Nostalgia- Cradley Heath?

[wolfcrazy]

I'm just wandering if there are any websites or an links that people would be willing to give me where I could have a look at some old photos of cradley heath in the 80's and early 90's.

 

I know there are a few on the cradley website but nothing of any racing or pit/ track pics.

 

Just feeling nostalgic and wanted to be reminded of the fun times I had on a saturday at Cradley.

 

thanks in advance.

[Guest Scooterwolf]

I went to CH for a period of about 30 years. I never had a happy night there except when Wolves won. Found the supporters gave a very aggresive and hostile enviroment. Remember loads of stories of riders like Gary Middleton and Ray Wilson and Mitch Shirra having to be smuggled out. Remember one very sick night in the early seventies when Barry Duke deliberatly put a young protege of Ole Olsen named Neils Weiss I think, into the fence and how they cheered. He was stretchered off and bad facial injuries that night I think ended his career. How they loved that. I cant say I am sorry to see that back of the fans. It is a shame that the midlands lost another track though.

[rami]

I went to CH for a period of about 30 years. I never had a happy night there except when Wolves won. Found the supporters gave a very aggresive and hostile enviroment. Remember loads of stories of riders like Gary Middleton and Ray Wilson and Mitch Shirra having to be smuggled out. Remember one very sick night in the early seventies when Barry Duke deliberatly put a young protege of Ole Olsen named Neils Weiss I think, into the fence and how they cheered. He was stretchered off and bad facial injuries that night I think ended his career. How they loved that. I cant say I am sorry to see that back of the fans. It is a shame that the midlands lost another track though.

that was probably about twice then in 30 years scooter. Typical comment from a wolves fan, cradley fans where and still are passionate about the sport and the heathens. I travelled all around the country following cradley and yes we had banter with other clubs but all in all it was good natured rivalry and im sure supporters from most other clubs will tell you how much they miss both the team and suporters of the heathens. Infact the majority of the heathens supporters you dislike so much spend there monday night at the monmore kennel watching your beloved wolves ( Granted most are either cheering the away team or waiting with baited breathe to see if sudden sam can go a whole meeting without falling off at least once!!!!)

[Guest Scooterwolf]

That pretty much sums them up. The fact that they go week after week to support the away team is a bit sad. It is pretty obvious now there is no hope 10 years after its gone of ever coming back so let go and support another team. It was bad the way the owners sold the stadium from under the speedway and dog track for housing just like that. Following Sandwell councils failure to stop the building it does seem unlikely. I must say that speedway in the midlands in poorer for the loss though. When you think with Wolves Cradley Coventry Birmingham and Leicester the Midland cup was nearly as big as the EL is now. Sad those days are gone though time to move on I think.

[icanicant]

Why should it be sad to support the opposition? Wolves were always the 'enemy' and always will be.

 

It is called loyalty to your own team. So they have been away for ten years, it shows the level of support that there were as many Cradley fans as Wolves at Cardiff this year.

 

The real sad part is the assumption that because Cradley don't ride the supporters should support Wolves. It will never happen with the true supporters.

 

We will never give up hope, as i am sure wolves did not, when they closed for a few years in the 80's.

[BrizHeathen]

I went to CH for a period of about 30 years. I never had a happy night there except when Wolves won. Found the supporters gave a very aggresive and hostile enviroment. Remember loads of stories of riders like Gary Middleton and Ray Wilson and Mitch Shirra having to be smuggled out. Remember one very sick night in the early seventies when Barry Duke deliberatly put a young protege of Ole Olsen named Neils Weiss I think, into the fence and how they cheered. He was stretchered off and bad facial injuries that night I think ended his career. How they loved that. I cant say I am sorry to see that back of the fans. It is a shame that the midlands lost another track though.

What a load of negative clap trap.

You have highlighted a few isolated incidents, get real man.

Over a 30 year period Cradley will be remembered more for on track action (plenty against Wolves) why harp on about one or two so called "stories" yes some of them may be true but if thats all you can come up with over such a long period of time i think Cradley win again.

Are you a speedway fan or what? Any real Wolverhampton Speedway fan misses the local rivalry, it had to be good for the sport.

Go on admit it, you miss us, where else can you equal the atmosphere of a Cradley v Wolves encounter...

I admit I enjoyed visiting Monmore.......

Edited July 31, 2004 by BrizHeathen

[salty]

Yes, Garry Middleton did get smuggled out in the back of Len Silver's car, but he had knocked 3 Cradley riders off during the night and then brandished a pistol around in the pits, so it was understandable that tempers were running high!!!

[Wildcat Steve]

Wolfcrazy dont have any photos but came across this old programme

Poole v Cradley

British league

13 heats

21st July 1982

 

 

Poole 32

1. JOHN DAVIS 1,2,2,1,2. 8

2. NEIL MIDDLEDITCH 0,1,1. 2

3. SCOTT AUTREY© 2,2,2,3,0. 9

4 .KEVIN SMITH 2,1,0,1,0. 4

5. DANNY KENNEDY ef,2,2,1. 5

6. PETER PRINSLOO 3,0. 3

7. LES SAWYER 1,0. 1

 

 

Cradley Heath 46

1. BRUCE PENHALL © 3,3,1,2. 9

2. PHIL COLLINS 2,3,2,1. 7

3. ERIK GUNDERSEN 3,3,3,3. 12

4. ALAN GRAHAM 3,3,3,3. 12

5. LANCE KING 1,1,0,1 3

6. ANDY REID 2,0,0. 2

7. JAN VERNER 0,1,0. 1

 

Hope that helps

[Tsunami]

Yes, those were the nights.

 

Lost for half an hour trying to find the track.

Ivor not getting his Daz white overshirt dirty

Wondering who would get fenced that night

Whether you could get out of the stadium and the bus still have its wheels on

Being able to eat your chips after the meeting with no fingers broken.

 

Ah, those were the days, such fun.

 

[wolfcrazy]

Thanks for that Wildcat.

I've bought all the books about Cradley's history, great reads.

 

 

For me, i loved going down to cradley every week. i felt really lucky that I had two teams to watch.

I was always a wolves fan as a kid but it was great to go down to cradley just to watch some speedway on a saturday night.

 

You will never beat the atmosphere from a cradley wolves match, I agree that sometimes it went a bit too far but thats sport and rivalry I guess.

Great to see such passion for a team.

I still feel that way about wolves and I can't wait for the day that The heathens return to the track so we can have back what speedway has really missed.

 

 

Indeed, cradley deserves speedway and speedway certainly deserves cradley.

[BrizHeathen]

Thanks for that Wildcat.

I've bought all the books about Cradley's history, great reads.

 

 

For me, i loved going down to cradley every week. i felt really lucky that I had two teams to watch.

I was always a wolves fan as a kid but it was great to go down to cradley just to watch some speedway on a saturday night.

 

You will never beat the atmosphere from a cradley wolves match, I agree that sometimes it went a bit too far but thats sport and rivalry I guess.

Great to see such passion for a team.

I still feel that way about wolves and I can't wait for the day that The heathens return to the track so we can have back what speedway has really missed.

 

 

Indeed, cradley deserves speedway and speedway certainly deserves cradley.

Wolfcrazy, I salute you.

A sensible unbiased response from a true speedway fan.

[rami]

And so say all of us!!!!!

 

Wolfcrazy you wanna be very careful m8, You admit to being a wolves fan and then you come out with something really sensible, R u sure your a wolves fan lol!!!

[Wildcat Steve]

Know what you mean Wolfcrazy,

having over the years supported Weymouth and Poole and now having the luck to being involved with the Wildcats. i have been lucky too.

hope we see the return of Cradley one day saddly missed entertainment when they visited thats for sure

Glad you liked the posting

[Canadian Star]

Hate to spoil the party on this one, but doesn't speedway pride itself on its family image, as a safe sport not associated with hooliganism like football.

In over 30 years of watching speedway Cradley fans had to be the worst behaved.

I was at Kings Lynn one Sunday in the early eigthies when the Cradley fans turned up as drunk as skunks and caused the biggest brawl, indeed the only brawl i have ever witnessed at a speedway track. For years after that Cyril had to run the Cradley match on a weeknight so as to prevent them from ruining the entertainment for the vast majority of genuine race fans, most of whom wouldn't venture to the Midlands. Reason being if you left your car in the car park there and they new you were from Norfolk you either got a broken window, arial or scratch of some description. Always sad when a track closes, and yes Cradley certainly had a terrific team, but there supporters were lousy behaved.

[greyhoundp]

Canadian star,did not know we had a car park for a start at least 1970 since we had one anyway,parking your car i dont for one minute believe that any Cradley fans would damage any cars,maybe some local yobos.The drunken bit i cannot coment on but you say "the Cradley Fans" I will refute that and say Some Cradley fans maybe.Wolfcrazy i commend you for your comment.

Oh and by the way Canadian star any comment on the years we had a lousy team?,must have had a lousy team and lousy supporters then,we had a not very good team for longer than we had a good team,but i tell you what we always have and always will have some of the best supporters in the World.

[Canadian Star]

GreyhoundP, i am talking from the personal experience i and some of my friends had when visiting Cradley. As for the team yes in the early seventies it was poor, although i remember Roy Trigg,Howard Cole and John Boulger being useful. The period i am mainly referring to is from say 1977 onwards when Cradley did have

a fantastic team of Americans Danes and some good English riders too. Just a shame about the fans behaviour, went to the never forgotten 1981 world final which Bruce Penhall deservedly won. Again sadly there was some very poorly behaved Cradley fans which i had the misfortune to be near too, both in Central London and later at Wembley. This was the only damper on an otherwise incredible experience.

[BrizHeathen]

Hate to spoil the party on this one, but doesn't speedway pride itself on its family image, as a safe sport not associated with hooliganism like football.

In over 30 years of watching speedway Cradley fans had to be the worst behaved.

I was at Kings Lynn one Sunday in the early eigthies when the Cradley fans turned up as drunk as skunks and caused the biggest brawl, indeed the only brawl i have ever witnessed at a speedway track. For years after that Cyril had to run the Cradley match on a weeknight so as to prevent them from ruining the entertainment for the vast majority of genuine race fans, most of whom wouldn't venture to the Midlands. Reason being if you left your car in the car park there and they new you were from Norfolk you either got a broken window, arial or scratch of some description. Always sad when a track closes, and yes Cradley certainly had a terrific team, but there supporters were lousy behaved.

Untrue on several counts.

I was at the KO Cup fixture in 1980, the so called "Brawl" took place on the back strait and was fairly minor, it involved only a handful of people. Yes drinking was a major factor on both sides, but it was dealt with by both the Cradley Supporters Club who banned certain individuals and the local constabulary, I'm not denying it wasn't unaceptable but there were certain factors involved besides booze.

As for changing the fixtures to weeknights, this is not correct, the following year Cradley took what I consider to be one of the best away followings I've ever seen to Saddlebow Road, for a Sunday afternoon fixture.

Once again due to the history of this fixture Heathens fans were advised to stand on the first and second bends, which were packed solid (I've got the video of this one).

It takes two to tango and for some reason Kings Lynn was one of the venues where trouble was never too far away...no idea why you can't get too much further away from the Black Country.

[BrizHeathen]

Anyway enough of this non speedway talk, we are talking 24 years ago, maybe finally getting the chance to see a successful team got the better of some people.

[Canadian Star]

OK Brizheathen i will leave the negative stuff out, and yes i will definately celebrate the wonderful team Cradley had under both Peter Adams and Colin Pratt, a guy for some reason who can do nothing right over at Coventry, in the eyes of some of the fans.

[mark cox]

Never mind sad old bores who have 3 bad experiences with a certain set of fans, which scientifically proves we are all evil and were in league with all dictators over the last 30 years (not including Russell bloke), BUT has anyone got any old photos of Dudley Wood for Mista Wolfcrazy, the friendliest Wolves fan ever!