Speedway has had more than its share of birds over the years with Eagles, Robins, Falcons, Kestrels and Gulls. Doug Nicolson believes there have also been Cuckoos!

 

Cuckoos nest

A cuckoo is a bird that makes use of other birds’ nests and speedway has had a few cuckoos of its own over the years. Wembley probably started it in a minor way when they staged a number of home meetings at Wimbledon when their Empire stadium was being used for the 1948 Olympic Games. They repeated this, briefly, to get their 1971 season underway, using Newport for an early meeting against Belle Vue, on a night when the Wasps were at Wolverhampton. The football authorities had been adamant that the pitch was not to be lifted for the speedway until after the FA Cup and Home Championship internationals were played in May and this intransigence would later end any possibility of league racing there.

 

Let’s have a look at teams that decamped to other teams “nests”.

 

Cornish Dragons

An outbreak of smallpox in South Wales in 1962 caused Neath promoter, Trevor Remond,  a lot of headaches. Public gatherings were banned for a time, and , with no floodlights at the Abbey Stadium, they could not run beyond August. The solution was to run some meetings at nonleague St Austell. Some were staged at short notice, such that the Edinburgh programme said that they would be racing the Dragons the following week but couldn’t confirm if it would be in Wales or Cornwall. In all three or four meetings were staged as “cuckoos” before reverting back to Neath.

 

Romford – West Ham – Barrow

Rochester Bombers have the unwanted distinction of being “bombed out” of their home base before they even managed to stage a home meeting. Highly unique! Like true cuckoos, they went out and found other nests. First, they moved swiftly to conclude a deal with Romford FC to run at their Brooklands home. Looking at footage of racing at Romford, shows just how close the track was to neighbouring houses, and why some residents complained of having speedway in their back garden! The promoters fought a valiant rearguard action against protest groups, even getting the local police to admit that the speedway actually helped keep troublesome teenagers off the streets! It was a pretty bitterly fought battle, setting neighbour off against neighbour and splitting families too. One supporter of the time recalled two of his uncles refusing to talk to each other after the Bombers got their marching orders. With the 1972 season fast approaching, the promotion tried to buy time in finding a new long term home by agreeing a deal to have a last hurrah at West Ham’s Custom House stadium, which had already been sold for redevelopment. The Bombers became the West Ham Bombers with their racejacket incorporating the famous crossed Hammers into its design. However hopes for a full season were dashed when the demolition date was brought forward to early summer. Once again they had been ousted and once again they were looking for a new home. The none too handily placed Holker Street stadium in Barrow, a mere three hundred miles from Custom House, was their new home, amalgamating with the non league “Happy Faces”. It was again another story of woe, with the margins between the football pitch and the speedway track being a constant source of aggravation. Barrow FC failed to get re-elected to the then fourth division of the Football League and could only secure entry to the Northern Premier League by agreeing to remove the speedway track. Somehow, despite this ruling the Bombers  managed to hang in there and continue racing through to the end of the 1974 season, although it has to be said that by the latter stages the track was very narrow and the bends almost square.

 

Belle Vue cuckoos

In one of the most unusual challenge matches ever raced at Belle Vue’s storied Hyde Road stadium, visiting Glasgow beat visiting Cradley 47-31 in 1971. The resident Aces were in Russia racing in a reciprocal series having earlier hosted Leningrad in Manchester. Actually, not all the Aces were away. For whatever reasons, Ivan Mauger and Chris Pusey remained at home. Mauger donned the Tigers colours for that night, while Pusey along with Ole Olsen became short term Heathens in a truly unique evening.

Belle Vue also provided an emergency home for its “little brother”, the Rochdale Hornets who raced a late season Division Two league meeting against Bradford in 1970 and a doubleheader the following year against both Romford and Berwick.

 

Berwick

Berwick’s last meeting at Shielfield was on September 6, 1980, when they staged a double header against Peterborough, a National League fixture, and Mildenhall, a KO Cup semifinal tie. The fact, that they were staging a double header when the season had about eight weeks to run, suggests that relations with the landlords had broken down to such an extent that a temporary extension of even a couple of weeks couldn’t be agreed. The program cover, a cartoon showing Bandits’ riders pushing a handcart towards Newcastle, leaving a broken down Shielfield which had a “condemned” sign over the entrance, encapsulated the situation. Newcastle would ultimately be the track where they finally won the KO for the first time after being beaten finalists on three previous occasions.

Berwick had decided to build a track at an out of town site. However there was little prospect of it being ready in time for the start of the 1981 campaign and the Bandits management made plans to ride elsewhere. Barrow’s Park Road was chosen to be their temporary home. It was well into April before this was finalised and disappointingly their first meeting against Stoke was rained off. While their 4Team round was staged the following week, the rain gods returned for the next attempted fixture against Boston. So far so bad! After this protracted start it was perhaps not altogether surprising that crowds were poor for the next four meetings which culminated with a 53-42 KO Cup win against Newcastle, a lead they successfully, if narrowly, defended at Brough Park. No further home meetings were staged at Barrow, and they moved up the Cumbrian coast to stage the second leg next KO Cup tie against Weymouth at Workington. The Bandits had taken at draw at Radipole Lane, and a six point win meant they again progressed to the next round.    

This success probably gave them encouragement to carry on.  A deal was done to race at Glasgow’s Blantyre track on Saturday nights. While not ideal, it would have allowed them to see the season out. With no home track advantage, it was not surprising that results there were mixed. However, Edinburgh protested that Berwick shouldn’t be allowed to race in Glasgow, claiming it would impinge on their attendances. Even today, it seems strange that this argument was accepted. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow rode on a Friday night and Berwick raced at Shielfield on a Saturday night. This had been the situation for the five years since Edinburgh reopened and it was never clear to me how Edinburgh could be disadvantaged. Incredibly the Edinburgh protest was upheld and Berwick were forced to withdraw from the league. However the Bandits were prepared to continue their cup quest. Despite being twentyone points down to Boston, they staged the return leg at Newcastle. This was easier said than done. It was at the third time of asking that they managed to race. A huge 64-32 win at Brough Park put them into the final….against Edinburgh! Sadly, with just about all the neutral fans in the country willing them to win, there was no happy ending as Edinburgh ran out convincing 101- 89 victors on aggregate. However some very good news came during the winter. Planning consent had been granted for their new track at Berrington Lough. After many adventures, both very good and very bad, they would return to Shielfield some ten years later. What goes around, comes around perhaps.

 

These cats are wild!

Poole went bankrupt fairly spectacularly at the end of the 1984 season when the bank put Poole Stadium Limited into receivership, meaning it was the end for Poole Pirates. However their stadium -  and reported crowds of “only” 1900 - was still a prime venue and it was possibly no great surprise when the Wildcats from Weymouth moved into the empty nest – just like true cuckoos. After two years of successfully operating in the National League, finishing up as league runners up on both occasions, these Wildcats finally changed their spots, reverting to the Pirates moniker.

 

Glasgow

Glasgow’s time at Craighead Park, often referred to as “Blantyre 2”, was a downward spiral, although, at the time, it was masked to some extent by arch rivals Edinburgh finishing bottom of the league in successive seasons in 1984 and 1985. What couldn’t be hidden, however, was the fact that Edinburgh’s Powderhall was an excellent venue and one of the best in the league. The opposite was true in the west of Scotland, where the spartan facilities would deter all but the most committed of followers. The Tigers were hanging on by its fingernails. Crowds weren’t great but the sport was sustained by the small but devoted band of supporters and Jimmy Beaton’s generosity and ingenuity. The team travelled south for away meetings in a Beaton’s bus, with the Cumbrian group, Steve Lawson, Andy Reid and Geoff Powell joining near Carlisle. A number of supporters would also make the trip and never seemed downhearted no matter the size of the almost inevitable defeat.

There were rumours of the much needed move to a better location, hopefully close to central Glasgow. These included Firhill, the home of Partick Thistle FC – never really likely as there was insufficient room into which to squeeze a track  - and Scotstoun Showground, a council owned facility with an ash running track – local residents in this fairly well to do area would surely have scuppered any application. For a time the most likely prospect of a new home was on the site of a disused coal bing on the Glasgow side of Blantyre, which Frank Doonan, who had owned the Blantyre Dog stadium, was reputed to have bought with the monies from its compulsory purchase. Nothing ever happened on this front but ultimately the Doonan family was to play a pivotal role in securing a new home for the Tigers.

Then, in the close season of 1986/7 it was announced that the Tigers would be moving to Roseberry Park in Rutherglen in Glasgow. This small stadium was mainly used for juvenile football. Although there was no existing track, there was enough room for straights of a good size and the terracing could be excavated for the bends. While not ideal, it was felt it would be an improvement on Craighead Park, both for the track and spectator comfort. However, there seemed to be considerable red tape to wade through, and it was hoped that delays were not going to be too long.   By late April it was obvious this wasn’t going to be the case, and Tigers opted to stage their home fixtures at Workington’s Derwent Park, which had last seen racing in 1981. It is not known if it was hoped that this would just be a temporary measure until planning approval was received but it certainly was the last card in the pack. Basically, track staff, who could get the afternoon off, would travel down on a Beaton’s bus that would leave Glasgow around lunchtime. They would then have a few hours to prepare the track for that nights meeting. At best, things might just about hang together. However, extensive road improvements were being carried out on the A74, the Glasgow to Carlisle trunk road and, with single lane working, lengthy delays were to be expected.. Meetings were generally run on a pretty rough track, which didn’t please visiting sides, most of whom took the pragmatic view that they would be better to ride and complete the fixture to avoid a return trip. Critical referee’s reports were the norm. By midsummer it was obvious that Roseberry Park was dead in the water and, in an attempt to create local interest, promoter Dave Thomson took the rash step of renaming the team “Workington”, going to the expense of new racejackets featuring the traditional Tigers head trimmed with blue with “Workington Tigers” – sacrilege. This had no real effect on the locals but upset most of the loyal Glaswegians who were enduring a tortuous journey down the M74 each week. Things came to a head in mid September, when Wimbledon were most upset with track conditions. Despite taking a narrow win, they sent a strongly worded protest about their trip. The BSPA acted quickly to expel the Tigers from the league on the grounds that they were unlikely to complete their league fixtures. This was a strange reason, as Tigers only had five home fixtures remaining and in 1985 had actually run into November. Like fellow cuckoos Berwick, the Tigers had failed to complete a league season at their adopted home. There must be a moral there somewhere. However like Berwick, the close season brought great news. The Tigers would be returning to Glasgow, to Shawfield no less, just a stone’s throw from their projected base at Roseberry Park.

 

Cup final cuckoos

While staging a league meeting or two on another track isn’t hugely unusual, staging your home leg of the KO Cup Final certainly is.  And it has happened twice, not counting the Berwick cup final mentioned earlier – and both were against Peterborough. Rye House raced them at Arena Essex in 1992, while four years later Wolves took them on at Long Eaton.

 

The year of the rat?

The Chinese zodiac charts will tell you that 1996 was the year of the Rat, but as far as speedway fans were concerned it was the year of the Cuckoo – indeed two - Edinburgh and Cradley. Both were vibrant, financially secure promotions who were tenants at long established dog tracks. Both stadia owners were in financial difficulties and were looking to sell out to developers who hoped to build houses on the sites. Both hoped to come up with a replacement site in the vicinity. Neither did.

 

Scottish Monarchs

The Monarchs had hoped to relocate to Armadale but, like Berwick and Glasgow before them, had found that the wheels of the planning process grind exceptionally slowly. If things weren’t looking good for Monarchs fans, then it was even worse for those of a Glasgow persuasion. Their team was in liquidation. Monarchs had a team but not a track, while Shawfield had a track but not a team. There seemed an obvious answer, take the Monarchs to Shawfield until Armadale was secured. For the venture to break even, it was hoped that nearly all the Tigers fans would continue to come to Shawfield and that a huge number of Edinburgh fans would travel through each week. A big ask on both supports.

Many Glasgow fans considered that Edinburgh were squatters, and were less than welcoming to the home team. Meetings were held in an unpleasant atmosphere, which couldn’t have inspired the home team. The promotion must have lost a fortune, which possibly convinced them to join the newly formed Premier League in 1997 when the combined league returned to its two traditional divisions. Fortunately planning consent for Armadale was received in good time for them to set up their home there.

 

Cradley

Cradley were evicted from their home at the end of the 1995 season, after the owners had sold the stadium for redevelopment. Attempts at securing an alternative nearby site have been pursued from that day to this with a singular lack of success. The Heathens attempted to buy some time by moving their team en masse to Stoke, which had lain dormant for a couple of years after the Potters closed in the early 90s. The Loomer Road stadium was about fifty miles from Dudley Wood, a trip that only the most dedicated of Heathens fans would consider on a regular basis. Despite having an attractive team the “Cradley and Stoke Heathens”, as they were cumbersomely named, didn’t really capture the imagination of the Potteries fans. With Greg Hancock and Billy Hamill as their spearhead, the Heathens finished a creditable fifth in the league in their last hurrah, although speedway continued at Loomer Road with Stoke joining the fledgling Premier League.

 

Not really cuckoos, more like tribute bands

Nostalgic music nights are big business with groups like The Searchers (with John McNally and Frank Allen) and The Hollies (with Bobby Elliott and Tony Hicks) featuring original members, while for other groups only the name on the bass drum is recognized by the audience – really just a tribute band. It was the same in speedway. Newtongrange’s short ill fated season in 1973 saw the home team billed as “Edinburgh Monarchs” although I don’t think these meetings appear in Edinburgh’s history pages. However it should be said that, as the team included Doug and Willie Templeton, they at least had some “originals”.

The excellent Scottish Junior League was formed in 1977 at a time when Coatbridge and Edinburgh were the only Scottish tracks. Two of the junior sides were sponsored by the supporters clubs of Glasgow and Paisley, reviving the names of two teams that were not in existence at that time. With the Tigers subsequently returning to Glasgow at Blantyre, the junior team was later retitled “Lanarkshire Eagles”, which no doubt pleased Motherwell fans of a certain vintage. – all in the Tribute Band category.

In more recent times, the names of Hull, Halifax and Exeter have reappeared in the junior sphere, giving hope that the sport might eventually return to these cities. In particular I would be pleased to see speedway back in Devon.

 

Good luck Coventry

Unsurprisingly, until the start of this year, there had been no further “cuckoo nesting” in the last twenty years by either EL or PL sides. Costly lessons have been learned that relocating to a previously failed track is a dangerous move; that most fans are unlikely to travel sizeable distances each week to continue their allegiance; that a huge expense and no doubt a great deal of heartache can be expected; that putting a licence on ice makes far greater sense. So it must have been with a great deal of foreboding that the Coventry management picked up the last card in the pack and agreed to run their fixtures at Leicester. Certainly this arrangement is more “ground sharing” than “cuckoo nesting”. Good luck Bees. If history repeats itself, I think you’re going to need it.