Cradley Heathens
| Cradley Heathens | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track address | Monmore Green Stadium Wolverhampton | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | England | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1947, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team manager | Will Pottinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team captain | Max Clegg | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | National League | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club facts | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colours | Green, white and red | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Major team honours | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cradley Heathens are a motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England. The team was founded in 1945 and competed at the top level of British speedway until its closure in 1995. It was revived as Dudley Heathens in 2010, competing in the National League, reverting to the Cradley Heathens name in 2013.
History
Cradley Heath speedway team was formed in 1947 and first raced at Dudley Wood Stadium on 21 June 1947 after a number of away appearances prior to the opening of the newly built stadium. After closure at the end of the 1952 season the track reopened in 1959 for one unlicensed meeting and in 1960 the Heathens entered the newly formed Provincial League. The club then operated continuously, - at top flight level from 1965 -, until 1995 when they were evicted by the new landlords who had bought the stadium to redevelop into housing. The team survived for one additional year, competing at the Loomer Road Stadium in Stoke in 1996 under the name 'Cradley and Stoke' Heathens. The club was one of the most successful in the sport throughout the 1980s, winning the British League in 1981 and 1983 and eight Knockout Cup competitions. Seven Speedway World Championships were won by Cradley riders between 1981 and 1996.
Revival
Supporters of the club campaigned to resurrect speedway in the local area. Plans were submitted to Dudley Council for a new site. The Birmingham Brummies promoter, Tony Mole and Bob Edwards (on behalf of supporters group, CRASH – Cradley Raising Aid Saving Heathens) led the planning application and it was hoped that the team would return to racing in 2009.[1] There was an online petition to show support for the application which was linked from the Cradley Heath Speedway website.[2]
The Heathens returned in 2010 but with a changed name. The Cradley name was changed to Dudley Heathens temporarily until a new stadium could be found to call their own. They joined the National League and their home meetings were initially shared between two stadiums – Monmore Green (home track of the Wolverhampton Wolves) and the Perry Bar Stadium (home track of the Birmingham Brummies).[3] The team manager was Will Pottinger, and the club was be promoted by Sky Sports Speedway presenter Nigel Pearson, and now by Chris Van Straaten & Gary Patchett. Between 2011 and 2014 home matches were solely at Monmore Green,[4] however at the end of the 2014 season it was announced they would be unable to continue racing at Monmore Green and a deal was quickly agreed to go back to the Perry Barr Stadium in Birmingham for the 2015 season.[5] This proved short lived and at the end of the 2015 season, an agreement was reached for Wolverhampton Wolves and Cradley Heathens to ride on alternate Monday's at Monmore Green.
Name
The team name is taken from the Dudley Wood stadium's proximity to Cradley Heath town centre, though it lies in the borough of Dudley, centred about 3 miles (4.8 km) away. At the time of formation the two towns were in different counties - Staffordshire and Worcestershire, but both towns are now part of the county of West Midlands. The Cradley team initially took the nickname "Cubs" but during the 1949 season, having gained promotion from the National League Division Three to the National League Division Two, they adopted the name of Cradley Heathens, which was retained through to their final days in 1996 but for the period of 1973-76 when they raced as Cradley United and 1996 when they became 'Cradley and Stoke' and raced in Stoke. The club was revived as Dudley Heathens in 2010, reverting to Cradley Heathens after the 2013 season.[6]
Team Status
| YEAR | LEAGUE | POSITION | ADDITIONAL TROPHIES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | National League Division 3 | Runner-Up | ||
| 1948 | National League Division 3 | Runner-Up | ||
| 1949 | National League Division 2 | 4th | ||
| 1950 | National League Division 2 | 3rd | Midland Cup | |
| 1951 | National League Division 2 | 15th | Central Shield | |
| 1952 | National League Division 2 | 4th | ||
| - | - closure - | - | - | - |
| 1960 | Provincial League. | 6th | ||
| 1961 | Provincial League. | 4th | Knock-out Cup | |
| 1962 | Provincial League. | 8th | ||
| 1963 | Provincial League. | 9th | Knock-out Cup, Midland League | |
| 1964 | Provincial League. | 10th | All 12 tracks unlicensed by ACU | |
| 1965 | British League. | 16th | Senior league racing hereonafter | |
| 1966 | British League. | 19th | Wooden Spoon | |
| 1967 | British League. | 18th | ||
| 1968 | British League. | 14th | ||
| 1969 | British League. | 7th | ||
| 1970 | British League. | 15th | ||
| 1971 | British League. | 18th | ||
| 1972 | British League. | 16th | ||
| 1973 | British League. | 18th | Wooden Spoon | |
| 1974 | British League. | 13th | ||
| 1975 | British League. | 11th | ||
| 1976 | British League. | 9th | ||
| 1977 | British League. | 7th | ||
| 1978 | British League. | 5th | ||
| 1979 | British League. | 3rd | Knock-out Cup, Inter-League Cup | |
| 1980 | British League. | 5th | Midland Cup | |
| 1981 | British League. | Winner | ||
| 1982 | British League. | Runner-Up | Knock-out Cup, League Cup, Premiership | |
| 1983 | British League. | Winner | Knock-out Cup, Midland Cup | |
| 1984 | British League. | 3rd | League Cup, Midland Cup, Premiership | |
| 1985 | British League. | 7th | Premiership | |
| 1986 | British League. | Runner-Up | League Cup | |
| 1987 | British League. | Runner-Up | Knock-out Cup, Midland Cup, Brit Trophy | |
| 1988 | British League. | 3rd | Knock-out Cup, Premiership | |
| 1989 | British League. | 3rd | Knock-out Cup, Premiership | |
| 1990 | British League. | 7th | Premiership | |
| 1991 | British League. | 3rd | ||
| 1992 | British League. | 4th | ||
| 1993 | British League. | 11th | Wooden Spoon | |
| 1994 | British League. | 9th | ||
| 1995 | Premier League. | 3rd | Premier League Fours | |
| 1996 | Premier League. | 5th | Operating from Chesterton, Stoke | |
| - | - closure - | - | - | - |
| 2010 | National League | 3rd | Operating from Perry Barr and Monmore Green | |
| 2011 | National League | 7th | National Shield, National League Fours | Operating from Monmore Green |
| 2012 | National League | 2nd | National Shield | Operating from Monmore Green |
| 2013 | National League | 1st | National Shield, National League Pairs, National League Fours, National League Knock-out Cup | Operating from Monmore Green |
| 2014 | National League | 1st | National League Fours, National League Knock-out Cup | Operating from Monmore Green |
The club also operated a junior team in the British Junior League in the years 1986 to 1992 inclusive,
being Runners-Up in 1986 and Winners in 1991.
Club honours list
British League
Champions: 1981, 1983
Knockout Cup
Winners: 1961, 1963, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
League Cup
Winners: 1982, 1984, 1986 (shared with Oxford)
Inter-League Cup
Winners: 1979
Premiership[clarification needed]
Winners: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990
British League Four Team Tournament
Winners: 1980, 1995
Midland Cup/Lge/Shield
Winners: 1950, 1951, 1963, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1987
National League
- National Shield - 2011, 2012 and 2013[7]
- National League Fours Winners - 2011, 2013 and 2014[8]
- National League Pairs Winners - 2013[8]
- National League Champions - 2013 and 2014[8]
- National League Knock Out Cup - 2013 and 2014[8]
Individual Champions
World Champion
Bruce Penhall - 1981, 1982
Erik Gundersen - 1984, 1985, 1988- Jan O. Pedersen - 1991
- Billy Hamill - 1996
Under-21 World Champion
Long Track World Champion
Anders Michanek - 1977- Erik Gundersen - 1984, 1986
British Under-21 Champion
Phil Collins - 1978
Scott Smith - 1992
Intercontinental Champion
Overseas Champion
- Phil Collins - 1983
- Lance King - 1984
- Simon Cross - 1988
British League Riders Champion
- Erik Gundersen - 1983, 1985
- Jan O. Pedersen - 1988
National League Riders Champion
- Lee Smart - 2010
American Champion
- Bruce Penhall - 1980, 1981
- Greg Hancock - 1995
Danish Champion
- Erik Gundersen - 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989
- Jan O. Pedersen - 1988
- Gert Handberg - 1992
Swedish Champion
- Bernt Persson - 1977
Scottish Open Champion
- Phil Collins - 1983
- Greg Hancock - 1991, 1992
Australasian Champion
South Australian Champion
John Boulger - 1974, 1975, 1976
Western Australian Champion
- Simon Cross - 1987
Victorian Champion (Aust)
- Roy Trigg - 1969, 1970
Notable riders
References
- ^ "Cradley bid lodged". British Speedway Promoters' Association. 1 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
- ^ "Heathens plans given boost". BBC Sport. 10 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
- ^ "Dudley Heathens given National League speedway go-ahead", BBC, 28 January 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2013
- ^ "Dudley Heathens choose to race at Wolverhampton", BBC, 27 January 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2013
- ^ http://www.cradleyheathens.co/news.php?extend.1165
- ^ "National League Statement", speedwaygb.co, 10 December 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2013
- ^ "Mildenhall Speedway: Fen Tigers miss out on National Shield.", worldspeedway.com, 1 May 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013
- ^ a b c d "British Speedway Roll of Honour 2013", speedwaygb.co, 31 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013