Fleetwood Flyers

Fleetwood Flyers
Club information
Track address Highbury Stadium
Park Avenue
Fleetwood
Lancashire
Country England
Founded 1948
Closed    1952
League National League Division Two
Club facts
Colours green and red
Track size    not known
Track record time    63.8
Track record date    1948-06-29
Track record holder    Dick Geary
Major team honours

Fleetwood Flyers were a speedway team in Fleetwood, England which operated from 1948 until 1952.[1] Home meetings were raced at Highbury Stadium stadium, Park Avenue in Fleetwood.[2]

Contents

Seasons

The Flyers first competed in the National League Division Two in 1948 when they replaced Wigan Warriors after three matches. They competed in Division Two in 1949, 1950 and 1951.

In 1952 they dropped out of the league and operated on an open licence riding challenge matches as Fleetwood Knights.

1948 season

The first three meetings of the season were run by Wigan Warriors. As the Warriors they lost two and won one meetings. The first meeting at home was against Edinburgh Monarchs on 14 April, which they lost 35-49 with Norman Hargreaves top scoring on ten points. The track had been made available for practice on the afternoon prior to the meeting and the Monarchs took advantage of the session whilst the home riders did not. The track record race time was set as 70.4 seconds in the second heat by Jack Gordon. The track record was broken at the next home meeting in at 68.8 seconds set by Sheffield Tigers rider Jack Bibby. The Flyers first victory came in an away meeting over Birmingham Brummies on 24 April. On 27 April Norwich Stars rider Syd Littlewood set a new track record of 66.8 seconds. In the 44-39 win over Newcastle Diamonds on 18 May the track record was again broken, by Wilf Plant at 65.4 seconds. As results gradually improved the track record was broken in the 48-36 win over Glasgow Tigers on 1 June, set by Dick Geary at 65.0 seconds. Bristol Bulldogs rider Fred Tuck broke the track record again on 15 June in a cup meeting at 64.8 seconds and he broke it again a week later in a National Trophy meeting at 64.6 seconds. On 29 June Flyers rider Dick Geary broke the track record for a second time, setting a new record of 63.8 seconds.[3]

League results

Cup

National Trophy

Challenge meetings

1949 season

1950 season

1951 season

1952 season

In 1952 a number of open meeings were held with the team re-named the Fleetwood Knights.[1]

Riders

The most notable rider who rode for the Flyers was Peter Craven who rode in one meeting in 1951.[4] The riders who made the most appearances for the Flyers were -

  • Norman Hargreaves - 107 meetings (1948 - 28, 1949 - 27, 1950 - 24, 1951 - 28)
  • Don Potter - 71 meetings (1949 - 19, 1950 - 24, 1951 - 28)
  • Wilf Plant - 67 meetings (1948 - 23, 1949 - 20, 1950 - 24)
  • Alf Parker - 52 meetings (1950 - 24, 1951 - 28)
  • Ron Hart - 51 meetings (1948 - 28, 1949 - 14, 1950 - 2, 1952 - 7)
  • Dick Geary - 44 meetings (1948 - 27, 1950 - 17)
  • Wilf Jay - 43 meetings (1951 - 28, 1952 - 15)
  • Jeff Crawford - 42 meetings (1951 - 27, 1952 - 15)
  • Ernie Appleby - 39 meetings (1948 - 15, 1949 - 18, 1951 - 6)
  • Ray Harker - 38 meetings (1951 - 26, 1952 - 12)
  • Frank Malouf - 34 meetings (1948 - 1, 1949 - 28, 1950 - 2, 1951 - 1)
  • Reg Lambourne - 28 meetings (1948 - 28)
  • George Newton - 28 meetings (1949 - 27, 1950 - 1)
  • Angus McGure - 24 meetings (1950 - 3, 1951 - 21)
  • Jack Gordon - 23 meetings (1948 - 23)
  • Graham William - 21 meetings (1950 - 21)
  • Geoff Culshaw - 20 meetings (1950 - 19, 1952 - 1)

Highbury stadium

A young John Lennon visited the speedway at Fleetwood when he spent some of his summer holidays with a cousin who lived in the town. For many years a feature of the Highbury stadium was the 'setback' on the west side of the ground where part of the speedway track used to be. Both the main stand and the long covered standing area known as the Scratching Shed were set back from the pitch by a large gap, where there was formerly one corner of the track. This was the legacy of the speedway years.[5][6] In 2008 when a new West Stand was built, it was constructed over the set back area, close to the pitch. To construct the stand, the builders had to clear about 5,000 tonnes of cinder and ash still left over from the speedway track.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "The Speedway Researcher, Fleetwood". The Speedway Researcher. http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/fleetwood.html. Retrieved 5 October 2008. 
  2. ^ "Flyers brought to book 60 years on". Blackpool Gazette. 12 November 2009. http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sports-news/Flyers-brought-to-book-60.5817624.jp. Retrieved 12 November 2008. 
  3. ^ "Fleetwood 1948" (PDF). The Speedway Researcher. http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/docs/fleetwood/1948.pdf. Retrieved 4 October 2008. 
  4. ^ "Fleetwood A-Z" (PDF). The Speedway Researcher. http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/docs/fleetwood/01.pdf. Retrieved 4 October 2008. 
  5. ^ "Fleetwood Town's stand hit by hold-up". Blackpool Gazette. 3 October 2006. http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=64&ArticleID=1801146. Retrieved 5 October 2008. 
  6. ^ "Motorbiking ace dies at 90". Blackpool Gazette. 8 May 2003. http://www.blackpooltoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=62&ArticleID=572864. Retrieved 5 October 2008. 
  7. ^ "Fleetwood Town's new stands- first look". Blackpool Gazette. 19 June 2008. http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Fleetwood-Town39s-new-stands-first.4203684.jp. Retrieved 20 October 2008. 

Further reading