Englandtests

The Swedish Motor Federation have named their team to meet British Commonwealth in England. Selected riders are: Ove Fundin, Rune Sormander (captain), Bjorn Knutsson, Gote Nordin, Ulf Eriksson, Arne Carlsson, Per Tage Svensson, Evert Andersson and Joel Jansson.
Venues of the meeting are:
Norwich on July 12; Oxford on July 13; Belle Vue on July 14; Wimbledon on July 17; Southampton on July 18.
The Swedes feel that the circuits where they stand the best chance of winning are Oxford, Norwich and Southampton. Their riders have always settled quickly to these circuits. Fundin, Knutsson and Sormander in particular are nigh invincible at these particular English tracks.
Sweden will meet a British Commonwealth team, likely to be drawn from the following riders: Ronnie Moore, Barry Briggs, Peter Craven, Ron How, Peter Moore, Bob Duckworth and Bob Andrews.
Although veteran Olle Nygren has retired from the sport, thus weakening the Swedish team considerably, it is felt that the newer brigade of riders, particularly Per Tage Svensson and Arne Carlsson, will make the most of their chance.
Veteran Vargarna rider Joel Jansson is also riding well. He is an experienced rider who has been to England before, including a 1957 appearance in the World Championship.

Although this match provided some good racing a look at the individual scorecharts will quickly reveal the troubles. Each team contained riders who were simply out classed and most races developed into a battle between the heat leaders. Mind you the second strings did provide one or two good races amongst themselves but they were usually nearly a quater of a lap behind their partners.
Briggs won the opening heat with ease and Subritzky caused a big surprise by passing Peter Moore on the last lap, an effort which gave the Belle Vue rider his only points of the meeting. How passed Ronnie Moore to win heat 2 and his partnership with Bob Andrews gave us the two best races, both against Barry Briggs in heats 8 and 14. In the first Briggs managed to split the pairing, but couldn't pass Andrews and the New Zealander dropped his only point. Just to upset the scale this was the only race that Andrews won. In their second clash Briggs again had to come from the back and this time How nearly proved to be the stumbling block for it was the last lap before Briggs could gain the final advantage. Biggest cheer of the night was for Les Owen in heat 9 when he followed Peter Craven home for a 5-1 over Cresp and Moore.
ENGLAND: Peter Craven 17, Ron How 11, Bob Andrews 9, Ken McKinlay 2, Les Owen (res)2.
NEW ZEALAND: Barry Briggs 17, Ronnie Moore 15, Bob Duckworth 2, Bryce Subritzky 2, Dick Campbell (res)0.
AUSTRALIA: Jack Young 13, Johnny Chamberlain 11, Peter Moore 4, Jack Geran 3, Ray Cresp 0.

Despite the rain, the swedish team put up a great performance against Great Britain (extended to include Australia and New Zealand, instead of recognised England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland!). Although eight points behind at the end of heat 7, twice they fought to within four points of their rivals.
Reason for Britain's win was a solid team, whose scorers ranged from the lowest at seven to the top man's dozen. Sweden relied on Ove Fundin, Bjorn Knutsson and Rune Sormander.
Fundin, back from a holiday in France, won all his races by "streets." His gating and technique was superb, and he well deserved his maximum score. Bright for Sweden was the first appearance of Soren Sjosten in heat 8, who won from Knuttson and Craven. He later had wins over Barry Briggs, Ronnie Moore and Ron How. Here is a bright prospect for English promoters to note.
Retaliatory remark by one Swedish rider when jibed about their defeat was a reference that Sweden could beat England but not the British Commonwealth. "On the other hand," he said, "England would never beat Scandinavia, with Pander (Denmark), Hansen and Laine (Finland) backing Sweden's top men- nor would this Britain team! The sooner we get down to either England versus Sweden or this so-called Great Britain versus Scandinavia, the better it will be. But to expect a small Scandinavian country to match itself against the British Commonwealth is ridiculous and should never have been approved."
GREAT BRITAIN: Peter Craven 12, Ronnie Moore 11, Johnnie Chamberlain 11, Bob Andrews 9, Barry Briggs 8, Ron How 7, Billy Bales (res) 0, Les Owen (res) 0.
SWEDEN: Ove Fundin 18, Bjorn Knutsson 11, Soren Sjosten 9, Rune Sormander 6, Gote Nordin 3, Evert Andersson 3, Arne Carlsson 0, Bengt Brannefors 0.

This year's " showpiece" meetings are proving an incredibly bad advertisement for speedway. The Second Test between Great Britain and Sweden was no exception. It's easy to be wise after the event . . . but Johnnie Hoskins was 100% right when he said England alone could have handled this current Test series.
On the evidence of this match the only Swedes up to Test standard are Ove Fundin and Bjorn Knutsson. They carried the visitors on their own at Oxford.
So it was scarcely surprising that Britain walked away with the match by 69 points to 39. Their victory was every bit as easily gained as the score indicated. If we had any doubts at all, then the fabulous Briggs - Craven pair quickly dispelled them with 5-1 wins over first Knutsson (his only defeat of the night) and then Fundin in their first two rides together!
The British score sheet contained just one blank. In heat 13 Briggs was leading Fundinout of the first turn third time around when his front wheel lifted and he crashed into the fence.
I had just one heat marked up as a real race. This was heat 3 when Sormander and Nordin made the gate ahead of How and Andrews. The British pair soon squeezed past Sormander, and How was up challenging Nordin when the Swede fell on the last lap.
GREAT BRITAIN: Ronnie Moore 15, Ron How 14, Barry Briggs 13, Peter Craven 12, Bob Andrews 8, Ronnie Genz 7.
SWEDEN: Bjorn Knutsson 16, Ove Fundin 15, Gote Nordin 5, Rune Sormander 2, Bengt Brannefors 1, Evert Andersson 0, Arne Carlsson 0, Soren Sjosten 0.

A couple of mini-speedmen, Peter Craven and Soren Sjosten stole the thunder in Manchester's wet version of a Test match in the current series.
Craven collected 17 points and was beaten only by Bjorn Knutsson after a doubtful sort of start when the riders nearly crashed into each other and a re-run was quite on the cards.
Sjosten, a stocky little character, revelled in the appalling track conditions to force a race from the Great Britain team-men in each of six rides. It is regretted his enthusiasm did not seep - like the rain - into some of the other Swedish riders.
The Swedish score chart must have been quite a shock for off-the-track fans with only Bjorn Knutsson, topman with 15 points, showing anything like usual form. Former Belle Vue racer Gote Nordin remembered enough of Hyde Road to scramble 7 points, but this effort apart, Knutsson's only support came from Sweden's fighting reserves, Sjosten and Bengt Brannefors.
Ove Fundin wrecked a motor in his first race and declined to use either the Belle Vue track spare machine or any other offered by riders of both sides.
Perhaps Belle Vue intended to present this Test match with something of the showmanship and excitement of the E.O. Spence days. They got the trumpeters of the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry along and lined the speedmachines up for some sort of presentation of the riders, but the rain just drizzled down.
GREAT BRITAIN: Peter Craven 17, Barry Briggs 15, Johnnie Chamberlain 11, Ronnie Moore 10, Bob Andrews 8, Ron How 7, Reserves (no rides): Dick Fisher, Jack Kitchen.
SWEDEN: Bjorn Knutsson 15, Soren Sjosten 9, Bengt Brannefors 9, Gote Nordin 7, Arne Carlsson 0, Ove Fundin 0, Rune Sormander 0, Evert Andersson 0.

There is no doubt about the fact. The Great Britain versus Sweden test series far from empasising Britain's superiority over the small Scandinavian country, has on the contrary revealed just how wrong those who turned down an England - Sweden test series in favour of this farcical series.
Sweden were outclassed by Great Britain (or more properly, in view of the boundary extensions, the British Commonwealth). At Wimbledon only Ove Fundin held his own against powerful English-speaking rivals.
From the processional racing of this "test" those tracks who did not have a match in the series can count themselves fortunate indeed. Apart from Fundin, only Bjorn Knutsson and Rune Sormander - both below their best - ever really challenged.
Britain were solid throughout - and far too strong to allow the Swedes to trouble them seriously.
GREAT BRITAIN: Ronnie Moore 17, Peter Craven 16, Bob Andrews 12, Barry Briggs 11, Ron How 10, Peter Moore 5, Cyril Maidment 5, Les Owen 1.
SWEDEN: Ove Fundin 14, Bjorn Knutsson 6, Rune Sormander 5, Evert Andersson 2, Soren Sjosten 2, Bengt Brannefors 1, Arne Carlsson 0 .

Although this fifth and final Test Match between Great Britain and Sweden had the tenseness of close scores and a last heat decision, the racing was not as exciting as might have been expected. As has been evident throughout the series the Great Britain team were the best balanced combination and this proved the deciding factor in their 57 points to 51 victory.
The match opened in sensational style when Ove Fundin streaked around in the fantastic time of 59.8 seconds; this clipped two-fifths of a second off Bjorn Knutsson's record of 60.2 sec. established in a special attempt last June. Gote Nordin filled second place and the Swedes were away to a good start.
After twelve racesthe British side were eight points clear and appeared to be practically home and dry then an amazing 13th race put Sweden back in the picture. Moore and How were chasing Fundin home when How pulled out with a broken chain. Moore did not realise this and on the last corner, thinking it was his team mate, pulled out to let Gote Nordin though for a second place behind Fundin.
Next heat Knutsson and Carlsson took four points from Craven and young and now anything could happen.
Nedding a four-two to draw in the final race, the Swedes had an off-form Sormander and a tired Sjosten to do battle and the task proved too much. Moore and How made no mistake this time and rounded off an interesting evening with a maximum win.
GREAT BRITAIN: Peter Craven 14, Barry Briggs 12, Ronnie Moore 9, Ron How 9, Chum Taylor 5, Jack Young 5, Bob Andrews (res) 2, J Scott (res) 1.
SWEDEN: Ove Fundin 17, Bjorn Knutsson 17, Soren Sjosten 7, Gote Nordin 6, Arne Carlsson 2, Rune Sormander 2, Evert Andersson 0, Bengt Brannefors 0.