Home Contact Us Stadia Pix Articles All About You Riders to Remember
DVDs Books Pictures Archive Dream Teams Programme Generator
28/01/2024
1975/76 NZ v England
Your Feedback
 
17/12/2023
DVD: Great Races of the 80s
What's Wrong With Ambition?
Your Feedback
 
29/10/2023
Book Review: Walthamstow
When the Rangers Roared
High Beech Revival of 1954
Your Feedback
 
16/10/2023
Western Springs Winged Wheels
Grand Pricks?
Your Feedback
 
01/10/2023
Blind Speedway Rider
Track Pix: Oxford
Farcical Guest
Your Feedback
 
17/09/2023
The Ole Olsen Tapes
Dream Team: Richard Cleaver
Plus Points
Your Feedback
 
23/07/2023
1974/75 BL V New Zealand
Heat Details Required
Your Feedback
 
04/06/2023
Northside Arena
 
14/05/2023
Review: Tigers at White City
Your Feedback
 
19/03/2023
How to halt the decline
 
12/03/2023
NZ v Poland - 1st Test
NZ v Poland - 2nd Test
NZ v Poland - 3rd Test
NZ v Poland - 4th Test
 
05/03/2023
Track Pictures: North Brisbane
It's All About You: Lionel King
Your Feedback
 
15/01/2023
Dream Team : Geoff Langley
Your Feedback
 
04/01/2023
Gerald Dunn's JAP
Your Feedback
 
27/12/2022
1975 World Final. Heat 20.
Your Feedback
 
11/12/2022
Peter Collins Autobiography
Your Feedback
 
23/11/2022
DVD Review: 70s - A to Z
Your Feedback


A Very Freezing Trip Across the Border
By David Pickles

Hampden Park

15th May, 1971 was, perhaps, my worst (and best) trip to Scotland to watch my beloved sport.

Back in the 70's me and my mates were torn between the declining West Ham "Hammers" and the reviving spectacular fayre on offer at Hackney, so as there were only 4 miles between the tracks we attended both. My only other trip north of the border was to Edinburgh with West Ham as a teenager - and it was rained off!

1971 dawned and the (in)famous Snowy Beattie who was the doyen of the Hawks supporters club issued the list of away trips for the season. Glasgow was there at the, even then, bargain price of £3.25 return on the coach. In those days, one could pay a few shillings per week towards the cost of the trip as long as the balance was paid a couple of weeks before the meeting.

Replete with my ticket for the journey, my friends and I attended the Friday night meeting at the Wick and duly boarded the coach for the long trip north at 11pm. Little did we know what an adventure it would turn out to be.

Around 6am the following morning in our sleepy haze we realised the coach had stopped and we looked out of the window only to find mounds of snow. The coach had come off the motorway to veer towards Glasgow, and had got almost stuck in snowdrifts. I had no idea where we were, but obviously we were far north and probably only a couple of hundred miles or so from the border.

The icy inclement weather duly passed and we made our way to Hampden Park, where the Tigers then rode, getting into the centre of Glasgow around 11am or so. It was raining. Luckily our respective mothers had made sure we at least had our breakfast/lunch packed so before we alighted the coach we had something to eat. Wandering around the City in the drizzle the only thing we agreed on was the need for a freshen up and something to drink.

Even at 16 I looked old enough to get served in a pub (the other guys were between 18-22) and we had a quick wash and brush up and a few beers before a burger or two in the Wimpy before walking to the "Park" for the match which started at 7pm. Thankfully it had dried up and the meeting was on.

We got there early and met our hero Garry Middleton who was delighted that Hackney had managed to send a coach up all the way from London. Buoyed by the chat with our idol we settled in our seats along with around 5000 others (dwarfed by the size of the stadium which then held in excess of 130,000) for a slaughter.

Hackney lost the match 52-26 and before we knew it we were marshalled onto the coach for the seemingly endless trip home.

Back to Stratford by around 8am on Sunday morning, a local bus to near home, a quick breakfast and bed for the rest of the day and night, before up at 7am for school the next morning. But, what a tale to tell! Great days, never to repeated. Thank you to Len Silver, the "Hawks" and my youth in those days for great and happy memories.

 

This article was first published on 6th January 2019

[ Use Mobile Version ]


 

  • Steve Haire:

    "Ah yes North of the Border. Having paid 11 visits to Glasgow speedway over the years at its various locations including Coatbridge, 2 or 3 Blantyres was it, Shawfield Park and its current track Ashfield.

    First visit was in 1975 with the Crayford Kestrels losing 25-53 with Trevor Barnwell, George Barclay and Alan Sage as top scores wi th Glasgow having a young Mitch Shirra who was supposed to have been the next Ivan Mauger. Upto the late 80's they tended to be one sided affairs until 1988 when Hackney with their all concoring side won 50-46, again top scorers this time being Chris Louis, Andy Galvin and Mark Loram.

    I had relatives in Stirling so when on holiday would always take in the speedway and even got to see Willie Templeton's Testimonial a Berwick. From 2006 -2008 having a mate who had a Scottish girlfriend we would stop at her place and do the Rye House northern tours taking in Edinburgh, Berwick and Glasgow.

    Yes, fond memories of great times, unfortunately now I'll be lucky to see another live speedway match.."  

     

    Comment on this Article | Contact Us | Go Back to Main Menu

  •    Please leave your comments on this article or on the site as a whole