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INTERNATIONALS - FRANCE

3- and 4-Team Matches

1949 ??.?? : Paris France v. South Africa v. England v. Australia
UNOFFICIAL "Jean" Duval Buddy Fuller Reg Duval Bill Harris
Doug Serrurier Al Collins (Reg Duval)
Fred Wills Bill Thatcher
(Reg Duval)
David Austin writes:
"I thought you may be interested in this piece I read in 'Classic Speedway' No. 8. The article was a Q & A with Reg Duval who, of course, was involved in SA Speedway over many years. In it he was asked if he could remember his first official race and the answer was that it was a Test match in 1949. Seemingly, it was at a "new" track near Paris and the meeting was France v South Africa v England v Australia. They didn't have enough riders so Duval rode under different names for different teams (as Reg Duval for England and Jean Duval for France!). The promoter was Arthur Westwood and the resident riders at the track were Duval, Bill Thatcher, Al Collins and Bill Harris. It is not clear if the track was the Buffalo Stadium but the France section of your website does show an international 3TT having taken place there in April 1949. Besides Duval, it is only guesswork who else would have ridden but I suppose it's fair to assume that the England team may have been made up from the resident riders. Buddy Fuller, Doug Serrurier and Fred Wills all rode in the UK at the time and are known to have regularly competed at the Buffalo Stadium in the early part of 1950 so a South African team could have included them and perhaps Toby Boshoff and Syd van der Vyver who were also riding for British teams in 1949. Duval returned to the UK in July 1949 to ride for Liverpool so the meeting took place before then."
Further information (Oct 2010) from David Austin:
"I have been able to find further information on this meeting. The South African riders involved were Buddy Fuller, Doug Serrurier and Fred Wills. Reg Duval besides riding for France and England also rode for the other two teams. Under what psuedynoms can only be guessed at! Besides Reg, two other England team members were Al Collins and Bill Thatcher. The Australian team included Bill Harris. Sources differ as to the Paris venue, one says at Saint Ouen, the other Stade Buffalo"

Contributors : David Austin