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Old grounds and greyhound racing


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On 06/07/2019 at 19:11, Denton Rovers RLFC said:

I wonder if any of the 'athletic' grounds that hosted rugby league in the early days such as the Boulevard had cycle racing on them? Cycle racing on outdoor athletic tracks was fairly widespread across the country including the North so it wouldn't surprise me if that did occur. Obviously greyhound and speedway racing is very much linked historically to RL stadia, there was even a limited overs cricket game at the Boulevard with some of the Windies national team playing a 'rest of the world' side.

Before the move to Central Park and long before the formation of Wigan Athletic, WIgan Rugby played at Springfield Park for a season 1901/02. The g stadium was owned by the Wigan Trotting and Athletic Company. The main uses of the stadium at the time were Pony Trotting, Cycling and Athletics.

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On 07/07/2019 at 09:47, sentoffagain2 said:

Owlerton Sheffield still do to my knowledge although i have not been since i retired in 2011.

Different tracks...the dogs aren’t going to do their paws any good by running on shale!

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On 07/07/2019 at 10:01, sentoffagain2 said:

Belle Vue Wakefield which i believe is the oldest ground of teams playing today was a cycle track attended by large crowds.Trinity played then on fields behind the Alex pub about 100yds below the present ground on the opposite side of the road nearer to Wakefield.Think they moved into Belle Vue late 1880's no wonder it looks dated.

Interestingly one of the Hull cycle 'speedway' teams was called Belle Vue Aces, also a team in Manchester used the Belle Vue moniker though their tracks were verymuch smaller, often between 50-80 yards in length, cycle speedway was massive in the late 40s and throughout the 50s.

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1 hour ago, Padge said:

Before the move to Central Park and long before the formation of Wigan Athletic, WIgan Rugby played at Springfield Park for a season 1901/02. The g stadium was owned by the Wigan Trotting and Athletic Company. The main uses of the stadium at the time were Pony Trotting, Cycling and Athletics.

image.png.1dc88a3999fe9006783339379ab12dc9.png

 

Nice one, thanks for that?

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Very interesting to see that Trotting track in Springfield Park, that sport in U.K not such a rarity in those days, nowadays it is a rarity, there's a track in Wales and one at Green Hammerton, North Yorkshire. Trotting never took off in GB I don't know why so everyone just concentrates on the flat and jumping, point to point racing. It's a major sport in Europe, America and Australia/NZ...I take an interest in Trotting and Pacing as well as Horse racing in the U.K and Ireland...

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7 hours ago, East of the Moon said:

Very interesting to see that Trotting track in Springfield Park, that sport in U.K not such a rarity in those days, nowadays it is a rarity, there's a track in Wales and one at Green Hammerton, North Yorkshire. Trotting never took off in GB I don't know why so everyone just concentrates on the flat and jumping, point to point racing. It's a major sport in Europe, America and Australia/NZ...I take an interest in Trotting and Pacing as well as Horse racing in the U.K and Ireland...

I'd never even heard of it and had to Google it after your post. I guess you learn something new every day.

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On 06/07/2019 at 14:38, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

I think Wembley used to be used for Greyhound racing 

Wembley was also a famous speedway team the Wembley Lions, intoduced by the chirman and owner Arthur Elvin, later Sir, in 1929 the team ran excluding the war years until 1956 when upon his death the other directors discontinued the sport. The team raced on Thursday nights and the capacity was set at 85,000 due to the number of females and children who attended. In the post war  years that limit was regularly reached with 1000s locked out, a low attendence was considered to be 45,000. World finals were held there and continued to be so up until 1981 and the Lions returned for league racing in 1970&71 but with much smaller crowds.

The White City Stadium in london also staged speedway inc league racing in 76/77 and the second ashes test with Australia was staged there in Nov 67 (I was there) crowd 17,000+ The drawback at White City was a wide tarmac concourse that ran all the way around the Greyhound track before the terracing for the bookies to ply their trade, then inside those two was the athletics/speedway track so it made Odsal seem like Wheldon Road for viewing distance!

Broughton/ Belle Vue Rangers played on the centre of the speedway track at the zoological gardens right next to it, was a wooden stadium, mostly covered seating apart from wooden terracing at one end capacity was 25,000.The fire at Valley Parade ment it's days were numbered and it was bought by BCA and demolished in 1987. The Greyhound track was and still is about1/2 mile away on Kirkenshume Lane.?

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Belle Vue Stadium Manchester.

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Visit my photography site www.padge.smugmug.com

Radio 5 Live: Saturday 14 April 2007

Dave Whelan "In Wigan rugby will always be king"

 

This country's wealth was created by men in overalls, it was destroyed by men in suits.

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On 09/07/2019 at 10:16, East of the Moon said:

Very interesting to see that Trotting track in Springfield Park, that sport in U.K not such a rarity in those days, nowadays it is a rarity, there's a track in Wales and one at Green Hammerton, North Yorkshire. Trotting never took off in GB I don't know why so everyone just concentrates on the flat and jumping, point to point racing. It's a major sport in Europe, America and Australia/NZ...I take an interest in Trotting and Pacing as well as Horse racing in the U.K and Ireland...

If i remember right they did have a few trotting meetings in the 50s at stainforth dog track, previously mentioned in this thread.

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On 07/07/2019 at 21:20, Manxmanc said:

Interesting to note the reference to crown green bowling. I've always thought this to be the RL equivalent version of bowling. There are also echoes in that the major competition takes place in Blackpool at the Waterloo, the 'Wembley' of the sport.

Thrum Hall had the rugby ground, a decent cricket field which had the greyhound track around it and a crown bowling green. The bowling club is still there. 

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Back in the 1920s Bradford Northern played one season at the Greenfield Stadium at Dudley Hill before returning to their Birch Lane ground the following year. Greenfield was used much more for both for greyhounds and speedway over the years.  

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