International SPEEDWAY

INTERNATIONALS - ITALY

Italy v England

1979	09.09 : Castelmassa
UNOFFICIAL	This programme scan has been sent by Duncan Luke, but the match is something of a mystery and no results are available. The teams listed in the programme are listed as: Italy: Mauro Ferraccioli, Luigi Bazan, Charlie Brown (Guiseppe Marzotto), Gian Paolo Noro, Giannetto Brizzolari, and Mario Andriolo. England: John David, Neil Collins, Mike Farrell, Nicky Allott, Eric Broadbelt, and Reg Pendlebury. Farrell was actually an Australian. This was not a British club team, as the six "English" riders came from five different teams. If anyone can help with some background to this match, please contact me at internationalspeedway@yahoo.co.uk
1988	23.07 : Lonigo
UNOFFICIAL	This scan from Charles McKay is a "Test Match" where the England team was actually a club side - in this case, a strengthened Ipswich team. Programmed teams were: Italy: Armando dal Chiele, Valentino Furlanetto, Armando Castagna, Paolo Salvatelli, Gianni Famari, Fabrizio Vesprini, Massimo Mora, and Andrea Maida. England: Jeremy Doncaster, Carl Blackbird, Kelly Moran (USA), Marvyn Cox, Neil Evitts, Gary Havelock, and Jon Cooper. The result was Italy 45 England 63.
	24.07 : Terenzano
	A second match was held the next day at Terenzano (Udine) though Moran was absent, having returned to the UK to ride in Belle Vue's Diamond Jubilee meeting. Result was Italy 56 England 52: Italy: Armando dal Chiele 16 (2 3 3 2 3 3), Armando Castagna 12+1 (3 1' 2 0 3 3), Valentino Furlanetto 11+1 (0 3 1' 2 2 3), Gianni Famari 7+1 (2 1 2 - 1' 1), Massimo Mora 6 (1 2 0 2 1 0), Fabrizio Vesprini 2+2 (1' 0 - 1' - 0), Giovanni Cragnolini (res) 1 (1 0), Ottavio Righetto (res) 1 (1) England: Marvyn Cox 16 (3 3 3 3 2 2), Jeremy Doncaster 14+1 (3 1' 3 3 2 2), Neil Evitts 10 (0 2 0 3 3 2), Carl Blackbird 6+2 (1 2 1 0 1' 1'), Gary Havelock 6+1 (2 0 2 1 0 1'), Jon Cooper 0 (0 0 - 0 - -), Andrea Maida (res) 0 (0 0 0)
1989	22.07 : Lonigo
	Another "Test Match", but in this case the England team was actually club side Reading, who included Swedish and New Zealand riders (!). Match details: Italy 36: Armando Castagna 12, Massimo Mora 9, Andrea Maida 5, Mariano Castagna 3, Giorgio Zaramella 3, Valentino Furlanetto 2, Riccardo Salamon 2 [note that other sources give Salamon 9, Zaramella 4, Mora 0] "England" (Reading) 72: Marvyn Cox 14, Jeremy Doncaster 14, Tony Olsson (Swe) 11, Carl Blackbird 10, Martin Dugard 10, Mitch Shirra (NZ) 8, Malcolm Holloway 5. Arnie Gibbons tells me that a second match was held the next day at Udine: Italy 38: Andrea Maida 9, Valentino Furlanetto 8, Mariano Castagna 8, Gianni Famari 5, Fabrizio Vesprini 5, Giorgio Zaramella 4 "England" (Reading) 70: Marvyn Cox 15, Mitch Shirra 15, Martin Dugard 13, Tony Olsson 10, Malcolm Holloway 7, Carl Blackbird 5, Jeremy Doncaster 5.

© Brian Collins