When Hackney opened it was quite a dilemma for me. I was born and brought up in Hackney and, as I said, the speedway was in walking distance of my home but by then I had become a New Cross supporter and, of course, New Cross re-opened (after a year's break) the same year as Hackney and in the same league. So, in the world of local derbies, Hackney became the enemy! Although New Cross then closed, West Ham opened the following year, so I had no option but to transfer my allegiance to West Ham as I couldn't contemplate supporting the old enemy however near to me it was!
From then until 1972, I was a regular at both tracks every week. After West Ham closed I continued going to Hackney but could never bring myself to actually support them, especially as, by then, I had moved away into the deep recesses of Essex (Loughton).....I effectively became trackless in terms of support until moving to Clacton in 1979 and falling into the welcoming arms of Ipswich.