Norwich Stars
| Norwich Stars | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||
| Track address | The Firs Stadium Cromer Road Norwich | ||||||||||||
| Country | England | ||||||||||||
| Founded | 1930 | ||||||||||||
| Closed | 1964 | ||||||||||||
| Team manager | Max Grosskreutz Dick Wise Fred Evans Gordon Parkins | ||||||||||||
| Team captain | Dick Wise Bert Spencer Phil Clarke Aub Lawson Reg Trott | ||||||||||||
| Club facts | |||||||||||||
| Colours | Green with Yellow Star | ||||||||||||
| Track size | 425 yards (389 m) | ||||||||||||
| Track record holder | Peter Craven & Ove Fundin | ||||||||||||
| Major team honours | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Norwich Stars were a motorcycle speedway team based in Norwich, England, which operated from 1930 until their closure in 1964.[1]
History
Origins and 1930s
Speedway came to Norwich in August 1930[2] when the Eastern Speedways Motor Club arranged fixtures at the The Firs Stadium in Cromer Road, Hellesdon. By the fourth successive season in 1933, sidecars were also introduced.[3] Sporadic racing continued to be organised through 1934 and 1935 but had ceased in 1936.
In January 1937, the famous rider Max Grosskreutz announced his retirement in order to take a lease on the Firs Stadium.[4] Grosskreutz entered a team for the 1937 Provincial Speedway League and the first fixture was at home to Liverpool Merseysiders, on 1 May in a national Trophy match. The services of riders were secured, including Wal Morton, Bert Spencer and Dick Wise and the nickname Stars was adopted.[5]
After a solid first season the team were boosted by the decision of Grosskreutz to come out of retirment, captain and ride for the Stars.[6] The Australian topped the league averages[7] and helped Norwich win both the division 2 National Trophy and the Provincial Trophy.[8]
Pre-War Norwich were members of the 1938 Speedway National League Division Two & 1939 Speedway National League Division Two. After the war, the Norwich Stars raced in the 1946 Speedway Northern League and the National League Division Two from 1947 to 1951. They won the League Championship in both 1950 and 1951.
They were invited into the National League Division One in 1952 and finished runners up in the League in 1958 and 1963. Another honour was the winning of Speedway's premier Knockout Competition, the National Trophy. This was achieved in both 1955 and 1963.[9] The Stars raced in the top flight until the stadium was closed at the end of the 1964 season, when the track and stadium were sold for re-development.[1]
In July 2012, former rider Ove Fundin played a part in announcing a return of speedway in the city of Norwich. Plans, which did not come to fruition, were outlined for a new track to be built on the city's outskirts, with the hope of a return to the British league structure.
Season summary
Notable riders
Fatalities
Four riders from 1947 to 1951 died at the Norwich track. Norwich's 38-year-old rider Cyril Anderson died instantly on 16 August 1947, during a Best Pairs event. Anderson was leading when he skidded and was hit by a rider from behind.[10] 32-year-old Bill Wilson of the Middlesbrough Bears was fatally injured, on 3 July 1948, at Norwich and died two days later in hospital.[11][12]
The third rider died on 1 July 1950. Jock Shead riding for Halifax Dukes was killed during the semi-final of the National Trophy. Shead's bike collided with another bike and he somersaulted before landing, he was taken to hospital but died shortly afterwards.[13] The following year, 21-year-old Bob Howes was killed when he hit the fence during a training practice race on 10 November 1951.[14][15]
Norwich rider Malcolm Flood died on 2 April 1956, at Poole. The 25-year-old rider suffered fatal injuries despite an earlier warning from the race steward that he was riding too erratically into the bends.[16]
The Firs Stadium was arguably the deadliest track in the country and claimed another life on 24 July 1960. Derek 'Tink' Maynard of the Belle Vue Aces was fatally injured in a crash on 23 July 1960. Maynard was competing in the second leg of the National Trophy against Norwich when Slant Payling lost control of his bike and it hit Maynard. Both riders were taken to Norwich Hospital but Maynard died the following morning.[17]
References
- ^ a b Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
- ^ "Norwich Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "Eastern Speedways". Yarmouth Independent. 8 April 1933. Retrieved 6 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway Ace to retire". Liverpool Echo. 21 January 1937. Retrieved 6 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1937 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "Return of Grosskreutz". Yarmouth Independent. 14 May 1938. Retrieved 6 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ Jacobs, Norman (2000). Speedway in East Anglia. ISBN 0-7524-1882-3
- ^ "Another Speedway rider killed". Weekly Dispatch (London). 17 August 1947. Retrieved 11 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Norwich the Firs Stadium". National Speedway Museum. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Still unconscious". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 5 July 1948. Retrieved 11 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Two Riders Killed". Weekly Dispatch (London). 2 July 1950. Retrieved 12 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway death". Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail. 10 November 1951. Retrieved 11 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Norwich The Firs Stadium". National Speedway Museum. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ "Speedway rider died after warning". Birmingham Daily Post. 10 April 1956. Retrieved 13 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway rider killed". Birmingham Daily Post. 25 July 1960. Retrieved 13 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.