MARTIN Smith, who in 1951 was a strapping 18-year-old from Barbourne, holds a unique place among Worcester's sporting heroes.

Because he was the city's first - and last - Individual Cycle Speedway Champion.

Cycle speedway was a big thing in those austere years following the Second World War and Worcester had its own track on Pitchcroft, run by the Barbourne Monarchs Cycling Club.

So perhaps it was no surprise that when the inaugural Worcester Cycle Speedway Championships were held in that early 50s summer, they went to a local rider who knew the track like the back of his hand.

Martin, who is now 73 and lives across the city in Bromwich Road, beat all-comers to win the individual title - which he has held ever since for the simple reason the event was never repeated.

"The championships were organised as part of a Conservative Party fete at the King's School," he recalled. "But no one ever bothered with them again. So I suppose I've been champion ever since.

"On the day, I was presented with a small individual cup to keep and a larger one to hand on from year to year, but I've still got both.

"For the races, we used to take the brakes off our bikes. But we had to put the front ones back on again to ride home to make sure they were legal for the road in case a policeman saw you."

Martin Smith's unique tale of sporting prowess, long lost in the mists of time, has resurfaced on a trip down memory lane in the company of father and daughter Terry and Claire Wardle.

A couple of years ago I went to see the pair when they were in the process of compiling a modest little book on the history of the Barbourne area of Worcester in which they live. Material came flooding in and The History Of Barbourne by Claire and Terry Wardle (published by MTC Ltd at £9.99) is much larger than originally intended.

"It's about four times the size and, instead of 10 pictures, has 140," said Terry. "And there was so much we had to leave out too."

Mind you, as an author and journalist for more than 30 years, he's used to sifting out the good bits and certainly this book is full of fascinating snippets.

The area occupies a half-mile-wide corridor running north from the city centre to the old toll house at the junction of the Droitwich and Ombersley roads.

It was in this direction that Charles II scarpered after the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Cromwell's finest hot on his heels.

With a journalist's eye for a good story, Terry has an interesting spin on the escapade.

"The events that took place in Barbourne at that time may have saved the royal family and ensured we have a Queen today," he said.

"It was after the Battle of Worcester that the future King Charles II, fleeing from the Roundheads, paused at Barbourne Brook to make a fateful decision.

"Charles wanted to go to London and take a ship to Europe before news arrived of his defeat. But if he had tried that he would probably have been taken and may have been executed like his father. Instead he was persuaded to take another route and eventually escaped abroad.

"It's very much a what if' of history, but if Charles had been killed or executed then it's possible we would have a republic today."

A nice line and maybe true. We will never know.

Among all the social history, sepia photographs and anecdotes in the book, there's another story about Barbourne concerning a conflict, this time the Second World war.

"When they were carrying out the Defence Of Britain project 10 years ago, a man who was an air raid warden during the war told them there used to be an aircraft parts factory at the end of York Place," said Terry.

"Sadly, he died before I could write down his story and I could find no trace of the building today.

"Then, I came across a 90-year-old lady who confirmed there was indeed a factory hidden away as part of the Windshields complex.

"The factory was apparently so secret that several wartime York Place residents told us they knew nothing of it.

"Its production was said to have included turret and cockpit canopies for Lancaster bombers and it was believed to have been part of a network of shadow factories' which the government set up in residential areas with the intention of hiding them from enemy air attacks."