Ginger Lees
{{Short description|British motorcycle speedway rider}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox Speedway rider
| name= Ginger Lees
| image = Ginger lees.jpg
| nationality = British (English)
| birth_date = 28 January 1905
| birth_place = Bury, England
| death_date = 26 January 1982{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=hW5TR%2BI1KYnkBvvu2VH1zw&scan=1|title=Index entry|accessdate=14 October 2021|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}}
| death_place = Bury, England
| years1 = 1929
| career1 = Burnley
| years2 = 1930
| career2 = Liverpool Merseysiders
| years3 = 1931
| career3 = Preston
| years4 = 1932-1937
| career4 = Wembley Lions
| teamyear1 = 1932
| teamhonour1 = National League Champion
| teamyear2 = 1932
| teamhonour2 = National Trophy Winner
| teamyear3 = 1932, 1933
| teamhonour3 = London Cup Winner
}}
Harry Riley Lees (28 January 1905 – 26 January 1982)Jacobs, N & Lipscombe, P (2005). Wembley Speedway : The Pre-War Years. Stroud: Tempus Publishing {{ISBN|0-7524-3750-X}} was a former international motorcycle speedway rider who rode in the first ever Speedway World Championship final in 1936. He earned 22 international caps for the England national speedway team.{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf |title=ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022 |website=British Speedway |access-date=21 December 2023}}
Career
Lees, born in Bury, raced in the first recognised speedway meeting held in Manchester on 3 March 1928. When the league competitions started he joined Burnley. He then moved onto Liverpool in 1930. In 1931, Lees moved onto Preston and was selected to ride for England against Australia in the third test match at Wembley. He impressed so much that he was signed up to ride for the Wembley Lions in 1932 when he won the inaugural National League.
He twice won the London Cup with Wembley in 1932 and 1933.{{cite news |title=London Speedway Cup |work=Daily News (London) |date=30 September 1932 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003214/19320930/275/0015 | via = British Newspaper Archive| access-date=16 September 2023 |url-access=subscription }}{{cite web |url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1933record.pdf |title=1933 season results |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=16 September 2023}}
Lees was a regular England rider until 1934, the year he finished third in the Star Riders' Championship, the forerunner of the Speedway World Championship. During 1935, Lees suffered a serious injury and missed most of the 1935 season.{{cite news |title=Ginger Lees to ride again |work=The People |date=12 April 1936 |access-date=24 May 2024|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000729/19360412/018/0018 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}
Lees qualified for the finals of the World Championship in 1936 and 1937, before he retired at the end of 1937.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7524-2402-5}}
Lees also appeared in the 1933 British film Money for Speed which starred John Loder, Ida Lupino, Cyril McLaglen and Moore Marriott. Lionel van Praag, Frank Varey and speedway promoter Johnnie Hoskins also featured.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024346/|title=Money for Speed (1933)|publisher=The Internet Movie Database|accessdate=2008-10-01}}
World Final appearances
File:Ginger_Lees_motorcycle_speedway_rider_cigarette_card.png
- 1936 - {{Flagicon|ENG}} London, Wembley Stadium - 15th - 11pts
- 1937 - {{Flagicon|ENG}} London, Wembley Stadium - 5th - 19pts
Players cigarette cards
Lees is listed as number 28 of 50 in the 1930s Player's cigarette card collection.{{cite web |url=http://www.speedwaymuseumonline.co.uk/playerscigarettecards6.html|title=Speedway Riders|website=Speedway Museum Online|access-date=14 October 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lees, Ginger}}
Category:British speedway riders