W
HEN pushed, Neil Middleditch modestly admits he would like to become the first team manager in
history to reel off 10 top-flight British League titles.
But at the same time, he made it clear that milestone double-figure target is not the be all and end all of his speedway involvement.
Middleditch says he is just happy and grateful to be helping his boyhood club, Poole, try to win more honours going into the 2017 season.
So far – in an illustrious 18-year team- managing career – he has helped his beloved Pirates bring back 23 major trophies to Wimborne Road since taking on his current job in 1999. Looking at that remarkable tally, not many people would argue against claims the former Eastbourne, Poole, Arena- Essex and Reading rider Middleditch is modern-day speedway’s most successful team manager. After all, he’s plundered seven top-flight league titles with Pirates since 2003. Amazingly, however, that tally still leaves him two behind British speedway’s most successful team manager of all time, Peter Adams. Yes, Wolverhampton’s current boss leads the charge to achieve the magical 10, following successes at Coventry (1978, 1979), Cradley Heath (1981, 1983) and with the Monmore Green outfit (1991, 1996, 2002, 2009 and 2016). Middleditch was, seemingly, on course to equal Adams’ then tally of eight going into last season’s Elite League play-offs. Poole, who had won the first leg of their semi-final clash against Wolves 51-39, were expected by many pundits to hang on for an aggregate success, thereby
propelling themselves into their seventh successive final. It didn’t work out that way. Wolves took advantage of Pirates’ injury woes – Bjarne Pedersen and Antonio Lindback were both sidelined for the second leg – to pull back their 12-point deficit and record a stunning 94-86 overall triumph.
Then, expertly led by the inspirational Adams, Wolves ruthlessly beat Elite League table-toppers Belle Vue 96-86 on aggregate in the final, to roar to the Dudley-born maestro’s ninth title success. Those extraordinary events left Middleditch two adrift of pace-setter Adams.
It also left Poole’s hopes of equalling Wimbledon’s run of four league titles in a row from 1958 to 1961 laying in tatters. Pirates’ current chief is locked in joint- second place in the all-time list of individual team manager title winners on seven, alongside the Dons’ boss of those days, Ted Brine.
So how did Dorset-born Middleditch feel when title glory, and a personal place in speedway history, slipped away from his grasp last October?
speedwaystar speedwaystar Find out, only in this week’s
www.speedwaystar.net In print or for online and app.
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