What Are Peoples Opinions Of These Five Legends.?

[Midland Red]

In those circumstances, Rogers was unlikely to be complimentary about CO or anyone connected with MSS

CO was the "face" of MSS, promoting the sport on their behalf

[The White Knight]

To answer your question directly.

 

Sunderland was a new Track. Wolverhampton and Newcastle were well established long running Speedway Teams. Sunderland was set up with a rag tag set of Riders. We were really not that competitive even at Home. Ken Sharples was then brought in to shore up what was basically a pretty weak Team at the very start of of operations at Sunderland. Everybody knows that if you are starting a new venture it is probably wise to give your hoped for Supporters a Team that is capable of winning well at Home. That didn't happen with us. But crucially the Crowds turned up even on damp evenings.

 

As to the reason why they favoured Wolverhampton and Newcastle, as I stated earlier, they were long established Teams, crucially with long established Support. Both Wolverhampton and Newcastle had built up their support over many years - we were given 9 Meetings in one single Season to build our support. The Sunderland Echo reported that there were 8,500 people at our penultimate Meeting - not too bad, I think you will agree. I don't know how many attendees there were at the last Meeting but there were a lot, I know, because again I was there. (I saw all 9 Meetings in 1964).

 

Bridgett and Parker favoured Newcastle and Wolverhampton because they were so long established they made a lot of money. Sunderland, to my mind was sacrificed because Wolverhampton's Gates were down as they were near the bottom of the League and the only way they could recover their position near the top was to poach our Riders. As stated earlier Newcastle got Ken Sharples.

 

But Wolverhampton got the following Riders from Sunderland:

 

Jim Airey

 

Gordon Guasco

 

Colin McKee

 

(All three were, or became great Riders - and all had their first Rides in England at Sunderland).

 

The improvement in the Wolverhampton Team was immediate.

 

THAT, my friend, is the Case for the Prosecution.

I have quoted myself again:

 

On the matter of the Sunderland Speedway Website.

 

I would like to point out the neither scarletrider, or myself have any involvement in this Site. All of the input on the Website is ours, and the Site was designed by Madweb Design who were brilliant.

 

We closed the Site down, through Madweb Design, a few years ago now. About a year went by and it suddenly reappeared. We have absolutely no idea how this happened and neither does Madweb.

 

We do not know who resurrected the Site or who is keeping it on the Internet. It certainly is not us.

 

Very, very curious indeed.

 

I will though continue to use it for reference.

[Guest]

 

I am fairly certain that the Sanderson family at one time also had a major interest in the old Custom House Stadium - where West Ham speedway and stock car racing took place over many years?

 

 

Do you know when that would have been, gustix?

 

I am going on memory only - but I know that stock cars started at West Ham sometime in the late 1950s. And it was in this period if I recall correctly that the Sandersons had their financial interests in West Ham Stadium. I think the sale - and again only memory - was needed by the Sandersons to support finance needed for the purchase of a luxury hotel in the south west London-Surrey area.

Edited July 17, 2017 by Guest

[norbold]

Thanks for the info, gustix. So, if it was late 50s, they wouldn't have been around in speedway days then.

Edited July 18, 2017 by norbold

[BL65]

Regarding the first Sanderson involvement, a press release in October 1951 stated that Speedway Stadiums (1946) Limited would not be continuing to run speedway at West Ham in 1952, mainly due to falling attendances. The directors of Speedway Stadiums (1946) Limited were Arthur Atkinson, Tippy Atkinson and Stan Greatrex. Walthamstow were keen to move up from Division 2 to replace West Ham in the top league, but this move was scuppered when Alan Sanderson, already involved with Coventry and Leicester, agreed a deal with the Custom House stadium owners to promote speedway. He then ensured there would be an increase in spectator interest by acquiring world champion Jack Young to lead the team and appointing John S. Hoskins as manager.

[norbold]

Thanks, BL.

[steve roberts]

Regarding the first Sanderson involvement, a press release in October 1951 stated that Speedway Stadiums (1946) Limited would not be continuing to run speedway at West Ham in 1952, mainly due to falling attendances. The directors of Speedway Stadiums (1946) Limited were Arthur Atkinson, Tippy Atkinson and Stan Greatrex. Walthamstow were keen to move up from Division 2 to replace West Ham in the top league, but this move was scuppered when Alan Sanderson, already involved with Coventry and Leicester, agreed a deal with the Custom House stadium owners to promote speedway. He then ensured there would be an increase in spectator interest by acquiring world champion Jack Young to lead the team and appointing John S. Hoskins as manager.

Did the Sanderson Family own the stadiums at West Ham, Coventry and Leicester or was it a consortium of people?

[BL65]

Did the Sanderson Family own the stadiums at West Ham, Coventry and Leicester or was it a consortium of people?

In 1924 Allan (often named as Alan) Sanderson, a London based businessman (edit: owner of London Lubricants) and racing driver, purchased the house and 200 acres of land at Selsdon Park in Surrey for £13,000. In 1925 the house was converted to a luxury hotel, operated by Allan and his wife Hilda until 1960, when their son Basil took over the running of the hotel and a golf course which had been added in 1929. The hotel was sold by the Sanderson family to Principal Hotels in 1997.

 

Allan Sanderson formed Midland Sports Limited in October 1936. Initially the shareholders are believed to have been Allan and his wife, although various family members and members of the Ochiltree family were involved in later years. A mortgage was taken out in 1937 and this may well have been to fund the purchase of Brandon Stadium. Allan Sanderson died in 1968, following which Charles Ochiltree, as Managing Director, took the lead role in running Brandon Stadium. Midland Sports Limited appears to have been restructured in 1992, with shareholders comprising Basil Allan Sanderson (until 1996), Mrs Shelagh Sanderson (until 1997), Charles Ochiltree (until 1998), William Peter Gilmour (until 2002), Mrs Linda Ochiltree and Martin Ochiltree. Allan Mark David Norton Sanderson was also a shareholder from 1996 to 2002. From 2002 onwards the sole remaining shareholders appear to have been Linda and Martin Ochiltree.

 

Just after the war Allan and Hilda Sanderson acquired Lythalls Lane Stadium in Foleshill, Coventry, from Coventry Greyhounds Limited, the company which had built the stadium for greyhounds and speedway in 1928. The running of the stadium continued under the name of Midland Speedways Limited from 1950 and after greyhound racing became less profitable it was sold by the company for redevelopment at the end of 1964.

 

When Allan and Hilda Sanderson purchased Leicester Stadium, Blackbird Road, in 1950 the track became part of Midland Sports Limited. Charles Ochiltree took a minority shareholding in the company and had a role as General Manager of Midland Sports Limited. Barratt Homes made an offer for Leicester Stadium in 1978, but this was not accepted. However, greyhound racing was staged at Brandon from September 1978 and this suggests that the venue was seen as a replacement for Blackbird Road, which was an established greyhound track. Midland Sports then finally accepted a bid from Barratt Homes, with the sale completed in 1984. The Sanderson family would have been the major shareholders at that time.

 

When Allan Sanderson was granted a licence to operate at West Ham in 1952 a deal had to be agreed with the stadium owners. With the National League struggling for teams in 1964 Midland Sports Limited was involved in reviving West Ham. Reg Fearman states in his book Both Sides of the Fence that in 1950 the stadium continued to be owned by the Greyhound Racing Association. I understand that the GRA still operated at Custom House until the stadium was closed for redevelopment and probably continued to be the owners up to that point.

Edited July 19, 2017 by BL65

[steve roberts]

In 1924 Allan (often named as Alan) Sanderson, a London based businessman and racing driver, purchased the house and 200 acres of land at Selsdon Park in Surrey for £13,000. In 1925 the house was converted to a luxury hotel, operated by Allan and his wife Hilda until 1960, when their son Basil took over the running of the hotel and a golf course which had been added in 1929. The hotel was sold by the Sanderson family to Principal Hotels in 1997.

 

Allan Sanderson formed Midland Sports Limited in October 1936. Initially the shareholders are believed to have been Allan and his wife, although various family members and members of the Ochiltree family were involved in later years. A mortgage was taken out in 1937 and this may well have been to fund the purchase of Brandon Stadium. Allan Sanderson died in 1968, following which Charles Ochiltree, as Managing Director, took the lead role in running Brandon Stadium. Midland Sports Limited appears to have been restructured in 1992, with shareholders comprising Basil Allan Sanderson (until 1996), Mrs Shelagh Sanderson (until 1997), Charles Ochiltree (until 1998), William Peter Gilmour (until 2002), Mrs Linda Ochiltree and Martin Ochiltree. Allan Mark David Norton Sanderson was also a shareholder from 1996 to 2002. From 2002 onwards the sole remaining shareholders appear to have been Linda and Martin Ochiltree.

 

Just after the war Allan and Hilda Sanderson acquired Lythalls Lane Stadium in Foleshill, Coventry, from Coventry Greyhounds Limited, the company which had built the stadium for greyhounds and speedway in 1928. The running of the stadium continued under the name of Midland Speedways Limited from 1950 and after greyhound racing became less profitable it was sold by the company for redevelopment at the end of 1964.

 

When Allan and Hilda Sanderson purchased Leicester Stadium, Blackbird Road, in 1950 the track became part of Midland Sports Limited. Charles Ochiltree took a minority shareholding in the company and had a role as General Manager of Midland Sports Limited. Barratt Homes made an offer for Leicester Stadium in 1978, but this was not accepted. However, greyhound racing was staged at Brandon from September 1978 and this suggests that the venue was seen as a replacement for Blackbird Road, which was an established greyhound track. Midland Sports then finally accepted a bid from Barratt Homes, with the sale completed in 1984. The Sanderson family would have been the major shareholders at that time.

 

When Allan Sanderson was granted a licence to operate at West Ham in 1952 a deal had to be agreed with the stadium owners. With the National League struggling for teams in 1964 Midland Sports Limited was involved in reviving West Ham. Reg Fearman states in his book Both Sides of the Fence that in 1950 the stadium continued to be owned by the Greyhound Racing Association. I understand that the GRA still operated at Custom House until the stadium was closed for redevelopment and probably continued to be the owners up to that point.

Many thanks for that...much appreciated.

[BL65]

Regarding the reference to greyhound racing at Blackbird Road and the precautionary introduction at Brandon in 1978 following the initial interest by Barratt Homes, it should be noted that Hilda Sanderson was the owner of several greyhounds over the years, based at Lythalls Lane and Blackbird Road.

[steve roberts]

Regarding the reference to greyhound racing at Blackbird Road and the precautionary introduction at Brandon in 1978 following the initial interest by Barratt Homes, it should be noted that Hilda Sanderson was the owner of several greyhounds over the years, based at Lythalls Lane and Blackbird Road.

It does seem to have been a very complex scenario regarding the ownership, or part of, various stadia, down the years.

[Daytripper]

Thanks for the info, gustix. So, if it was late 50s, they wouldn't have been around in speedway days then.

The stock cars started in 1954 and overlapped with Speedwáy until Speedwáy finished in 1955. According to my father the introduction of stock cars made it necessary to widen the bends and that was the reason the track was shortened from 440 yards to 415 yards.

My understanding is that it was the Tory entertainment tax that crippled Speedwáy at Custom House in the 1950's, although there were other reasons and speedways popularity was on the wane by the mid 50's.

 

I am of the firm opinion that it was the Lokoren disaster that was the final nail in the West Ham coffin. After losing half the team, including riders with massive potential like Martyn Piddock and Peter Bradshaw the team or the entertainment value was never the same again.

 

I did read somewhere that in the Stadiums last year of trading the dividend paid to the shareholders was only £700 between them and as the stands were more or less life expired and considerable investment was necessary so the decision to sell was more or less inevitable, but a Speedwáy meeting at Custom House Stadium on a warm summers evening was the best place to be in the history of the universe. Barry Briggs said it was the best track in the country so who are we to disagree ?

 

Back to the point of the thread. Len Silver has to be among the off track greats. He has given his heart and soul to the sport and his contribution is tremendous. He is regarded as an opinionated, and difficult man to get on with but if he was not opinionated and difficult he would not have achieved a fraction of what he has achieved.

Edited July 24, 2017 by Daytripper

[norbold]

According to my father the introduction of stock cars made it necessary to widen the bends and that was the reason the track was shortened from 440 yards to 415 yards.

 

I was told the reason for the reduction from 440 yards to 415 yards was because at the end of the 1953 season, Jack Young asked for a transfer as he felt that Custom House was too long and was more a test of speed than skill and that being probably the most skilful rider around at the time, he thought it would be to his advantage to ride for a smaller track. Desperate to keep him, the West Ham management agreed to shorten the track.