Research by Chronicle editor Robert Peasley reveals that Tony Rickardsson's time of 57.33 seconds in heat four of last week's Oxford v Poole match was the sixth fastest time ever recorded at Sandy Lane.

It was the fastest time recorded since Hans Nielsen set the track record of 56.2 seconds on October 13, 1988.

Tony Rickardsson

The five fastest times at Oxford were all set by the incomparable Nielsen.

The 58-second barrier has only been broken 39 times (22 by Nielsen), since the Great Dane became the first man to do it with 57.8 seconds in 1985.

A full record of the sub-58.00 second times, plus a history of the Oxford track record since the circuit was altered to its current length of 297 metres in 1984, will appear in the next issue of the Chronicle. It makes excellent reading at 32 pages for just £1.50.