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The Jack Young Story
Chapter 8
March to June 1951
“Overcoming a galaxy of senior opposition, Norwich’s Australian, Bob Leverenz, won this, his first major trophy, and, together with runner-up Jack Young, on such form will carry off several more honours this season.” The above is from the report of Jack Young’s first 1951 meeting, for the Harringay Trophy, staged at Division One track Harringay on March 23. Jack, who was unbeaten in his three rides in the heats, had to settle for second place to Leverenz in both the semi-final and the final. Jack’s performance on this occasion was mentioned in a reader’s letter to one of the speedway magazines: - “I feel I must pen a few words and let you know just how much I enjoyed the display of Jack Young’s riding at Harringay on Good Friday....... I had never seen him in action before. Now I know what I have been missing! Going to Harringay on the bus, I was silently listening to the speedway fans discussing the chances of the two Second Division riders against such First Division stars as Split Waterman, Cyril Roger, etc. Everyone seemed to think that Jack didn’t stand an earthly......What a shock my friends had when the riders ‘who didn’t stand an earthly’ took first and second places in the Harringay Trophy competition. Everyone agreed that both Young and Bob Leverenz are far too good for the middle division. We all hope they will come to London again very soon to give us another treat of superb riding.... ‘Up the Monarchs,’ and I hope the good folk of Edinburgh realise how lucky they are!...” The following comes from a report of Edinburgh’s opening meeting of the season, the Spring Handicap Trophy, staged at Meadowbank at the end of March: - “Tommy Miller of Glasgow Tigers did the trick to capture the beautiful silver award. The highlight of the meeting, carried through before 13,000 spectators in drenching rain, was the fast times recorded. Miller knocked 0.8 seconds off the track record in Heat 2, returning 65.8, and Jack Young, unbeaten throughout the night, lowered it to 65.6 seconds in Heat 6. Miller wasn’t finished yet, and he equalled Young’s time in Heat 15 after Young had repeated his record time in Heat 11.” It may appear odd to read that Jack was unbeaten during his five races on that occasion but failed to win the trophy. The reason is that the meeting was conducted using a slightly confusing “handicap and bonus points format” devised by Clem Mitchell. As Jack was rated the top rider in the starting field, he received no “bonus points” to add to his final total which remained at 15 from his five rides; whereas Miller, who suffered his only defeat at Jack’s hands, gained two “bonus points” on the night to add to his race points of 14. Not long after Jack had moved his family from their lodgings and into a flat, he experienced a family crisis – his wife Joan was confined to bed suffering from pneumonia. Jack wrote of his extra workload: - “.. Scots folks are pretty decent and they’ve helped a lot, little Paula being in good hands while her mum is in bed. As for dad, well, I’ve been putting more spit and polish into the fireplace and on to the linoleum than I put on my bike and that’s saying something!” Jack received an invitation to take part in a match to be staged at the Wimbledon track in London on April 30. A team of London riders which included Ronnie Moore, Cyril Brine, Fred Williams and Norman Parker took on a “Provinces” side. Jack’s riding partner for the Provinces was Jack Parker. Jack Young wrote: - “I certainly enjoyed my trip to Wimbledon... Not only did I get ten points in the London v Provinces match, but I was riding with Jack Parker again and that’s something I always enjoy. He’s going well too – wins races in the same old style – as the Scots say ‘Nae bother at a’ ”. Jack Young was most upset when he fell during a race at this Wimbledon meeting. He had been so proud of his record of not having fallen in a race for almost two years. The usually placid Jack Young became quite annoyed at the end of April. Earlier that month he was paid a great compliment when he was the only Second Division rider invited to compete at a major individual meeting to be held at Division One track New Cross. I’ll let Jack tell the story: - “ .. I had been feeling ever so pleased and highly honoured at being the only Division Two man chosen to ride in the New Cross Festival of Britain Gold Star Trophy on Wednesday, May 2. Imagine my disappointment when I was forbidden to take part and told that I must race off my Silver Helmet match race leg with Arthur Forrest at Halifax on the same night. Well, I think that’s carrying the match race racket too far! Quite apart from losing a chance to compete with so many top-liners, and maybe even win a Festival trophy – ’cos I don’t suppose there’ll be another Festival in my time – I must lose income, too. Two, or at the best three, rides in a match race is poor recompense, even if I do win the title, for a Trophy meeting at a First Division track. It brought to my mind forcibly a chat I had with the late Ken Le Breton last year when he said to me, ‘Holding a match race title isn’t worth it. It cost me more money and worry this season than anything else.’ I see now what Ken was getting at! Candidly, I felt like packing in on the match racing business.....” Edinburgh’s first team competition for 1951was the North Shield. The six competing teams raced each other once both home and away. Are there superlatives worthy of use when describing Jack’s ten appearances for Edinburgh during this competition? He competed in all ten matches riding in a total of 40 races and won all 40 of them. Edinburgh won the Shield having suffered only one defeat in ten matches, and that loss was by just a single point. At the time of his death in Australia during January, Ken Le Breton had held both the Division Two Match Race Championship (the Silver Helmet) and the Scottish Match Race Championship, both won in Britain during the 1950 season. Both titles were declared vacant at the start of the 1951 season and the authorities nominated two riders to race for each of the titles. Jack Young was named to contest both; he would race Halifax star Arthur Forrest for the Silver Helmet, and White City favourite Tommy Miller for the Scottish title.

Three of the stars of Division Two racing: Jack Young is on the left, Glasgow's Tommy Miller is in the centre, and Halifax's well- dressed Arthur Forrest is on the far right.
Jack won the first round of his Silver Helmet meetings against Forrest 2-0 at Edinburgh at the end of April. I have already mentioned that the staging date for the second round clash at Halifax on May 2 cost Jack a start in a big individual meeting in London. Just as Jack had done at Edinburgh, Forrest made the most of his home track advantage at Halifax winning 2-0 to square the series. Jack fell in one of his two rides in this second leg when he got into difficulties on a wet patch on the track. Having also fallen at Wimbledon just two nights previously while riding for “The Provinces”, Jack reassured those who were concerned that “it won’t become a habit!” The deciding round had to be staged at a neutral track and, fortunately for Jack, his favourite track Ashfield was the venue nominated. He told a very interesting story about this clash: - “In my first ride I beat Arthur (Forrest), in my second he reversed the result and I wasn’t too happy about my bike. Then in the third race, just as I was leaving the pits my bike played tricks on me. I could get no compression at all! I didn’t know quite what to do when out of the blue came ex-Edinburgh rider Ron Phillips, now with Ashfield. ‘Have mine, Jack’ said Ron – and I did. Boy, did that bike go, everything I asked of it it gave me, and, believe me, it knocked a fifth of a second off my own time.” Jack Young became the Second Division Match Race Champion following the Ashfield round. The following appeared in the speedway press: - “Hats off to Jack Young! Twenty-five-year-old Edinburgh ‘atom’ has created speedway history by recording maximum points in ten successive North Shield engagements. Yes, that’s his proud record. Possible points, 120; scored, 120. At Meadowbank last Saturday the 15,000 crowd gave Jack a terrific ovation when he recorded his ninth maximum in the match against Ashfield, then on Monday last, he turned in another unbeaten performance against Newcastle. These rides were completed under difficulties, too. He injured his thigh and leg when he crashed at Wimbledon a couple of weeks ago, injuries which he aggravated when he rode against Arthur Forrest at Halifax in the Match Race contest. Nevertheless, those painful bruises in no way curbed his enthusiasm.” Now that the Shield competition had been completed, there was still plenty of racing left in the season with the Second Division League competition, the National Trophy, International matches, and World Championship qualifying still to be decided. What a start to his 1951 campaign it had been for Jack. One who was most impressed with Jack’s outstanding early season form was a person who had taken a rather keen interest in him since his arrival from Australia in early 1949 – Ashfield boss Johnnie Hoskins. Many laughingly dismissed a comment Hoskins made in the latter days of April, 1951, “Jack Young will be the 1951 World Champion.” Hoskins was to have the last laugh come September. Edinburgh’s first appearance in the 1951 National Trophy competition was at Leicester on May 11. Edinburgh won this first leg 62-46. The return match at Edinburgh on May 12 was dominated by the home side to the tune of 77-29; Edinburgh had survived the first round of the knock-out competition. Jack continued his fine form recording 32+1 of a possible 36 points from his twelve rides over the two legs. He was most annoyed at having to retire during his final heat at Leicester when his machine failed him. Having received an invitation to compete in the second half events at the opening Wembley meeting of the season on May 17, Jack had to make a quick return from London to ride in the Scottish Best Pairs Tournament staged at Motherwell the following day. Jack and Eddie Lack won the event scoring 21 of a possible 25 points. Jack’s contribution was a perfect 15. At the Meadowbank track on May 19 Edinburgh opened its 1951 League campaign winning 58-26 against Fleetwood. Once again Jack was unbeaten in his four rides. The following week saw Edinburgh take on Halifax in the next round of the National Trophy. Jack’s men went so close to winning through to the third round, being beaten by just a single point, 107-108, over the two legs. From his twelve rides over these two encounters Jack scored 33+1 of a possible 36 points. This brought Jack’s record from his four 1951 National Trophy matches to 65+2 points of a possible 72; and remember he failed to complete one race when his machine let him down at Leicester. Sandwiched in between the two legs of the Halifax National Trophy encounter was the first of the season’s international matches between Britain and Overseas staged at Leicester. These matches were restricted to Second Division riders. Two extracts from the meeting report: - “Young scored another immaculate maximum, twice lowering the track record in the process....” And: - “Britain fought hard and well but they had no one to match the individual brilliance of either Young or Leverenz...” Jack scored an 18 point maximum. Bob Leverenz returned 16+1, dropping just a single point to the opposition in six rides. The Overseas team won 59-48. At this time the following appeared in a speedway publication: - “‘How good is Jack Young?’ That’s a question on everyone’s lips these days. There’s one man, anyway, who thinks Jack’s form this season is up to the Vic Duggan 1948 standard. That man is Coventry manager, Charles Ochiltree. Anyone who saw Young clean up the pick of the Second Division in the representative match at Leicester last Friday (the Britain v Overseas match) will agree. Certainly there is nobody in the Second Division to worry the mighty Jack – and precious few in the First either.” Newcastle star Derek Close was the man selected to challenge Jack Young for the Second Division Match Race Championship (Silver Helmet) he had won earlier in the season. Having been successful in the first round at Edinburgh 2-0, Jack retained the Championship with a 2-1 victory over Close in the second round at Newcastle on May 28. Jack looked forward with great anticipation to an event marked in his racing calendar for the end of May, a trip to race in Ireland. The Edinburgh team nearly missed the boat – I’ll let Jack relate what happened: - “There we were on that picturesque beauty spot – Liverpool Docks – being guided by those two Monarchs whose names I daren’t mention. They took us to a great big boat and we waited there, bikes and all, to get aboard. Someone saw us and asked, ‘Goin’ aboard, buds?’ ‘Yes,’ chorused we wise guys, ‘to Dublin!’ The laugh was on us! The Dublin boat was a few docks away and ready to go at any time. We beat the dock record by seconds and heaved our trembling bulks and bikes aboard in the nick of time.” Jack made the following comment after his trip: - “They don’t get big crowds as we know big crowds, but boy, are they enthusiastic! Not a bad track, either, black ash, but there’s no truth in the rumour that it is damped down with Guinness before racing starts. No sir, or all the ‘hop worshippers’ would be taking up speedway and falling gladly to the ashes at the first bend!” Jack scored 11 points for Edinburgh in their 37-35 victory over the Dublin Eagles in this match at Chapelezod on May 30. There was no rest for Jack; two days after his racing appearance in Dublin he was at Harringay for the First Test of the 1951 series against England. Australia’s side was missing some familiar names from the previous season’s encounters; Bill Longley and Merv Harding weren’t there, the consistent performer Ken Le Breton had tragically died in Australia following a race crash, and Vic Duggan had retired. Some considered the Australian selectors gambled in naming Graham Warren in the team, albeit at reserve. It had taken Warren some considerable time to get over his bad New Zealand crash and return to the racetrack. Probably the most commented on pairing named for Australia was the Jack Young/Ronnie Moore combination. The following comes from a report on the First Test: - “You’ve got to hand it to these Australians. The critics said they couldn’t win, team managers said they couldn’t win, and even mechanics said they couldn’t win ... First spot of excitement came in Heat two when Split Waterman and Ronnie Moore both hit the first bend like hounds in full cry. Something had to happen and it did, Moore touched Waterman, both came down, and the manner in which Freddie Williams and Jack Young managed to pick their way through the debris deserves special praise. Waterman was virtually ‘written off’ after that crash, but Moore returned to the fray with the loss of a few teeth, and his partnership with Jack Young eventually turned the scales in favour of the Australians. “Young was terrific, and those few people who were not quite certain about his abilities surely had their answer here. He had crossed overnight from Ireland and used a machine which had not been stripped for four matches. A track record, three-fifths of a second inside the old figures, in heat five was the curtain raiser. Three heats later he equalled his new time and so it went on. England did not have a man to keep him in check.” Australia won the match 60-48. Jack finished third in his first ride behind Fred Williams and Norman Parker, and then won all his remaining five starts to finish with 16 points. Australian captain Aub Lawson scored 15. Ronnie Moore fought back after his heavy spill in his first heat to score 8+3 from his remaining five races. These five appearances as partner to Jack Young included three 5-1 scores for Australia.

Left: Action from the First Test. The Australians are Jack Young (leading) and Ronnie Moore. For England, Cyril Brine is on the outside, and Jack Parker follows Moore. Right: Many in England thought they would never see the chap in the hat again. Graham Warren overcame life-threatening injuries sustained in New Zealand to return to race for Birmingham. This photograph was taken on his arrival at London Airport. His fiancee Miss Pamela Hore is pictured with him.
The evening following the Test (June 2) Jack was at Edinburgh scoring another 12 point maximum for his club in the League match against Liverpool. This was his second League appearance of the season and he maintained his unbeaten record in the competition. That same evening the second of the Britain v Overseas internationals was staged at Hanley. Britain won 68-40. The eagerly anticipated Scotland v England match was staged on June 13 at Glasgow’s White City track. Unlike the previous season when only one clash between these sides had been staged, in 1951 a five-match series had been programmed. In what proved somewhat of a disappointing spectacle at White City, England emerged victorious 58-50. It must be added though that the all-Second Division Scottish team was far from disgraced considering the opposition included such First Division stars as Eddie Rigg and the Parker brothers. As for Jack Young, he dropped just a single point over his six rides, that being to Eddie Rigg first time out. Jack got his revenge on Rigg when he beat him in Heat 11. Jack met each of the Parker brothers on two occasions and beat them each time. The London clubs were now keener than ever to obtain Jack’s services for their programmes. During the first two weeks of June Jack made a number of trips to London to appear in second halves at First Division tracks. He raced at New Cross, Wimbledon and Wembley. He commented: - “I’m using the train a lot more now and definitely feel the benefit of the sleeper coming back.” An appearance at Wembley was reported as follows: - “Last Thursday Edinburgh skipper, Jack Young, once again became the ‘talk of the town.’ Making his second appearance in London in three days, he rode during the second half at Wembley and in as many rides shattered two track records. In his first race Young beat Wembley’s Bob Oakley in a special two-lap match race, lowering the late Ken Le Breton’s record of 35.2 seconds by a fifth of a second. In his next race (3 laps) he led home team mate Don Cuppleditch in a time of 54 seconds – two-fifths inside a record held by Ronnie Moore since September of last year.” What had previously been called the Border Cup was renamed the Scottish Cup for 1951. With four Second Division clubs now based in Scotland, this competition had aroused much interest. Edinburgh, having drawn Ashfield for the first round, won their home leg convincingly 76-32 on June 16. The club’s stars Jack Young and Don Cuppleditch performed brilliantly; Jack returning an 18 point maximum and Cuppleditch a 16+2 paid maximum. On June 19 the return leg was staged at Ashfield. On that occasion Jack lowered his own track record by a whole second in his first outing. Edinburgh won again to bundle Ashfield out of the competition; the aggregate score being 134-81. From his 12 rides over the two legs against Ashfield, Jack scored 34 of a possible 36 points. June 21 saw the staging of the third in the series of Britain v Overseas matches at Coventry. From the meeting report: - “... the Edinburgh man (Jack Young) romped home to an 18 point maximum, having been challenged only by Britain’s second reserve, Stan Williams, who led him for a lap, and Young was clearly in a class of his own.” The Jack Young-Junior Bainbridge pairing starred for the Overseas team scoring 27 of a possible 30 points from their six appearances on the track together. The Overseas team came out on top 60-48. The following night Jack was at Motherwell where he raced Tommy Miller in the deciding leg for the Scottish Match Race Championship which had been declared vacant following the passing of Ken Le Breton. Each rider had won his home leg 2-0. Jack, who had lost the title to Tommy Miller the previous season, regained the Championship when he defeated Miller at Motherwell 2-1. Jack received more bookings to appear at London tracks. Here is an extract from a Birmingham report: - “You can’t keep that man Jack Young out of the news. He went along to Perry Barr for the first time and they put him in with special match races against Alan Hunt and Ron Mountford. Jack won ’em both. His second ride against Mountford was a sheer delight. After being baulked several times on the inside, Young suddenly turned his attention to the outside course and rode round a surprised Mountford with consummate ease.” What should be pointed out is that in 1951 Hunt and Mountford were the top two riders at Division One Birmingham, and Jack beat them both on their home track having never previously raced there. On June 29, the eve of the Second Ashes Test, Jack was at the Harringay track in London to appear in the Barbara Ann Scott Trophy match races. Odsal was the venue for the Second Test between England and Australia on June 30. The following comments on that match appeared as an editorial comment in a speedway publication:- “Lawson six, Moore four, Bainbridge two and Leverenz one. That is the complete answer to the failure of Australia at Odsal. When four men in the team proper get little more than a dozen points between them it is obvious they will not be on the winning side. Yet, as at Harringay, Australia had the man of the match in Jack Young. Every time the Kangaroo tail drooped, out came Young to spark it into life, and it was due entirely to his efforts that England could not be certain of victory until two heats from the end. “Almost every one of Young’s races were fantastic, phenomenal, spectacular – call them what you will. The master craftsman of the track, he rode around friend and foe alike ...” The following also appeared in print: - “Quite the biggest cheer in a night of many at Meadowbank last Saturday was reserved for the news that Edinburgh skipper, Jack Young, had rattled up 16 points out of 18 in the Test match at Bradford.” Only two Australians reached double figures in England’s 59-49 victory – Jack Young with his 16 and Jack Biggs with 11. Jack wrote the following about his racing commitments during the period June 29 to July 2: - “ .. it seems to me that my car should be able to travel down South without any driver at all. I only got back home last Tuesday morning after a grand week-end trip down South. I had Joan with me and we enjoyed every minute of it. On Friday I was at Harringay, on Saturday we journeyed north to Bradford for the Test, and on Monday our destination was Birmingham. I rode against Jack Parker in all three meetings and, believe me, I enjoyed every second of each race.... It’s an added pleasure to meet and beat a man like Jack Parker when he comes up afterwards and gives you a shake of the paw and a word of congratulation.” I have mentioned Harringay and the Odsal Test; as for Birmingham on July 2, the following appeared in print: - “The clamour that Jack Young should be the next challenger for Jack Parker’s Match Race Champion title will receive renewed impetus after the meeting of the pair in a special match race series at Birmingham last Monday. Parker, usually at his best on the Perry Barr circuit, was outclassed by the Edinburgh flyer and lost in two straight runs by 10 and 12 lengths respectively.” As for Jack Young’s appearances for Edinburgh in the 1951 Second Division League competition, his record up to the end of June was outstanding; 6 matches, 24 rides, 24 wins.

Australia's victorious First Test team. Back row from the left: Junior Bainbridge, Bob Leverenz, Dick Wise (manager), Graham Warren. Front row from the left: Jack Biggs, Cliff Watson, Aub Lawson (captain), Jack Young, Ronnie Moore.
Acknowledgements. Special thanks to Alestair Gibson and Jeff Fisher for their continuing support.
Thanks to Ross Garrigan. Brisbane.