Ken Middleditch
Born |
Camberley, England | 5 October 1925
---|---|
Nationality | United Kingdom |
Current club information | |
Career status | Retired |
Career history | |
1948-1949 1950-1956, 1958 1960-1961 1957 |
Hastings Saxons Poole Pirates Swindon Robins |
Individual honours | |
1951 1954 |
Division Three Riders Champion Division Two Riders Champion |
Team honours | |
1951 1952, 1955 1957 1961 |
National League Div 3 Champion National League Div 2 Champion National League Champion Provincial League Champion |
Found teamhonour, Found teamyear, Found indivhonour, Found career, Found years, Found indivyear,
Kenneth Arthur Middleditch (born 5 October 1925 in Camberley, England) is a British retired motorcycle speedway rider.[1]
Career Summary
Middleditch served in the RAF in World War II as a rear gunner, and became interested in speedway while stationed in Egypt.[2]
Middleditch signed for Third Division team Hastings in 1948 after progressing through Eastbourne's speedway training school. By 1949 he had become Hastings top points scorer but at the end of that year Hastings were forced to close down and he signed for Poole.
Middleditch had a successful career at Poole, forming an effective pairing with Poole rider Tony Lewis, he eventually became the team captain and won four league titles with the club. Middleditch left Poole for the 1957 season when the club closed for a year and signed for Swindon. He returned to Poole for a further two stints before retiring in 1961.
Ken's son, Neil Middleditch, also had a successful career as a speedway rider and has been team manager of the Poole Pirates since 1998.
After retiring from the sport Ken set up a business, Middleditch Salvage, in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset.
References
- ↑ Bamford, Robert; Glynn Shailes (2004). 50 Poole Pirates Greats. Tempus Publishing. pp. 83–85. ISBN 0-7524-3257-5.
- ↑ Morgan, Tom (1949) Who's Who in Speedway, Sport-in-Print, p. 53