Split Waterman
Encyclopedia
Squire Francis Waterman (born 27 July 1923 in New Malden
, England
) is a former international speedway
rider who finished twice finished second in the Speedway World Championship
final.
in 1947, winning the National League Championship
. In 1948 the Lions won the National Trophy and Waterman won the prestigious London Riders' Championship
. The Lions won League Championship again in 1949.
In 1950 Waterman transferred to the Harringay Racers
and qualified for his first of five World finals, finishing seventh. In 1951 he qualified again and after finishing level on points with Jack Young
and Jack Biggs, the three had to race off against each other to decide the championship. Young headed home Waterman followed by Biggs.
Waterman qualified again in 1952 but only managed twelfth but did win the National Trophy with Harringay. 1953 saw him in second place again, with his last appearance coming in 1954, finishing fifth. At the end of the season Harringay closed and he transferred to the West Ham Hammers
, but only stayed a season, returning to the Wembley Lions
in 1956.
In 1957 he was on the move again to the Wimbledon Dons
but seemed to be becoming more uninterested in speedway as time moved on. Only six appearances for the Dons in 1957 was followed by only five for the Southampton Saints
in 1958. Waterman didn't ride at all in 1959 but made a surprising return in 1960 for the New Cross Rangers
. He rode for the Rangers again in 1961 before finally calling time on his career at the end of a couple of short spells with the Ipswich Witches
and the Belle Vue Aces
in 1962.
Waterman appeared over thirty times for England
.
In 1967 he was convicted of smuggling gold
out of Britain.
New Malden
New Malden is a town and shopping centre in the south-western London suburbs, mostly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and partly in the London Borough of Merton, and is situated from Charing Cross...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a former international speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
rider who finished twice finished second in the Speedway World Championship
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
final.
Career summary
Waterman began his career with the Wembley LionsWembley Lions (speedway)
The Wembley Lions were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1929 until their closure in 1971. Their track was located at Wembley Stadium, London. The original stadium which hosted speedway has been redeveloped.-Pre-war:...
in 1947, winning the National League Championship
Speedway National League
The National League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1932 until 1965 when it became known as the British League. Prior to 1932 there were only small regional leagues competing within the sport in the UK. The National League was re-incarnated in 1975 as the second division...
. In 1948 the Lions won the National Trophy and Waterman won the prestigious London Riders' Championship
London Riders' Championship
The London Riders' Championship was an individual speedway competition for top riders of teams from London. It was a very prestigious competition, especially in its early days. However, as the number of teams from London dwindled, so did interest in the competition. The last competition wast held...
. The Lions won League Championship again in 1949.
In 1950 Waterman transferred to the Harringay Racers
Harringay Racers (speedway)
The Harringay Racers were a motorcycle speedway team who raced at the Harringay Stadium from 1947 until 1954 in the National League Division One....
and qualified for his first of five World finals, finishing seventh. In 1951 he qualified again and after finishing level on points with Jack Young
Jack Young (speedway rider)
Jack Ellis Young was a Motorcycle speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1951 and 1952...
and Jack Biggs, the three had to race off against each other to decide the championship. Young headed home Waterman followed by Biggs.
Waterman qualified again in 1952 but only managed twelfth but did win the National Trophy with Harringay. 1953 saw him in second place again, with his last appearance coming in 1954, finishing fifth. At the end of the season Harringay closed and he transferred to the West Ham Hammers
West Ham Hammers
The West Ham Hammers were a speedway team, first promoted by Jimmy Baxter in 1929.. They operated from the West Ham Stadium until the outbreak of World War II under several different promotions, most successfully under the control of Johnnie Hoskins....
, but only stayed a season, returning to the Wembley Lions
Wembley Lions (speedway)
The Wembley Lions were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1929 until their closure in 1971. Their track was located at Wembley Stadium, London. The original stadium which hosted speedway has been redeveloped.-Pre-war:...
in 1956.
In 1957 he was on the move again to the Wimbledon Dons
Wimbledon Dons
The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They were closed during the Second World War but upon their re-opening in 1946 there were 42,000...
but seemed to be becoming more uninterested in speedway as time moved on. Only six appearances for the Dons in 1957 was followed by only five for the Southampton Saints
Southampton Saints
Southampton Saints were a speedway team which operated from 1928 until their closure in 1963. Their track was located at Banister Court Stadium in Southampton, Hampshire....
in 1958. Waterman didn't ride at all in 1959 but made a surprising return in 1960 for the New Cross Rangers
New Cross Rangers
The New Cross Rangers were a Speedway team which operated from 1937 until their closure in 1953. The track reopened in 1959 under Johnnie Hoskins for a series of open meetings and then in 1960 and 1961 operated in the National League...
. He rode for the Rangers again in 1961 before finally calling time on his career at the end of a couple of short spells with the Ipswich Witches
Ipswich Witches
The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm....
and the Belle Vue Aces
Belle Vue Aces
The Belle Vue Aces are a British speedway team from Manchester in the north west of England.-Brief history:Racing first took place in 1928 at the Belle Vue greyhound stadium in Kirkmanshulme Lane before moving the following year to a specially built stadium nearby on Hyde Road. The club raced there...
in 1962.
Waterman appeared over thirty times for England
Great Britain national speedway team
The Great Britain national speedway team are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by Poole Pirates manager Neil Middleditch and the captain is Chris Harris of the Belle Vue Aces....
.
In 1967 he was convicted of smuggling gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
out of Britain.
World final appearances
- 19501950 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1950 Individual Speedway World Championship.Speedway riders from New Zealand, Wales and Republic of Ireland was started in World Championship first time.:# Freddie Williams# Wally Green# Graham Warren-Qualification:...
-
LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 7th - 8pts - 19511951 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1951 Individual Speedway World Championship.Speedway riders from Sweden, Scotland and Republic of South Africa was started in World Championship first time...
- LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 2nd - 12pts + 2pts - 19521952 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1952 Individual Speedway World Championship.Speedway riders from Sweden, Scotland and Republic of South Africa was starters in World Championship first time.# Jack Young # Freddie Williams # Bob Oakley...
- LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 12th - 6pts - 19531953 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1953 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*17 September 1953 London, Wembley Stadium...
- LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 2nd - 13pts - 19541954 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1954 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 15, 1954 London, Wembley Stadium...
- LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Wembley Stadium - 5th - 9pts
- As of 4 July 2011, Split, now 87 years old, lives with his wife Avril in Nerja, Costa del Sol, Spain.