Thomas Gamble (21 November 1908 – October 1981) was an international motorcycle speedway rider from England. He earned one international cap for the England national speedway team.[1]
| Born | 21 November 1908 Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England |
|---|---|
| Died | October 1981 (aged 72) York, England |
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1929, 1931 | Leeds |
| 1930 | Wombwell |
| 1932 | West Ham Hammers |
| 1932–1933 | Sheffield |
| 1934 | Lea Bridge Saints |
| 1934 | Birmingham Bulldogs |
| Individual honours | |
| 1929 | Dirt Track League |
Biography
editGamble, born in Scarborough rode in the pioneer years of British speedway beginning his British leagues career riding for Leeds during the 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League.[2] His first season ended with success as he was part of the Leeds team that won the league title that year.
In 1929, he also won individual events called the Collacula and Alexandra Cups and Golden Helmet twice. However, Leeds dropped out of the league for 1930, forcing Gamble to find a new team and he signed for Wombwell for the 1930 Speedway Northern League.[3] Following a poor season with Wombwell from a team perspective (because he was named their most improved rider) he returned to Leeds when Wombwell dropped out of the league in 1931.[4]
Leeds chose not to compete following the introduction of the new 1932 Speedway National League so Gamble was once again without a team. He was added to the West Ham Hammers squad but only rode a handful of matches during the season[5] before returning north to join Sheffield. The following season with Sheffield, he was called up by England to represent them in a test match against Australia.[6]
Once again he was forced to follow a nomadic existence in 1934, when Sheffield dropped out of the league. He rode for Lea Bridge Saints before they became the Walthamstow Wolves and then finally for Birmingham Bulldogs.[7]
References
edit- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "1929 season results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "Curt comments". South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times. 18 April 1930. Retrieved 24 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "Out Of Bounds". The People. 13 March 1932. Retrieved 24 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "English Speedway Team". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 26 July 1933. Retrieved 24 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 24 November 2023.