Field Day for Gas Board
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WITI-1 seven entries among a total of 76 runners, the Portsmouth found of the Lorry Driver of the Year Competition, last Saturday, was a field day for the Southern Gas Board. The vehicles, in their orange livery, were magnificently turned out, but Mr. B. R. Miller, the Board's transport manager at Portsmouth, had also spent a good deal of time in coaching his drivers.
He was well rewarded by the lowest penalty score of the day, first and second places in Class D (by far the biggest and most hotly contested class), and second places in Classes B and F(2). The Board would easily have won the team award had not the third member omitted to allow for his mirrors in width-judging.
As it was, the team prize went to Portsmouth and Brighton United Breweries, Ltd., who, with Brickworks, Ltd., their associated company, also fielded seven entries, Their team consisted of F. Briars, in a rigid Morris, and A. Fletcher and A. Rowsell, both driving Morris "attics," who incurred 233 penalty points. Rowsell was first and. Fletcher second in Class E(1). Rowsell's vehicle was judged to be the best maintained and was awarded three prizes for the best vehicle in the competition, the best C-licence vehicle and the best Morris.
J. Baker, of the Southern Gas Board, bandied his forward-control Morris cl0 immaculately to gain the day's championship with only 18.?, points and a win in Class D. His colleague J. Haskett, an old hand in the competition, was close on his heels with the loss of 24i marks.
They were the star performers of the day, although much credit goes to E. Sturgess, of Portsmouth Cleansing and Haulage Department, another seasoned competition driver. He handled his little Austin splendidly, with the loss of only 23 marks, and for some time it seemed likely that the Class A winner would gain the champion's honours. •Sturgess also received a special award for his performance in the Highway Code test, Clean sheets in this examination were secured also by B. R. Sheppard (Collis and Co. (Tobacco), Ltd.), G. Palmer (Jno. Croad, Ltd.), F. H. J. Grant (Southern Electricity Board), M. Meehan (Southern Gas Board), D. Pragnell (F. C. Pragnell and Son), A. Hawke (Schweppes (Home), Ltd.), A. Fletcher, A. Oldham (Elliott's of Aldershot), 0. Wagg (Shell-lVlex and B.P., Ltd.), E. Taylor (Southern Gas Board), C. Curtis (Pease Transport, Ltd.), R. Dimmick (Shell-Mex and B.P., Ltd.), and Sgt. Vardy (Royal Marines, Eastney).
Fletcher and Curtis also incurred no penalties on the road section, and Curtis, in an articulated Bedford, was an easy winner in Class F(2), with only 32 marks lost. Other perfect perforthances on the road were put up by N. Timlick (R.A.F. Tangmere), D. A. Laing (Post Office). Haskett, Baker, J. Porter (Shell-Mex and B.P., Ltd.), and Mile. Moore (Royal Marines, Eastney-).
The maintenance contest was again organized by the Traders' Road Transport Association and the standard was high.