Dog Tracks and speedway
 

Sadly all but gone, had some good nights at white city and Portsmouth back in the day
poole speedway track is still going, southampton's was closed years ago, ice skating rinks all gone, try and find a dog track, used to be one in every city.

I come from Exeter and if there was ever a dog track there I cannot remember it. However back in the good old days Exeter Falcons used to ride at The County Ground which was also relevant to me because the speedway track was around the rugby pitch where I also used to play. All gone now and buried under housing. Testing the little grey cells but I used to go to the occasional speedway meeting when on a ship somewhere. Remember going to Wimbledon and fairly sure there was a dog track there and also at West Ham (I think) which was a two bus trip from the Royal Docks. Went to Glasgow once from Yorkhill Quay but cannot remember if there was a dog track, probably too much Tennents.

Have to admit I remember going to a roller skating rink in my home town of Stafford many years ago, and it wasn't a particularly big town then. Also would go to the one in Wolverhampton, lots of towns had them back then (I'm talking 50's/60's here.)

Speedway was one of the major spectator sports although personally I preferred bike racing (used to go and watch Ago and Hailwood on the Isle of Man, craziest bastards that ever lived up until the Dunlops came along .. :eek: … and the speeds they're doing there now is mind boggling.)

Also scrambling circuits were dotted about everywhere in odd corners of rough old fields.

Ended up in Great Yarmouth with the In-laws (Late 70s?). The Father in Law has always been a dog betting fan so off we went to the track. Can't say that standing in the cold miserable weather watching greyhounds having a crap before running did a lot for me, but he certainly had a ball - even won a few quid.
The stories about feeding cold pies to the dogs were amusing.

There is still a greyhound track at Henlow in Bedfordshire. Peterborough still has a track in operation, and Towcester Race Course have an active greyhound track too.


Peterborough and Kings Lynn Speedway tracks are still operating.

Coral still run the Romford Greyhound Stadium a few miles from me

http://www.romfordgreyhoundstadium.co.uk/

Not been there for years

I cannot really comment on dog tracks and speedways, but I do know about ice rinks!

To be fair, I think there are probably more ice rinks than there used to be! In Scotland anyway, where old rinks were demolished new rinks were built (for example Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen). There are also brand new rinks such as Elgin. In London alone I can think of rinks at Streatham, Lee Valley, Richmond, Alexander Palace plus the season ones that spring up around Christmas in outside areas.

Ice hockey is doing quite well in GB as well with 11 teams playing in the professional Elite League (Fife, Dundee, Glasgow, Belfast, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Coventry, Cardiff, Milton Keynes and Guildford) plus semi-pro leagues in Scotland and England/Wales. On top of that there are recreational teams and a number of university teams as well.

There are women's leagues too.

This year, the GB men's' team were promoted to the top group of the World Championships which means we will be playing the likes of USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden etc.

So, not all doom and gloom - and that is before you consider curling which is a big sport in Scotland.

McC

We had a combined dog track and Speedway in Middlesbrough,on the 'wilderness road' which was beyond the Newport Bridge heading towards Thonaby.This was named Cleveland Park.
Speedway returned to the area some years ago and Middlesbrough Bears home is on a private motorsport park near the old Smith's &ock site,at South Bank.

Geoff

In South Shields when I was at the Marine Tech College in 1964, I was in digs on Horsley Hill Road, which were only a hundred yards or two from the dog track and from the Westoe. Very convenient for the College, the pub and the bar of the dog track.

I am glad they were handy for College too, Ron!

I remember the greyhound stadium,there was also a 10-pin bowling alley there,plus a petrol garage.Prior to all that,it was a football ground.
All long gone to become a housing estate,imaginatively named " The Stadium Estate". :rolleyes: :jester:

I, and a Blue Star 2nd mate called Michael Holland, lodged with a Mrs Ennis, a widow whose son, also Michael, worked on the colliers running from the Tyne down to the Southern power stations on the Thames and at Shoreham. Don't know if he is a member on SN.


Michael married a teacher called Marjorie and went working for Trinity House out of Harwich but later someone told me he was a Tees Pilot. Sadly I haven't heard of him for many years.

My Uncle Douglas breed Greyhounds, said to me put £5 on
one he called " WIMPY GIRL " i laughed at him and said he treats
it as a pet so would not win / last laugh was on uncle she came in
first and i would have had £150 in pocket.

my uncle and auntie margaret owned 3 Wimpey Bars / Newquay / Truro / Bridgewater . they ran the Newquay one. and had managers in the other two .

Thats how the greyhound was called Wimpey Girl .

Tony