The World of Autojumbles at your FIngertips

We play it

We were looking for something to liven the bikejumble up, while Hayes & District Motorcycle Club was desperately seeking somewhere to play. Being on Romney Marsh we have large areas of flat pasture, so the rest is history!

Moto-ball was started after the First World War by British Army dispatch riders. A British league and knock-out cup ran for many years. However, along with many other motorcycle sports such as grass track and speedway, popularity declined until moto-ball is now rarely seen in the UK, although it is still popular on the continent.

Nowadays, a selection of basic machines are used, including twinshock Honda RS250s, Yamaha TZRs, Bultacos and Husqvarnas and it’s still fast and exciting to watch!

All the bikes have extra safety modifications; the most obvious of which is a frame fitted below the engine to prevent the bike from running over the ball. Hayes & Southall Motorcycle Club is always on the look out for new members, and did get a new recruit signed up at the bikejumble in September.

We had a great jumble on Sunday, September 18, and moto-ball was played all day – attached are some photos. Also spotted was local comedian Vic Reeves buying a copy of Overland to India on Gordon May’s stall and we had a great turnout of garage clear-out stalls; I bought a fine pair of pre-loved stainless silencers for my Super Rocket.

The good news is that Hayes and district will be playing moto-ball at the Romney Marsh events in 2012, look out for the dates in the OBM Wallplanner. Look forward to seeing any moto-ball aficionados there!

Julie Diplock
Elk Promotions