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Neil Collins (speedway rider)

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Neil Collins
Born (1961-10-15) 15 October 1961 (age 63)
Manchester, England
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1978Ellesmere Port Gunners
1979Nottingham Outlaws
1979, 2001Workington Comets
1979–1980, 1984–1988, 1995Sheffield Tigers
1980–1981Edinburgh Monarchs
1981, 1996, 2001, 2003Belle Vue Aces
1982–1983Leicester Lions
1989–1990Wolverhampton Wolves
1992, 1997Glasgow Tigers
1993-1994Long Eaton Invaders
1998Stoke Potters
1999–2000Swindon Robins
2002, 2004Somerset Rebels
2003Hull Vikings
2005–2006Newport Wasps
Individual honours
1981Grand National Winner
Team honours
1981, 2000NL/PL Knockout Cup
1981, 2001NL/PL Fours
2000Young Shield

Neil Jeffrey Collins (born 15 October 1961 in Manchester, England) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England.[1][2]

Career

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Collins started his British leagues career with Ellesmere Port Gunners during the 1978 National League season.[3] The very next season in 1979, he rode in the top tier of speedway for the Sheffield Tigers and doubled up the following season with the Edinburgh Monarchs in tier 2. He won his first silverware during the 1981 National League season, winning the Knockout Cup and helping the Monarchs win the Fours Championship.[4]

After two seasons with Leicester Lions, he returned to Sheffield in 1984, which turned out to be the season when Collins won a silver medal with the England national speedway team, after finishing runner-up in the World Team Cup final.[5][6] He remained at Sheffield for five more seasons before signing for in Wolverhampton Wolves in 1989. After Wolves he became a bit of a journeyman rider, appearing for multiple clubs but he remained a solid rider with a reliable average for most teams he rode for. In 1999 he joined Swindon Robins[7] and he following season won the 2000 Knockout Cup and Young Shield.

His final two seasons with Newport Wasps still saw him riding with an average of 7.45 and 6.88 respectively. In 2007, which would have been his thirtieth season he could not find a team place by the start of the season, largely due to the reduction in the points limit for team building purposes. Left without a club he decided to retire after 29 years in the sport.[8] When Neil retired he had broken the record for domestic appearances (1,132) in British Speedway, overtaking the record previously held by his brother Les Collins (1,084).[9] He had also reached eight British finals and earned 19 international caps for the England.[2]

Family

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Neil has four brothers all of whom were speedway riders, Peter, Phil, Les and Stephen. His nephews Aidan and Chris were also riders but have both retired from the sport.

Married to wife Annette, they have two children, Louis and Hannah.

World Final appearances

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World Team Cup

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References

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  1. ^ Oakes, P.(2004). British Speedway Who's Who. ISBN 0-948882-81-6
  2. ^ a b "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  3. ^ "1978 season results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Tigers miss the boat in four teams final". Cambridge Daily News. 27 July 1981. Retrieved 10 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
  6. ^ "2008 Rider index" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Ambitious King's Lynn". Manchester Evening News. 6 February 1999. Retrieved 6 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ Bamford, Robert (2008). Methanol Press Speedway Yearbook 2008. Methanol Press. ISBN 978-0-9553103-5-5.
  9. ^ Bamford, Robert (July 2008). "Retro Speedway Magazine". Retro Speedway. p. 19.
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