Cycle Speedway

[baldie 10]

A couple of fotos

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bushbaby387/

 

thats the old parson cross track that brings alot of good old memories flooding back

[tigerman 10]

During the late 1960s, there was a fairly extensive “Cycle Speedway” network in Sheffield, and I have been trying to unearth some of the details.

I have a few memories and would love anyone to give me clarification, or add to my stock.

The main span of participants was aged between 17 and 25. The guys rode mostly on self- built bikes, which had “Canadian Bends” handlebars, small cranks and cogs (32-18?) no gears or breaks, straight forks and gripster tyres.

A meeting was based on conventional speedway, with similar sized teams and the same scoring system (3-2-1-0) and the guy who got to the first bend first, was often the winner.

The teams I remember are the Parson Cross Eagles, Parson Cross Devils, Stradbroke Arrows and the Sheffield Tigers (bit pretentious I guess, but that was their name). There was many more but those brain cells aren’t what they were.

There were also teams from outside Sheffield who visited for tournaments. I can distinctly recall a team from Hull coming to Parson Cross, for the “Yorkshire Championships” (although I admit I might have got that wrong)

I have looked through a few Sheffield books to see if any further details are recorded, but can find none. Can anyone enlighten me?

 

px devils, px eagles, stradbroke arrows, sheffield tigers [ fir vale ], ecclesfied, wisewood, parkwood panthers, foxhill foxes, shirecliffe,

[baldie 10]

px devils, px eagles, stradbroke arrows, sheffield tigers [ fir vale ], ecclesfied, wisewood, parkwood panthers, foxhill foxes, shirecliffe,

 

remember em all am surprised you can after all falls and crashes you had lol

[tigerman 10]

the brain has been preserved in alcohol lol

[baldie 10]

the brain has been preserved in alcohol lol

 

ahahah seem to remember you liked a drink ill be down boro tonight havin a few with g f she dont drink sad aint it lol

[tigerman 10]

the brain has been preserved in alcohol lol

going to put a few names on later

[baldie 10]

have a look at top of this page hope your head dunt fall off loldid you get my pm

[tigerman 10]

Would the small oval track at the bottom of Wadsley Common (just up behind the Rose & Crown) be for this use?

 

Its about a 5th of the size of a motorcycle speedway track, and it has banks all the way round - for spectators to sit on maybe?

 

 

I've been wanting to know about that track since I was about 5!

 

that is the wisewood teams track

[baldie 10]

that is the wisewood teams track

 

here goes see if you remember these guys pete howe ben howe johny beever terry wilson ray burns tom roebuck malc cooper terry howell tony cain steve cave johny bush pete bush

[tigerman 10]

yes i have got all those names down but not steve cave so dont you mean steve camm, foxhill, bonnington, horton,trevor howell, eric howell terry howell,john beever , malc cooper, most went to join pete howe and ray byrne,to make the px eagles, ecclesfield , mick wilson,pete goddard,glen sheldon, stringer, corker, sheffield tigers fir vale, alan charmers, kieth burgin, andy mitchell, tony mitchell, rowdy yates, parkwood panthers, hickman, dennis wasden, who rode later at owlerton. stradbroke, eddie fordham, gary fordham, martin gamble, and another gamle brother, shirecliffe, furniss, hinchcliffe, o and another cross lad pete lee.

[baldie 10]

yes i have got all those names down but not steve cave so dont you mean steve camm, foxhill, bonnington, horton,trevor howell, eric howell terry howell,john beever , malc cooper, most went to join pete howe and ray byrne,to make the px eagles, ecclesfield , mick wilson,pete goddard,glen sheldon, stringer, corker, sheffield tigers fir vale, alan charmers, kieth burgin, andy mitchell, tony mitchell, rowdy yates, parkwood panthers, hickman, dennis wasden, who rode later at owlerton. stradbroke, eddie fordham, gary fordham, martin gamble, and another gamle brother, shirecliffe, furniss, hinchcliffe, o and another cross lad pete lee.

 

you might not know cavey he used to watch us forgot graham hoole lived near you

[Asaw 10]

ahh tony cain wat a lad he was spectacular when he rode cycle speedway hed fall off in a big cloud of dust hed be grazed an sore get back up ready for his next race mind u wat u expect he was a cross lad lolamt seen him for couple of years used to see him at owlerton speedway then he got barred early 2000 so he used to climb on wall an watch it wat a charictor he used to down apint in 2 seconds incredable

 

Saw Tony a few months ago moved to Waterthorpe area he had just got over a heart attack