# Alec Statham
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{{Short description|British motorcycle speedway rider}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox Speedway rider
| image =
| name= Alec Statham
| nationality = British (English)
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1912|5|30}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1977|3|8|1912|5|30|df=y}}[{{cite web|title=England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007|url=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?MS_AdvCB=1&db=ONSDeath93&rank=1&new=1&so=3&MSAV=2&msT=1&pcat=34&gss=ms_r_db&gsfn=alec&gsfn_x=1&gsln=Statham+&gsln_x=1&msbdy=1912&msbdy_x=1&msbdm_x=1&msbdd_x=1&dbOnly=_F00056EC%7C_F00056EC_x&dbOnly=_F0005906%7C_F0005906_x&uidh=924&msbdd=30&msbdm=5|accessdate=7 August 2013}}]
| birth_place = [Coventry](/source/Coventry), England
| death_place = [Rugby](/source/Rugby%2C_Warwickshire), England
| years1 = 1935, 1937-39
| career1 = [Harringay Tigers](/source/Harringay_Tigers_(speedway))
| years2 = 1936
| career2 = [Southampton Saints](/source/Southampton_Saints)
| years3 = 1946-47
| career3 = [Odsal Boomerangs](/source/Odsal_Boomerangs)
| years4 = 1948-50
| career4 = [Wimbledon Dons](/source/Wimbledon_Dons)
| indivhonour1 = [Northern Riders' Champion](/source/Northern_Riders'_Championship)
| indivyear1 = 1945
| indivyear2 = 1949
| indivhonour2 = [London Riders' Champion](/source/London_Riders'_Championship)
| teamyear1 = 1936
| teamhonour1 = [Provincial League Champion](/source/Provincial_League_(1936%E2%80%931937))
| teamyear2 = 1936
| teamhonour2 = Provincial Trophy Winner
| teamyear3 = 1950
| teamhonour3 = National Trophy Winner
}}
'''Alec George Statham''' (30 May 1912 [Coventry](/source/Coventry), England – 8 March 1977)[Addison J. (1948). ''The People Speedway Guide''. Odhams Press Limited] was a [Speedway](/source/Motorcycle_speedway) rider who won the [London Riders' Championship](/source/London_Riders'_Championship) in 1949.[Belton, Brian (2003). ''Hammerin' Round''. {{ISBN|0-7524-2438-6}}] He earned 22 international caps for the [England national speedway team](/source/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=3 June 2023}}]
== Biography ==
Statham began [grasstrack](/source/grasstrack) racing at the age of sixteen.[Morgan, Tom (1949) ''Who's Who in Speedway 1949'', Sport-in-Print, p. 68]
He rode for the [Harringay Tigers](/source/Harringay_Tigers_(speedway)) in 1935 before dropping down a division to the [Southampton Saints](/source/Southampton_Saints). He gave up racing, thinking he was not good enough to progress, but due to financial difficulties with his garage business in 1937 he returned to the [National League](/source/National_League_(1932%E2%80%931964)) with [Harringay](/source/Harringay_Racers_(speedway)), soon rising to heat leader status.[Storey, Basil (1947) "Once Rode Just for Fun", in ''Speedway Favourites'', Sport-in-Print, p. 7][{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004585/19490726/082/0004 |title=Eric French was unlucky |website=Lewisham Borough News |date=26 July 1949 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=21 September 2024}}]
Statham first rode in the [England](/source/England_national_speedway_team) team in the 1938 test series against Australia, scoring 2 points in the first test at [Belle Vue](/source/Belle_Vue_Motorcycle_Speedway) and 3 points at West Ham.[Foster, Peter (2005) ''A History of the Speedway Ashes'', Tempus, {{ISBN|0-7524-3468-3}}, pp. 66–9, 72] He travelled to Australia for the 1938/9 series, scoring 2 points in the fourth test.