Mike Hunter: 'I want the crowd to enjoy it and go home happy'

NEWS Sunday 5th July 2020, 10:00am

by PR Team

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The title of a Monarchs legend is not only reserved for those to have ridden for the Club but also those who have greatly assisted the Club over many years. Last week John and Liam caught up with Mike Hunter who is very much in this category.

Mike, who has fulfilled many roles for the Club including Programme Editor, Press Officer and operating Monarchs Grand Draw with Jane, revealed how he missed out on a year of following the Monarchs, "At school I had a couple of friends that were keen on following speedway, one guy in my class used to show me the programmes and I was intrigued with how Dick Campbell always got three points. What was special about this guy?

"Another friend that I've had for many years and his family eventually persuaded me to go along in 1961. They had tried to persuade me in 1960 but I argued with them and persuaded them to go on a picnic instead so I missed a year of speedway through winning that argument!

"The first night I went in 1961 I was completely blown away by speedway and it became my main interest every since."

With his vast speedway knowledge, Mike was easily able to reel off the details of his very first watch, "That was Monarchs versus Rayleigh on the 10th June 1961 and it's quite a famous match as it's in a book of classic speedway matches. It was a 4-2 in the last race for the Monarchs to win by 40 points to 38. It was a sensational match to have as your first match and it maybe explains why I have been so keen ever since."

Following the Monarchs from then on at Old Meadowbank and then Coatbridge, Mike travelled all over the country to continue to follow speedway while the Monarchs were on hiatus. Then came word of a possible return to Edinburgh which Mike played a key role in, "We got news that there was a possibility of the Monarchs coming back at Powderhall. We had a campaign which we were asked to conduct by the GRA to persuade locals and the councillors that it was a good idea.

"I remember speaking at the council meeting and eventually we were very successful in bringing speedway to Powderhall but it didn't look as though we would be successful for quite a time, there was some opposition to it but thankfully it was."

Remaining a vital figure within the Club to this day, Mike spoke of his feelings on matchdays, "I get nervous before every meeting. I'm always nervous because I want things to go well, I want the crowd to enjoy it and go home happy and I don't want the crowds to fall because things have gone wrong. I absolutely detest it when there are big delays due to crashes or things like that. So I'm nervous that everything goes well.

"I can see friends before the meeting starts and I very much enjoy visiting the Armadale Bar at the end of meetings. That's my favourite couple of hours of the week after the meeting after the tension has passed."

Mike is currently using the lockdown to make headway in his other role of Club Historian, "My primary hobby these days is trying to build up the Monarchs archive of statistics, photos, DVDs, programmes, etc. and get it properly organised which it never really has been.

I've got nearly every Monarchs programme, there's quite a few other people that have that kind of archive as well. I've got absolutely monstrous numbers of photographs, probably into six-figures I suspect. DVD's - thousands of the things, justified maybe a wee bit recently because we've been able to show them on the EMTV:Rewind."

Mike continued to speak about a wide range of fascinating speedway topics. If you missed last weekend's Sunday Lunch with Mike, you can watch now over on EMTV.

John and Liam return for another live Sunday Lunch With... question and answer session today with Dave Trownson (Sunday 5th). Ask your questions now by emailing johnandliam@edinburghmonarchs.co.uk or ask live during the session over on Monarchs Facebook page.