Memories of the Odsal Boomerangs
By Graham Alick Mason

Here are some personal memories of Odsal Boomerangs speedway.

I was born in Heckmondwike, about 6.5 miles from Odsal, in March 1950. My dad, Vic, was a bus driver at the time, but during the war, had been a "Don R" (Dispatch Rider, in the RASC).

Upon being de-mobbed in 1947, he seriously thought about being a speedway rider, so had a try-out at Odsal. He told me that had "acquitted himself well", and had been offered a potential start by the team manager (Johnnie Hoskins?). When he got home he told my mum (who was also a really keen spectator at speedway, but also, pregnant with my brother).

According to Dad, she calmly replied "Well, it's your choice...Speedway, or me and the family!"

So, a bus driver, he remained, but it didn't curb their enthusiasm for the sport.

When I popped on the scene, we would all catch the bus to the stadium (Dad's work-hours permitting, of course). I have a saying, "You can steam-clean a speedway fan, but you'll never get rid of the in-grained cinders, nor the smell of Castrol R!"

Although only a youngster in the 1950s, the name Eddie Rigg, sings-out in my memories when thinking of the team members - Oliver Hart, et al.

My family "flitted" to Essex in 1961, where we supported Rayleigh Rockets for many years. I now live in France, where speedway is sadly "small fry" and distant. Still, there's always YouTube, eh?

I'll finish with something comical that appeared in the Odsal programme, Odsal versus Wembley, in 1948? (Which had a photo of the late Joe Abbot on the cover). There was this following "poem" :

I had inherited the very frail programme, and subsequently donated it to the National Speedway Museum.

This article was first published on 29th March 2026