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Cradley Heathens <post 1980 All Time Team >


greyhoundp

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JB was one of my first speedway hero's also. I remember the one man shows at places like the Shay, where despite an eighteen point maximum Cradley United still got a thumping from the Dukes.

He's a really nice Guy too.

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In the spirit of Christmas, and with best wishes to all Cradley fans, can I suggest this Wolves 7 from the same cut off of 1973 would give you a pretty good match.

 

1.Olsen

2.Ermolenko

3.Sigalos

4.Correy

5.Nielsen

6.M.Karlsson

7.P.Karlsson

 

:D

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In the spirit of Christmas, and with best wishes to all Cradley fans, can I suggest this Wolves 7 from the same cut off of 1973 would give you a pretty good match.

 

1.Olsen

2.Ermolenko

3.Sigalos

4.Correy

5.Nielsen

6.M.Karlsson

7.P.Karlsson

 

:D

That is a very good team Wolf Man, but only three world champions compared to six.

Not that you would judge riders purely on the fact that they had won a world championship though, Olsen and Ermerlenko were particularly good team men for Wolves.

Cradley v Wolves (all time top 7) would be a close call, I think the Heathens would come out on top for old times sake though.

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Don't know whether you can count Neilsen as a Wolves World champ, he had left Monmore some 6 years before he won his first title.

How long did Siggy ride for Wolves? I always thought of him as an Ipswich man.

By the same token I don't know whether we can claim Michanek, as he only rode about half a season.

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Don't remember Sigalos or Michanek riding for Wolves, if Sigalos did it must have been when he was way past his best.

Sigalos was Wolves number 1 when they re-opened in '84.

 

Got a badly broken ankle later that year and was never the same rider again.

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Don't remember Sigalos or Michanek riding for Wolves, if Sigalos did it must have been when he was way past his best.

I remember when Michanek rode for Cradley, if that's what you mean. He was in the team on one of the few occasions I went to Dudley Wood. I think it was 1977, around the time when they changed from 'United' to 'The Heathens'. It was also the start of their transformation from regular also-rans to one of Speedway's glamour clubs.

 

When I think of Cradley there are two matches that always come to mind. One was when the amazing 1983 team came to Swindon and Phil Crump scored a maximum against them despite Cradley winning 29-49 (or was it 28-50?). Ah! REAL Speedway scores!

 

The other match I remember was at Oxford in 1975, when it snowed and the Cradley team quit about half way through and went home. Oxford went on to ride the match on their own and win 58-14.

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  The other match I remember was at Oxford in 1975, when it snowed and the Cradley team quit about half way through and went home.  Oxford went on to ride the match on their own and win 58-14.

Such great fun when that happens isn't it? :angry:

I went to a match at Long Eaton where Middlesborough were unhappy with the track so refused to ride. Long Eaton then went on to score 5-0 in all the races.

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I only ever went to Cradley once and it was one of the happiest nights of my speedway life as it was the night West Ham completed the treble in 1965 - the first year of the British League. :D:D:D

 

I can't remember any of the Cradley riders I'm sorry to say, but I can remember the West Ham team. (I'll look up the programme tonight and see who was riding for Cradley - unless anyone can tell me in the meantime.)

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Couldn't tell you the exact team on that occasion, but the Cradley Heath History Site shows the 1965 team as: Eric Hockaday, Tom Bungay, John Hart, Ron Cooper, Leo McAuliffe, Matt Mattocks, Chris Julian and Ivor Brown.

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I only ever went to Cradley once and it was one of the happiest nights of my speedway life as it was the night West Ham completed the treble in 1965 - the first year of the British League. :D:D:D

 

I can't remember any of the Cradley riders I'm sorry to say, but I can remember the West Ham team. (I'll look up the programme tonight and see who was riding for Cradley - unless anyone can tell me in the meantime.)

47-31 to the Hammers

 

Cradley

 

John Hart 7

Goog Allan 6

Leo Mcauliffe 5

Eric Hockaday 5

Ivor Hughes 4

Chris Julian 4

George Major 0.

 

West Ham

 

Sverre Harrfeldt 12

Ken Mckinlay 9

Malc Simmons 9

Norman Hunter 8

Brian Leonard 5

Tony Clarke 2

Reg Trott 2

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I only ever went to Cradley once and it was one of the happiest nights of my speedway life as it was the night West Ham completed the treble in 1965 - the first year of the British League.  :D  :D  :D

 

I can't remember any of the Cradley riders I'm sorry to say, but I can remember the West Ham team. (I'll look up the programme tonight and see who was riding for Cradley - unless anyone can tell me in the meantime.)

47-31 to the Hammers

 

Cradley

 

John Hart 7

Goog Allan 6

Leo Mcauliffe 5

Eric Hockaday 5

Ivor Hughes 4

Chris Julian 4

George Major 0.

 

West Ham

 

Sverre Harrfeldt 12

Ken Mckinlay 9

Malc Simmons 9

Norman Hunter 8

Brian Leonard 5

Tony Clarke 2

Reg Trott 2

That's what my programme says! :)

 

Ken McKinlay won the second half from Sverre Harrfeldt with Norman Hunter third.

Brian Leonard won the reserves second half event.

 

A good night for the Hammers :D

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By the end of the 1965 season according to Peter Foster's history of the Heathens the side were in disarray, with top man Ivor Brown out injured.

Re the match you talk about Norbold..."In a match at Dudley Wood against West Ham, Hart(Johnny) again walked out, claiming that conditions were too bad to take part, and the Heathens took another trouncing"

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Don't think it could have been the same match, salty. John Hart took his four programmed rides and took one as a tactical substitute as well in the last heat. He also took part in the second half, although he suffered engine failure.

Edited by norbold
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