Richie Worrall during a Premier League encounter at Ashfield Stadium. But the young Australian determinedly returned to the Tigers’ line-up for the Sky Sports-televised return fixture on Tyneside on 25 April.

The following month, Glasgow co-promoter Stewart Dickson heaped praise on the reserve rider after the Tigers had secured Knock-Out Cup qualification against Leicester. The Ashfield-based outfit overturned an 8-point first-leg deficit with a 55-35 win on their home circuit, as Morris followed up a 12+3 tally at Beaumont Park on 14 May with a bumper 14+2 haul in the return leg on home shale a day later.

The Aussie picked up another knock when he crashed in heat ten of Glasgow’s league match at Berwick on 28 May, sustaining a shoulder injury. This was to sideline Morris for a spell, before he returned to action in Glasgow’s stunning 62-28 victory at Leicester on 18 June, scoring 10+1 points. The win not only took the Tigers to pole position in the Premier League table, but it was also the biggest away victory in the club’s 65-year history.

Morris again starred for Glasgow when top-scoring with 15+1 points, as the Tigers posted a sixth away league victory of the campaign at Ipswich on 7 July. And he followed it up with a haul of 10+2 at home to Somerset three days later, as the Scottish side reclaimed first position in the PL standings.  

Glasgow continued on their merry way at Edinburgh on 5 August, when they registered a seventh away league win of the campaign by a 48-42 margin and increased their chances of succeeding the Monarchs as Champions. Morris headed the Tigers’ scoring at Armadale with a brilliant tally of 16+3 points from seven starts.

The Scottish team took another step towards silverware with a 49-43 win at Leicester on 20 August. The Tigers, who had run up a record-breaking win at the same venue earlier in the season, had to settle for 3 league points on this occasion in a much closer meeting, with the form of Morris at reserve being the key difference between the sides as he racked up a superb 19+1 points from seven outings.

He was to maintain a remarkable 8-point average and it was little surprise when Glasgow wrapped up their first League Championship success in 17 years courtesy of a double-header triumph over Scunthorpe and Somerset at Ashfield on 9 October.

MUDGWAY, Jade Cory
DATE OF BIRTH: 1 June 1988, Wellington, North Island, New Zealand.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Redcar II; (2009) Buxton; (2010-11) Berwick.
RIDER LINKS: Brother of Brady Mudgway (born: 10 February 1996, Wellington, North Island, New Zealand).
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.53 (PL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: The Kiwi began his British career with Redcar’s then-Conference League outfit in 2008 when, showing impressive form, he achieved a real-time average of 6.87 from a dozen official appearances.

Following the decision not to continue with the Cubs at the South Tees Motorsports Park, Mudgway linked with Buxton in 2009 and his progress continued with an average in excess of 8.5 points per match. After the season’s conclusion, in December, he was named in Berwick’s starting line-up for 2010.

His acquisition continued the Bandits’ proud tradition of signing Kiwi riders, as the Wellington-born speedster added his name to the list of former club greats, such as Roy Williams, Dave Gifford, Roger Wright, Mike Fullerton, Robin Adlington, Bruce Cribb and the late, great Wayne Brown. The reason for Mudgway’s full-time step-up to the higher level of racing was because Commonwealth riders are only permitted to race in the National League for a maximum of two years.

The New Zealander sustained painful bruising when he fell on the third bend of heat four during the Bandits’ home match versus Redcar in the Tweed-Tees Trophy on 4 September. He recovered quickly to maintain an average in excess of 4.5 points a match, however, his season ended abruptly on 3 October, when he made a guest appearance for Glasgow in a Scottish Cup encounter versus Edinburgh at Ashfield.

He had impressively netted 8+2 points, when he came to grief in his fifth outing for the Tigers in heat fourteen. This occurred when he attempted to pass William Lawson, but only succeeded in hitting the fence with force. The upshot was a cracked bone in his coccyx and bruised kidneys.

His statistics for the campaign added up to 163 points and a 4.69 average from thirty-nine official appearances in Berwick’s colours. At home, his best performance was a tally of 9+2 points from seven rides, which occurred in the Young Shield against Newport on 2 October.

Meanwhile, on the road, his highlight was a score of 5+2 points. He achieved that on two occasions; from five rides in a league fixture at Newport on 6 June and from four rides – again in the league – when the Bandits visited Glasgow on 22 August.

Having been a massive hit with the Berwick supporters, the club’s go-ahead management was delighted to confirm on 18 December that Mudgway would again represent them in 2011. And his younger brother, Brady, arrived in the country during the season. Indeed, Mudgway Jr. linked with the Berwick Borderers in the Northern Junior League and made his debut for the side on 30 July against Redcar, scoring 7+1 points from three rides.

MULLINS, Rikki (Rik) Joe
DATE OF BIRTH: 27 October 1988, Sidcup, Kent.
BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Sittingbourne; (2009-11) Isle of Wight.
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 3.00 (NL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Having previously only enjoyed limited outings for Sittingbourne in 2008, an impressive after-meeting spin at Smallbrook Stadium led to Mullins being drafted into the Isle of Wight side in July 2009, following Dan Berwick’s enforced break through injury. But, upon Berwick’s return to fitness, Mullins was re-located to the side’s No. 8 berth in place of Scott Meakins.

In January 2010, the speedster from Sidcup was again named in the Islanders’ squad for the year, when he once more filled the No. 8 position. However, misfortune struck on 15 May – on the eve of an away league match at Buxton – when the rider and his dad were involved in a car crash in which both suffered whiplash injuries.

Thankfully, Mullins was able to return to action for the Islanders shortly afterwards. However, towards the end of June, he lost his No. 8 berth in the side’s team declaration to Danny Hodgson. He had represented the side on just three occasions, scoring 4 points for an average of 1.82.

Moving on to the 2011 season, Mullins was drafted into the Isle of Wight line-up on several occasions as a replacement for Charlie Saunders, prior to the move becoming a permanent one towards the end of August.