salty

Steve C is absolutely right. The viewing at the new stadium was very poor and the track was not conducive to good racing, with very little banking compared to the old track. What kept Hackney Stadium going for years were the lucrative BAGS(Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service) contracts that they had. Hackney dogs were part of Saturday mornings in the bookies for years. When Brent Walker(the original owners) went bust the contracts were lost to tracks like Romford and Crayford and these contracts were not recovered when the new stadium was built. The new owners tried to attract the same sort of punters who have kept Walthamstow so popular, but I don't think they ever had the crowds to cover their investment. I can remember when I first went to the new stadium there were loads of bar staff, but by the end of the London Lions season things were being run on a shoestring. It is a crying shame the stadium is just sitting there not being used. Best case scenario as far as Speedway is concerned is that it gets tarted up for an Olympic bid. Bid loses out to Paris(which is far better suited to running the Olympics than London) and somehow we get the Hawks back in a lovely stadium as the Government try to cut their/our losses. Heres hoping.

T Brooks Johnny B came to Cradley in 74 and rode for 3 years before returning to Leicester. I think one of the main reasons he moved was that he wanted to be a No 1, so he wanted to get out of the shadow of Ray Wilson. He took over Bernie Persson's mantle at Dudley Wood, though Bernie rode with him in 75. Look up the Cradley website for news of what John is up to now. My Speedway life started in '68 so can't remember JB's Long eaton days. Regards

Gemini The year i think you are referring to is 1971, when Leicester won at Hyde road by 37-35. Don't know any more details, but the Lions team for most of that season was Wilson, Boulger, Plant, Cowland, Storer, Brown and Leadbitter. They finished 2nd 4 points behind Belle Vue. Regards

On this point I can remember at Cradley in 1981 when Arnie Haley was struggling badly as a reserve and the crowd were giving him stick. Just felt that a rider who had once been so good didn't need to go through that, I certainly like to remember him in his Owlerton pomp.

No doubt... CRADLEY 1983 1. Simon Wigg(8.86) 2. Lance King(8.74) 3. Erik Gundersen(10.18) 4. Alan Grahame(8.69) 5. Phil Collins(7.98) 6. Peter Ravn(7.97) 7. Jan O Pedersen(6.78) League and Cup winners, Midland Cup winners

Dutch Boy I was at that meeting (at both legs in fact). As I remember it was originally rained off and was close to being called off a 2nd time as there was a big downpour about half an hour before tapes up. Although Hackney had a 24 point lead from the 1st leg the Dons had got to the final by overcoming a 22 point deficit against Midenhall and a 20 point deficit against berwick so there was a faint hope that they could do something special. However that Dons team weren't particularly fond of the wet and once the weather was so bad they were imo beaten before the start. Can' t really remember it as a great meeting, but I do remember the Kestrels being highly motivated not just to win the Cup but also to win both legs. There had been some ill feeling between the camps throughout the season and a controversial draw at Plough Lane as well as some debate over who should hold the second leg of the final. Do you remember who Hackneys man of the match was in the 2nd leg?

Don't have a big white beard, but only cos I shave. Fish fingers...YUK!!! And I am trying to spread the gospel in this speedway free land.

As an ex-Heathen who lived in London during most of the 80's and went to Plough Lane until it closed, but now find myself living over the Irish Sea the answer is simple. I rely on Sky!!!

Deano Check out the CH! Born and bred in the Black Country, married a Belfast girl. May return one day if the Heathens get back on track. regards

Kevin A good idea, but the difference between riders commuting to Sweden, Poland etc is as far as I know they generally have bikes and equipment in the country and then fly over. Apart from an imported squad of home riders, the away team would have to ferry man and machine over for one off matches. Quickest journey time to the north is approx an hour but that is from Stranraer(not the easiest place to get to in the first place). From Liverpool the crossing takes about 8 hours! Bearing in mind the risk of not getting support over here, I can't see anyone taking such a risk.

As a Heathen living in Belfast the prospect of Speedway over here would be extremely exciting, however I would be amazed if it were to happen. The Belfast Giants Ice Hockey team have attracted good crowds as do the Ulster Rugby Union team, this shows that there is a market for spectator sports over here, but there really isn't a suitable venue. The dog track which services Belfast is at Ballyskeagh, which is nearer Lisburn than Belfast. I seem to remember it did hold a meeting once(someone with a copy of Homes of British Speedway may confirm) and there were meetings at other defunct venues in Belfast, but there has been no Speedway since early 1980's when Cradley rode a challenge match at Ballymena in front of a crowd of 5,000. There is a great deal of interest in motorcycle racing, but it revolves mainly around the road racing tradition. If someone was brave enough to have a go at introducing the sport I think they would probably get good crowds, but don't know if it would be enough to offset the transport costs of getting men and machines over the Irish Sea. Don't know so much about the Dublin area, but again I suspect a GP round would be a risky but possible venture, but unlikely on a regular basis.

Rode at the Shay in 69 and 70, then missed the next 2 years before returning in 73. Average in 69 was 5.32, in 73 it was 5.20. Seem to remember he had a bad arm injury, so maybe that was why he was missing for a couple of years? He might also have riden some other seasons but memory fails. On his visits to Cradley he was a potent reserve, who was a match winner on at least 1 occasion. Regards

I remember Charlie Monk in the late 60's when he rode for Glasgow. Reputation of being very quiet I think, I also remember reading that he had a profound dislike of having his picture taken. Finished his career in the late 70's riding for the Monarchs at Powderhall.Also spent time in the 70's at Halifax. Regards

Hurri-Ken rode in the 2nd meeting I ever saw in '69. A sad loss. RIP