Memories Of Waterden Road

[BOBBATH]

Thought I should add my two cents worth to this thread.I visited Waterden Road, 4 times in 67 and once in 72.Meeting I recall best -I'm looking at the program now- was Hawks v Dons in BL on JUly 28th 67. Hackney hammered (excuse the pun) the Dons 57-21. I was sort of glad to see it as I thought the Hawks were often the underdogs among the 3 London teams, plus the only one from the old PL. Scorers for Hackney: L.McGillivray 12, a max-and unusual for Les at that stage of his career I thought-,Bengt Jansson 11, Pratt 10,McKee 10, Gerry Jackson 8,Davies 4 Brown 2. For the Dons: Nygren 9,Hedge 4, Luckhurst 4,Cowland 3,Tebby 1, Soderberg 0, Burt 0. Eat your hearts out Dons supporters-the Hackney fans went wild. Anyone else recall this meeting. The thing I recall about the area were all the smells at Carpenters Road from the factories there-what was that anyway-stockyards perhaps??

[Sean]

The good one came in the year when Hackney challenged Reading strongly for the League title, the year of the Reading 'insurance' policy.

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1980 ... boy what a year!!

[SHALEWAY69]

2 memories to add to the list; one good, one bad. The good one came in the year when Hackney challenged Reading strongly for the League title, the year of the Reading 'insurance' policy. IIRC Hackney had finished bottom of the League two years on the trot, started the season badly and then went to Hull and won to start a tremendous challenge for the title. The key match was against Cradley at Waterden Road and Cradley won by virtue of Bo Petersen being excluded in the penultimate heat. I remember the response of the Hackney fans, they stayed and cheered Cradley on their victory lap of honour. I was very impressed. This was at a time when an adverse refereeing decision would have sparked a riot at any football ground.

The bad memory is the death of Denny Pyeatt, without a doubt the worst thing I've ever seen at speedway

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Memories. memories

........when Gary Middleton appeared in the pits one wearing a german ss uniform overcoat and jack boots..........Berts workshop, we thought it was full of rubbish bikes then, today they would be worth a fortune..........Finn Thomsen guiding Billy Sanders for a closer inspection of the fence in the run down of a torrid race....Saturday training schools...Mark Terry and his sister both riding..Mike Fitz sponsored by Flashman king of the touts...Buster Chapman we all knew he was going places... fathers and sons...George Bowen and his boy Kevin...the King brothers and Gerry...what characters!!

[tyler42]

..........Berts workshop, we thought it was full of rubbish bikes then, today they would be worth a fortune..........

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Now that was an Aladdin’s cave!!

[cityrebel]

my most vivid memory of the wick was attending the coldest meeting ever staged in this country!, the golden jubilee in 1978. i was still feeling cold two weeks later!.

[SHALEWAY69]

my most vivid memory of the wick was attending the coldest meeting ever staged in this country!, the golden jubilee in 1978. i was still feeling cold two weeks later!.

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Brass monkey weather that day, I can not remember feeling so bitterly cold at any speedway meeting. the joy was seeing the great Jack Parker ride against simmo.

[Dave Stummings]

Hackney, what a place. One of the best nights was Tadpoles & Fenn’s reunion. Awesome night! The old stadium! What a place! The track, second to none, sorry TMC disagree about Belle Vue, Hackney was a far better track. Surprised Mr Tadpole has not been on here. I do understand that Len Silver’s autobiography is due out later this year, what about a reunion launch Tadpole?

[cityrebel]

Hackney, what a place. One of the best nights was Tadpoles & Fenn’s reunion. Awesome night! The old stadium! What a place! The track, second to none, sorry TMC disagree about Belle Vue, Hackney was a far better track. Surprised Mr Tadpole has not been on here. I do understand that Len Silver’s autobiography is due out later this year, what about a reunion launch Tadpole?

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hackney was a great racing track up until 1983. when crayford moved in and they altered the shape and took away some of the banking, it was never as good as before.

Edited January 15, 2008 by cityrebel

[shazzybird]

my most vivid memory of the wick was attending the coldest meeting ever staged in this country!, the golden jubilee in 1978. i was still feeling cold two weeks later!.

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I remember being at this meeting luckily my nan had knitted me a new scarf!, Uncle Ted still has his body colour signed by all the riders hanging on the wall!

[Brian L]

yes I remember Tony Featherstone, a very polite and well spoken young man, from Boston area I think. a dedicated rider always well prepared. where are you now flintstone??

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Agree Tony Featherstone was a nice guy who always had time for the supporters, shame it didn't work out for him at Hackney; plays bowls competitively now.

 

The Hackney Gazette would write almost a page + photos twice a week in it's sports section on Speedway; a report on Tuesdays and a review on Fridays. I used to cut them out and stick them into a scrapbook.

 

I also remember Snowy getting everyone to sponsor Keith White when he got to the Intercontinental Final in 1977.

 

The 50 year anniversary was one of the most memorable meetings I have been to, the 75 year one was disappointing in comparison.

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

.... until 1983. when crayford moved in ...

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Hmm, Hackney swallowing up Crayford would be my description of the events of 1984 (not '83)..!!!

[cityrebel]

Hmm, Hackney swallowing up Crayford would be my description of the events of 1984 (not '83)..!!! 

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my point was that 1983 was the last season of racing on the original circuit. 1984 was a new team and a new track, just as it was in 1996.

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

my point was that 1983 was the last season of racing on the original circuit. 1984 was a new team and a new track, just as it was in 1996.

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Did they change the track in 1984..??

I was so disgusted at what had happened to my team (Crayford) that I didn't venture to see the Kestrels at Waterden Rd.!!

[cityrebel]

Did they change the track in 1984..??

I was so disgusted at what had happened to my team (Crayford) that I didn't venture to see the Kestrels at Waterden Rd.!!

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the track in 1984 was reduced in size from 345 yards to 320 yards. i believe this was done because of the position of the lamp standards on the bends. as for the hackney kestrels they were no different than the west ham bombers or the dreaded eastbourne dons. two wrongs don't always make a right. as a lifelong wimbledon fan myself, i refused to go to arlington when we moved there. what could be worse, it would be like arsenal groundsharing at white hart lane!.

[Bryn]

I was so disgusted at what had happened to my team (Crayford) that I didn't venture to see the Kestrels at Waterden Rd.!!

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And never shopped at Sainsbury's since???

[shazzybird]

Did they change the track in 1984..??

I was so disgusted at what had happened to my team (Crayford) that I didn't venture to see the Kestrels at Waterden Rd.!!

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Least you still had a team

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

Least you still had a team 

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WHAT???!!!

 

How on earth do you work that one out...??!!

 

Crayford had closed, shazzy!! The fact that a number of the riders and the Kestrels name re-emerged at Hackney was in no way relevant to the fact that our track and our club had been wiped off the map!!!!

[Bryn]

WHAT???!!!

 

How on earth do you work that one out...??!!

 

Crayford had closed, shazzy!!  The fact that a number of the riders and the Kestrels name re-emerged at Hackney was in no way relevant to the fact that our track and our club had been wiped off the map!!!!

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Thing is Parsnips old fruit there was no alternative with the stadium about to be demolished and replaced with the Sainsburys which dominates the old site now. There's a much smaller greyhound stadium more or less where the pits car park used to be but, sadly, it's not big enough to encompass the return of speedway.

So blame Sainsburys / Ladbrokes - personally I have never used either of their services since!

[iris123]

WHAT???!!!

 

How on earth do you work that one out...??!!

 

Crayford had closed, shazzy!!  The fact that a number of the riders and the Kestrels name re-emerged at Hackney was in no way relevant to the fact that our track and our club had been wiped off the map!!!!

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I agree with Parsloes

 

Same when the Dons moved to Eastbourne.It wasn't the same.It certainly wasn't my club,just because they were called the Dons and had Wimbledon riders in the team.By the time i went to Eastbourne they were called the Eagles again.Which is what they were in the first place imo

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

Thing is Parsnips old fruit there was no alternative with the stadium about to be demolished and replaced with the Sainsburys which dominates the old site now. There's a much smaller greyhound stadium more or less where the pits car park used to be but, sadly, it's not big enough to encompass the return of speedway.

  So blame Sainsburys / Ladbrokes - personally I have never used either of their services since! 

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There may well have been no alternative but it was Hackney's track that was saved by the machinations of that set of events not Crayford's.

So, no blame obviously on Hackney; but equally no relevance either to Kent fans like me..

Sure I know you went every week to Hackney to carry on your support of the Kestrels and fair play to you: for many (surely the majority..) of Crayford fans, it was simply the end of the line.

Personally, I went to just eleven meetings in total in the next TEN years after '83!!!!!

THAT'S the legacy every time a track closes down in this sport of ours..