Tommy Miller (speedway rider) explained

Tommy Miller
Nationality:British (Scottish)
Birth Place:Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland
Death Place:East Kilbride, Scotland
Years1:1950–1953
Career1:Glasgow White City Tigers
Years2:1954
Career2:Lanarkshire Eagles
Years3:1954–1956
Career3:Coventry Bees
Years4:1956
Career4:Oxford Cheetahs
Teamhonour1:Scottish Cup
Teamyear1:1952, 1953
Teamhonour2:Northern Shield
Teamyear2:1954

Thomas Ogilvie Miller (2 February 1924 – 12 June 1975) was a motorcycle speedway rider from Scotland.[1] [2]

Career

Miller was first noticed during the Scottish Winter training school and then won the best pairs championship at Bothwell Park during March 1950.[3] He began racing for Glasgow White City Tigers during the 1950 Speedway National League Division Two season. He made an immediate impact by topping the team's averages and helping the team to a second-place finish in the league.[4] The following season in 1951, he established himself as one of the league's leading riders with an impressive 10.70 average.[4]

In 1953, he continued to impress and recorded a sequence of 17 league matches without being beaten by an opponent in any race and in 16 home matches that season only dropped three points.[5] He also impressed during the qualification for the 1953 Individual Speedway World Championship.[6] In 1954, Glasgow did not enter the league which forced Miller to look for a new team, he signed for Lanarkshire Eagles for £1,500, the highest sum paid for a rider by a Scottish club at the time, and despite better offers from English clubs.[5] His time with the Motherwell club was not a happy one and he asked for a transfer in July 1954. After turning down a bid from Belle Vue Aces, he joined the defending league two champions Coventry Bees and would top the team averages by the end of the season.[7]

After spending the 1955 season and the first half of the 1956 season with Coventry, he switched to Oxford Cheetahs for the remainder of 1956.[8]

He earned 18 caps for the Scotland national speedway team (including Scottish select matches).[9]

After speedway, he sold motor bikes and then cars but died aged 51.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022, Tommy Miller . British Speedway . 19 October 2023.
  2. Web site: Speedway Atomic Tommy Miller . Blantyre Project . 19 October 2023.
  3. News: Speedway Championship at Bothwell . Bellshill Speaker . 24 March 1950 . 19 October 2023 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  4. Web site: Riders Averages 1929-2019, Tommy Miller . Speedway Researcher . 19 October 2023.
  5. News: Tommy Miller for Eagles . Daily Record . 4 February 1954 . 19 October 2023 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  6. News: Tommy Miller's maximum . Liverpool Evening Express . 7 July 1953 . 9 January 2024 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  7. News: Scots Speedway Star asks for transfer . Edinburgh Evening News . 26 July 1954 . 19 October 2023 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  8. News: Bees Transfer Tommy Miller . Coventry Evening Telegraph . 24 July 1956 . 19 October 2023 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
  9. Web site: United Kingdom and Scotland internationals . International Speedway . 19 October 2023.
  10. News: Death of former Speedway Ace . Wishaw Press . 20 June 1975 . 19 October 2023 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .