11 minute read
Sport
Here’s to good old Chinwag!
WINNERS’ ENCLOSURE: Owners Ruth and Ron Turner with Chinwag. Below: The Boot at Tisbury The veteran landlords of a Tisbury pub are celebrating in lockdown after their horse won consecutive races within four days. Ruth and Ron Turner have run The Boot Inn for 44 years and have always owned horses themselves, or as part of a pub syndicate. The Dorset FA Youth Council is looking for volunteers aged between 16 and 25 from all over the county to represent children and young people and to help shape and develop football in Dorset. “Our current vision is to support and empower a diverse workforce of young people to influence change through football,” says a council statement. “The Dorset FA Youth Council projects will impact on The FA National Game Strategy; provide a platform for young people to support the development of grassroots football and build a network of children and young people in Dorset. “The Youth Council not only looks to develop and represent football within the county but to also develop its members’ professional skills and offer a unique opportunity to be a part of Dorset FA, create and deliver projects and gain support from those already working Their latest is Chinwag, a and been placed twice, 14-1. The horse is trained bysix-year-old hurdler who earning a total of £13,309, Neil Mulholland near Bath won at Wincanton on Boxing possibly a tad more than the and was ridden at Wincanton Day – Ruth’s birthday – then couple paid for him. by Harry Reed. followed up with another “We had a great day at Millie Wonnacot was in the win at Taunton. Wincanton. He’s a big horse saddle at Taunton. Ron and The pub locals may not have but very easy to ride,” said Ruth bought Chinwag as a been able to toast their Ruth, who still rides out semi-retirement present with success but as owners, Ruth Sworn-In, the first horse they sons James and Oliver now and Ron were able to attend bought in 2005 with regulars, taking more of a role at The both meetings and see their and which won its debut race Boot. horse win by three lengths at odds of 100-1. As with all pubs, a big each time. Chinwag’s starting price at celebration is on hold until Chinwag was first raced in Wincanton was 11/2 – but after lockdown: in the November 2019 and in his Ron managed to back him a meantime they are serving 10 races he has won three couple of days beforehand at takeaway food at The Boot. Ah, the mince pie and port evening before lockdown January 2 was the next big thing after Christmas and New Year – and that was the Port and Mince Pie game at Gillingham Hockey Club. Originally there were 45 plus people wanting to play and consume substantial pies afterwards in the Social Club, so four teams were organised with goalkeepers. Weather looked good and everything organised, until Boris had his input and restricted travel. Even though most were in Tier 3, no crossing of county borders was encouraged. Undeterred, the club’s Stephen Way put another message on Facebook saying only Dorset-based players could turn up: 39 did, so that was three teams plus subs: thanks to Jess Hussey and Lauryn Burch for playing in goal for all three games. Great fun was had, port and beer was drunk and mince pies eaten all sociably distanced, a very social beginning to 2021. Well again Boris got involved and Lockdown 3 happened, end of hockey for the foreseeable future. GHC is going from strength to strength. If interested in playing, contact Stephen Way on 07786 894586 or visit the Facebook page GHC Players and Members and
ask to join. within the game.” Successful candidates will need to be committed to attending and actively participating in all Youth Council meetings and work of the group. The application deadline is February 15: dorsetfa.com/ volunteers/young-volunteers 75
Sport Farewell to a legend: ‘All I ever really
Celebrated scrambling and motocross writer IAN BERRY pays tribute to the motorcycle racing legend Bryan Winston Goss, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 80
‘Badger’ Goss, now there’s a name to conjure with. Always making headlines, always super-competitive and always with a smile on his face. Before I first met him (I would have seen him race for the first time in about 1967, though his name was already well known to me from his stellar performances in the BBC Grandstand Trophy series), I assumed that his nickname had come from the determined way in which he rode – badgering his opponents and ‘nipping’ at their rear tyres – but he soon put me straight. ‘I was always badgering Lew Coffin (the grasstrack legend who also lived in the Dorset village of Yetminster) for a ride on his bike and one day one of the boys in the village called me ‘Badger’ and it just stuck after that...’ Winston, for the curious, came from Churchill, as Badger was born in 1940, during the Battle of Britain. Early mentors included Lew, who built him an LCS (Lew Coffin Special) a 197 Villiers-
RACE STAR: Riding number 46, Badger’s number of choice engined grasstrack bike, and especially after he had ‘Pops’ Sharp, the father of defeated BSA’s GP star Arthur Bryan and Triss, who was an Lampkin, at Tirley in May ace tuner and prepared a 197 1961, to take his first win in Greeves for him. His first factory ride came in 1960 with Cotton, when he was still just a teenager, a the ACU Star competition. Disgruntled when Cotton signed former European champion John Draper in 1962, Badger, who always hadpartnership which enjoyed the gift of the gab, let Greeves’ many successes, though sales manager, Derry Preston ultimately he felt that the Cobb know that he would like Gloucestershire factory had to ride for the Essex-based underestimated his ability, factory. To his surprise Cobb soon offered him a £25 retainer to race for Greeves. ‘It was a dream come true, it was everyone’s ambition to race for Greeves at that time,’ he said. Derry Preston Cobb would also show his support for his young charge when he decided to venture into business a couple of years later, travelling down from
Southend to cut the ribbons and open his motorcycle shop. This was the beginning of a great venture for Badger and up until his dying days he could still be found in the family shop, some 56 years later. Badger had a couple of spells riding for Greeves, though for many he will be best remembered riding the Swedish Husqvarna, on which he would win the 250 Grandstand Trophy in the winter of 1969-70 and his British championship, on the 400, later the same year. After a poor season, by his standards, on the Greeves Challenger in 1964, Badger looked around at other options and decided to go private for 1965. ‘Jeff Smith had bought himself a 250 Husqvarna (at a time when the future for all the BSA
Badger’s Racing Timeline l1956 Started grasstrack racing under the guidance of Lew Coffin on a 197cc LCS l1957 Broke a leg at a grasstrack at Whitton Down, near Exeter. Switched to scrambling starting on a 197cc Greeves prepared by ace turner ‘Pops’ Sharp, from Poole l1960 Gained support from the Gloucester based Cotton factory with a 250 l1961 Wins his first ACU Star (British championship) race at Tirley, Glos l1962 Paid a £25 retainer by Greeves to ride their 250 machine l1963 Runner-up in the 250 cc ACU Star competition (national championship) to teammate Dave Bickers 1964 Goes into business opening a motorcycle shop in Yeovil.Also tried his hand at speedway competing for Exeter on a number of occasions l1965 Switches to a Swedish 250 Husqvarna machine riding as a privateer –finishes as runner-up in the 250cc ACU Star, again to Dave Bickers l1966 Wins both races of the 250cc Trophee des Nations at Brands Hatch, Kent – a team event held on the occasion of his 26th birthday l1969 Narrowly misses out on the 250cc British championship eventually finishing third behind Bryan Wade and Malcom Davis, the result only being decided at the final round l1970 Wins the 500cc British championship on a 400 Husqvarna owned by Bridport garage owner John Coombes and prepared by Triss Sharp l1971 Moves to the German Maico and earns the position of importer l1974 wins the biggest trophy in motocross – The Patchquick for a record fourth time
Sport wanted was to be everybody’s mate’
LEGEND: Opening his first shop with wife Jenny, right. Left: Winning Des Nations at Brands Hatch. Right: With children Debbie and Jeff and the Patchquick trophy. Below: With grandchildren Jack and Toby
factory riders was in doubt) and when I was at the factory one day I asked Jeff if he would sell it. When I saw it I just had to have it, even though he wanted a small fortune for it!’ Badger was very successful on the 250. His greatest achievement without doubt was his outright win in the 1966 Trophee des Nations, held that year at Brands Hatch, Kent. Racing on his 26th birthday, nothing would deny him. Spurred on by team manager Harold Taylor’s apparent lack of belief – ‘He put me on the second row of the grid and told me I was the weakest link in the team.’ –Badger set off like a scalded cat. He was also the cat that got the cream, giving the best riders in the world at the time a good licking, to win both races. The Swedes, with world champion Torsten Hallman on their team, couldn’t believe that Badger could lap so fast on a 250; he won the first leg ahead of Hallman by 12 seconds and in the second beat 1964 world champion Joel Robert. But it was in 1970, as he approached the age of 30, that Badger finally won the British championship he so richly deserved. By this time he was sponsored by local garage owner John Coombes, with his Huskies being tuned by Triss Sharp. But he had to fight for the championship following a poor day at Elsworth in the first round, when he failed to score a single point. A double-win at Wakes Colne put him on the scoreboard, a feat he repeated at both the Cotswold Scramble and at Tirley in August. With such a fine run of form, Badger was champion before turning a wheel in the final round at Builth Wells in October. After winning the title on Husqvarna, Badger confounded all by switching to Maico for 1971. However, it was a shrewd move as he would gain the right to import the German motorcycles and it was the beginning of a very successful time for Bryan Goss Motorcycles. By February Badger had put Maico on the map in the UK, winning the Charrington Trophy at Somerton and with riders such as Rob Taylor going well the Maico momentum started to build. In September 1972, racing at my local track at Wakes Colne, Badger dominated the solo races to win the Ivy Downing Motocross, winning all three legs ahead of Bryan Wade, Jimmy Aird, also on a Maico and Malcolm Davis. But when Badger enlisted teenage sensations Graham Noyce and Neil Hudson in the mid-seventies, sales were through the roof. ‘We sold over a thousand bikes for three straight years. ‘Everyone had or wanted a Maico back then. You could buy a standard bike, take it straight out of the crate and win on it. It was a wonderful machine.’ In June 2012, Badger lost his beloved wife Jenny, an event which rocked his life, but he was helped through this by his daughter Debbie and son Jeff, and their families. After first meeting him back in the late 1990s I stayed in touch with Badger fairly regularly, but I was always amazed by his sunny disposition and the interest he showed in whatever I was up to. When phoning I was always greeted in the same manner; ‘Ian Berry. Well I never! How the hell are you?’ Badger was a tenacious competitor on the track, but he was also one of the great characters on the scrambling scene, known all across Europe for his high jinks. He was part of the rich tapestry of the sport and over the years he achieved what was arguably his greatest goal: ‘All I ever really wanted was to be everybody’s mate.’ If you ever had the pleasure to see him at the annual Telford Off-Road Show, an event he regularly attended and where last year he was guest of honour, then you will know just how successful he was in realising that ambition. Badger has gone, but his memory will live on for many years with people recalling just how good a rider he was and regaling others with stories about the many outlandish practical jokes he played. The word gets mercilessly overused these days, but he truly was a legend. n Bryan Winston Goss: September 11 1940 –January 6 2021 77
