PIRATES are going to unveil what they believe is speedway's first official club Hall of Fame' at Poole Stadium during their 60th birthday celebrations this month.

An unofficial supporter's Poole Hall of Fame', comprising 10 riders, was first conceived in the club's fanzine PepTalk in 1994.

Five more riders were added in 1998 when an unofficial Hall of Fame' was exhibited at Poole Museum to help celebrate the Dorset club's 50th anniversary.

Now Castle Cover Pirates have taken the idea one step further by giving the Poole Pirates Hall of Fame' official status.

To celebrate, they will induct eight more riders during a gala dinner at AFC Bournemouth's Dean Court home on Saturday.

Supporters will get their first opportunity to see the new look permanent official Hall of Fame' exhibition in the west stand of Poole Stadium before the Diamond Jubilee meeting the following day.

The 10 riders originally voted in by the fans in 1994 were, in alphabetical order, Brian Crutcher, Odd Fossengen, Charlie Hayden, Tony Lewis, Ken Middleditch, Geoff Mudge, Malcolm Simmons, Terry Small, Pete Smith and Norman Strachan.

John Davis, Ticker James, Christer Lofqvist, Neil Middleditch and Martin Yeates, the next five on the fans' list in 1994, were unofficially added in 1998.

The eight to be inducted now were not chosen by the fans this time, but by the club.

However, the supporters' original criteria for basing their selections remained the same.

The criteria are that riders should no longer be racing regularly, and were regular members of the Poole club, not guests.

Craig Boyce, Krzysztof Cegielski, Lars Gunnestad, Bill Holden, Tony Rickardsson, Alun Rossiter and Kevin Smith will be inducted in person on March 8.

The other is Steve Schofield, who lives in Australia and is unable to travel to England for the event.

It means 23 riders feature in the official Poole Pirates Hall of Fame' with others to be added at the appropriate time following their retirement from racing.

Pirates press officer Gordon Day, who came up with the original idea in 1993, said: "I think this is the only official Hall of Fame' in British speedway, possibly world speedway.

"I don't know of any others in the speedway hotbeds of Poland, Sweden or Denmark but maybe other people can let me know.

"There was a kind of Hall of Fame' at Oxford but that was chosen by the promoters of the time, Bernard Crapper and John Payne.

"But the Poole one, as far as I know, is the only one initially chosen by the fans.

"They wanted to be able to include riders who weren't necessarily top stars. They could be loyal team men or cult heroes, riders who typified what Poole speedway stands for and are synonymous with the club.

"So it's important we all remember this Hall of Fame' was voted for by the fans of Poole.

"Yes it did start as my idea, but the fans responded in the way Poole speedway fans do, generously, and now we can all enjoy the fruits of the dream I had 15 years ago."

  • Do you think any other riders should be inducted into the Poole Pirates Hall of Fame?

If so, state which rider and your reasons why in no more than 100 words, and email phil.chard@bournemouthecho.co.uk.

Please include your full name, address and daytime telephone number.