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Post by admin on Apr 15, 2021 9:13:46 GMT
Interesting site if you've never seen it but been round long enough to see tracks disappear, which most of us will have! www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/index.htmBoston Barracudas being on of my faves, having spent many Sundays in my early years sampling the minted peas at New Hammond Beck Road whilst seeing Panthers usually disappoint. Added to that, they had the ultimate promotional showman, something sadly missing in today's world of virtual non entities, in Cyril Crane. |
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Post by rodders on Apr 15, 2021 11:22:42 GMT
Very interesting but quite depressing Some of the tracks I had never heard of and many which I had heard of closed before I was involved. However there are many that I attended and some regularly that are no longer there. I have a book (little more than a pamphlet) really about Harringay Stadium and Arena . It has a picture of Ole Nygren in Harringay colours circa 1950. Also Split Waterman amongst others.
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Post by davet on Apr 15, 2021 19:31:49 GMT
Yes, it is depressing! I was a regular supporter at Yarmouth, Hackney and Peterborough in the past. Only the latter holding on by its fingernails now!
In the past I've visited Norwich (The Firs),Kings Lynn, Rayleigh, Coventry, Odsal and Wimbledon. How many of those are left now? New Cross had closed literally weeks before I moved to London to study, but I regularly walked past the defunct stadium.
Out of interest, Hackneys skipper at that time was our own(?) Colin Pratt, and Richard Greer and Dingle Brown (remember him?) were second halfers!
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Post by rodders on Apr 15, 2021 21:22:57 GMT
When I lived in Harrow went to Speedway most nights West Ham, Wimbledon ,Swindon, Hackney and Wembley. Also Crayford, Reading,Canterbury and Rye House. All now gone. Only been once to Harringay for Provincial League Riders Championship although went there to Ice Hockey. New Cross had gone but used to pass by if I went to old Milwall ground.
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Post by admin on Apr 16, 2021 9:21:23 GMT
Some of the tracks I had never heard of I see that they haven't got a V. I wonder if we could get the small training track that someone built at Vicarage Farm Road in Peterborough (Richard Greer involved I think)? Think I remember our new Commercial Director having a go on it with someone amazed that he never shut off because it was only a tiddler. The site is industrial buildings now I think. |
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Post by rodders on Apr 16, 2021 10:53:04 GMT
A friend of mine once had a bound set of old programmes including Wombwell Speedway and Braefield Speedway. One in Yorkshire the other I think in Northampton area but I had never heard of them
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Post by admin on Apr 16, 2021 11:48:07 GMT
A friend of mine once had a bound set of old programmes including Wombwell Speedway and Braefield Speedway. One in Yorkshire the other I think in Northampton area but I had never heard of them Braefield rings a bell. I'm pretty sure that I read something about Greer riding there in his early days. Assume that it was a training track? Someone crashing and fusing track lighting also springs to mind but the detail escapes me. I see that it's got a BSF thread and is Brafield |
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Post by Bigcatdiary on Apr 16, 2021 12:07:35 GMT
A friend of mine once had a bound set of old programmes including Wombwell Speedway and Braefield Speedway. One in Yorkshire the other I think in Northampton area but I had never heard of them Braefield rings a bell. I'm pretty sure that I read something about Greer riding there in his early days. Assume that it was a training track? Someone crashing and fusing track lighting also springs to mind but the detail escapes me. I see that it's got a BSF thread and is BrafieldRichard did indeed practise and ride at Brafield Speedway, which was at Brafield on the Green near Northampton, they were known as the Badgers and a website shows the captain as Peter Seaton. |
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Post by Bigcatdiary on Apr 16, 2021 12:13:39 GMT
I went to White City and Wimbledon whilst living in London, watched RIchard Greer at WC, top man was Gordon Kennett and Marek Cieslak was also a heat leader, formally the manager of Poland until recently.
Wimbledon was a right trek on the trains but WC was real handy when I lived in the West End.
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Post by admin on Apr 16, 2021 14:52:46 GMT
I went to White City and Wimbledon whilst living in London, watched Richard Greer at WC, top man was Gordon Kennett and Marek Cieslak was also a heat leader, formally the manager of Poland until recently. Wimbledon was a right trek on the trains but WC was real handy when I lived in the West End. I watched a couple of episodes of The Sweeney recently. In one episode Regan was at White City as the lad that he wanted to speak to was doing a few laps before meeting him at the pit gate. In the other, some con's alibi for not doing a crime was that he was at the car racing. I'm pretty sure that the banger racing that they showed was from Plough Lane. |
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Post by rodders on Apr 16, 2021 18:00:36 GMT
I first saw Richard Greer at White City. Went regularly to Hackney and Wimbledon both daunting journeys by underground but quite easy by car.
In addition to those mentioned by Dick there were also Trevor Geer ,Paul Gatchet and Kai Niemi. I think for their entire first season White City used Rider Replacement for Dag Lovaas.
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Post by Hodgy on Apr 17, 2021 10:06:33 GMT
What an amazing website. Serious amount of work gone into it. Thought I knew my Speedway but so many tracks that I have never heard of or places I didn’t realise once had a track.
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Post by rodders on Apr 17, 2021 23:00:41 GMT
Slightly off subject but we were so keen at one time that whilst on holiday in Cornwall we went twice to Exeter , went to Poole and back to see a World Championship Semi Final , took in a meeting at Bristol on the way back.Called briefly at in laws in Cambridge and then went to Coventry before going home to Norwich.
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