Colin Watson (speedway rider)
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Ilford, London
 | |
| Born | 28 September 1898 Ilford, London |
|---|---|
| Died | 13 June 1963 (aged 64) |
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1929 | White City |
| 1930 | Harringay Canaries |
| 1930-1938 | Wembley Lions |
| 1938 | Sheffield |
| 1938-1939, 1946 | West Ham Hammers |
| Team honours | |
| 1932 | National League Champion |
| 1930, 1931 | Southern League Champion |
| 1931, 1932 | National Trophy Winner |
| 1932, 1933 | London Cup Winner |
Colin Watson (28 September 1898 – 13 June 1963) was a successful British motorcycle speedway rider[1] from the sport's early years in the late 1920s and 1930s. He earned nine international caps for the England national speedway team.[2]
Born in Ilford, Essex, Watson was involved from the earliest days on British speedway, taking part in the early meetings held at High Beach in 1928.[3] He joined White City in 1929 and Harringay Canaries and Wembley Lions in 1930, playing a leading role in the team that dominated the sport in the early 1930s.[3] He was a finalist in the Star Riders' Championship five times between 1929 and 1934.[4] He was selected for the England team to face Australia in Test series in 1931, 1932, 1933, and 1934, also captaining the team.[5][6] He suffered a broken leg in 1935 that kept him out of the sport until 1937.[4] In 1938 he moved on to the West Ham Hammers, also spending a period with Sheffield Tigers.
He was allocated back to West Ham after the end of World War II.[3] On 13 July 1946, during a second-half scratch race after a match between the Odsal Boomerangs and West Ham, he was critically injured in a crash when he hit a lighting standard and was dragged along the track by his bike, suffering a fractured skull and a punctured lung. He lay unconscious in a Bradford hospital before recovering consciousness four weeks later.[3] Just one week earlier on 6 July, Albert Rosenfeld Jr. had been critically injured at the same track but died 10 days later.[7][8] The accident ended Watson's career at the age of 47[4] and he had impaired eyesight as a result. He took up the job of inspecting the pits at West Ham afterwards.[9]
He earned nine caps for the England national team.[2]
After his racing career, Watson ran a successful car hire business in Ilford and in 1963 took on the role of machine examiner at New Cross.[10]