West Ham Hammers
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West Ham Hammers | |||
Club Information | |||
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Track Address | West Ham Stadium Prince Regent Lane London |
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Country | England | ||
Founded | 1930 | ||
Closed | 1971 | ||
Website | West Ham website | ||
Club Facts | |||
Colours | Claret and Blue | ||
Track size | 440 yards | ||
Major Team Honours | |||
National League Champions British League Champions British League KO Cup Winners ACU Cup Winners |
1937 1965 1965 1938 |
The West Ham Hammers were a speedway team, first promoted by Jimmy Baxter in 1929.[1]. They operated from the West Ham Stadium until the outbreak of World War Two under several different promotions, most successfully under the control of Johnnie Hoskins.
The track opened in 1928 and staged a few meetings during the early war years.
Meetings were staged in 1945 but the Hammers re-opened in 1946 and ran until 1955[2]. However dwindling crowds saw the promotion close. It did not re-open until 1964 and ran a further eight seasons until 1971 when they were informed that the stadium was being sold by the Greyhound Racing Authority to make way for building development. The Romford Bombers moved into the stadium for the 1972 season, racing under the name West Ham Bombers. [3]
Contents |
[edit] Top 20 West Ham Riders
The top twenty West Ham riders as voted in Speedway '72 magazine published in 1972.
- Bluey Wilkinson
- Jack Young
- Tiger Stevenson
- Tommy Croombes
- Björn Knutsson
- Arthur Atkinson
- Sverre Harrfeldt
- Eric Chitty
- Aub Lawson
- Ken McKinlay
- Christer Lofqvist
- Wally Green
- Malcolm Craven
- Gerry Hussey
- Norman Hunter
- Colin Watson
- Jimmy Gibb
- Bob Harrison
- Charlie Spinks
[edit] Meeting Details
Details of a number of meetings staged at West Ham in the pre-war (WW2), 1945 - 1955 and between 1965 and 1970 can be viewed on www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk . The records are not complete and any help to complete them would be welcomed.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Bamford, R & Jarvis J. (2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
- ^ Belton, Brian (2003). Hammerin' Round. ISBN 0-7524-2438-6
- ^ Jacobs, N. Speedway in London. ISBN 0-7524-2221-9