James Grieves
Born (1974-09-28) 28 September 1974
Paisley, Scotland
NationalityBritish (Scottish)
Career history
1990-1995, 2000-2004, 2009-2010, 2011-2013Glasgow Tigers
1996-1998Wolverhampton Wolves
1998Berwick Bandits
1999Edinburgh Monarchs
2005-2006Newcastle Diamonds
2007-2008, 2010Redcar Bears
Team honours
1993, 1994British League
1993, 1994British League Knockout Cup
1996, 2011Premier League
1996, 1999Premier League Knockout Cup
1997Premiership
2011Premier League Pairs

James Robert Grieves (born 28 September 1974), is a former professional motorcycle speedway rider from Scotland.[1][2]

Career

Born in Paisley, Scotland in 1974, Grieves took up speedway at the age of fifteen when he attended one of Olle Nygren's training schools at King's Lynn.[3]

After practising on a 125cc bike built by former Glasgow Tigers riders Colin Caffrey and Kenny McKinna, he progressed to a full size machine and had second-half rides at Tigers matches before making his debut in the team in 1991.[3] He became a full-time Tiger in 1993, the season that the team won the Premier League Championship and Knock-Out Cup double.[3]

He won the double with the team again the following year, and in 1996 moved to Wolverhampton Wolves, with whom he won another league and cup double.[3]

Grieves stayed with Wolves for two seasons before losing his place in July 1998, signing for Berwick Bandits a month later. He moved on to Edinburgh Monarchs in 1999 where he attained a real-time average of 9.16.[3]

In 2000, he returned to Glasgow Tigers, a season that ended with his testimonial meeting in October, and he stayed with Glasgow for four more seasons, also riding as number 8 for Wolverhampton in the Elite League in 2003 and 2004.[3]

He moved to Newcastle Diamonds in 2005, and again rode for Wolverhampton, and moved on to Redcar Bears in 2007.[3][4] After a second season with Redcar which ended with the club's future in doubt due to financial problems, he again returned to Glasgow Tigers in 2009.[5] His 2010 season was interrupted on 6 June, when he sustained a foot injury in a league match against Scunthorpe Scorpions. As a result, the club signed Joe Screen to replace him. At the time, he had represented Glasgow on fifteen occasions, scoring 124 points for an average of 7.94.

The injury was less serious than first feared and Grieves rejoined Redcar as a replacement for Henning Bager. Grieves sustained further injuries with two broken fingers in a crash during a league match at Edinburgh in his Bears' debut on 18 June, and rib injuries sustained at Scunthorpe on 20 August. In his comeback meeting at home to Berwick in the Tweed-Tees Trophy on 9 September, he suffered a badly sprained and bruised wrist. Grieves' 20-year testimonial match took place at Ashfield Stadium on 24 October, with Wolverhampton winning a four-team tournament, ahead of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Redcar.

Grieves was named in the Glasgow Tigers team for 2011 Premier League speedway season, which included victory in the Premier League Pairs Championship (with Screen) at Somerset,[6] and Tigers ending the season as Premier League champions. On 15 July, Wolverhampton added Grieves to their squad in a 'doubling-up' capacity, alongside Ludvig Lindgren. He continued to ride for Glasgow in 2012 and 2013, a season which he announced would be his last.[7]

He is the second highest scorer in Glasgow Tigers history.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "2008 Rider index" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Rider Index", speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 20 June 2013
  4. ↑ Wallace, Barry (2004) "Speedway: Diamonds sign Grieves", icnewcastle.co.uk, 14 December 2004. Retrieved 20 June 2013
  5. ↑ "Speedway star James Grieves fears for his future", Daily Record, 14 June 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2013
  6. ↑ "Grieves is enjoying life to the max". Daily Record. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  7. ↑ Swan, Craig (2013) "Glasgow Tigers stalwart James Grieves determined to end career on a high", Daily Record, 28 March 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013
  8. ↑ "Rider Profile: James Grieves", Glasgow Tigers. Retrieved 20 June 2013
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