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Post by Administrator on Jan 24, 2009 12:29:32 GMT
Opened July 14 1928. Closed July 27 1934. Reopened August 1 1938. Closed September 26 1938. At some times in the early 1930s, the team was also known as Clapton. Address: Lea Bridge Stadium, Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, London.
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Post by thebaldeagle1932 on Jan 29, 2009 21:54:37 GMT
Here's a snippett I found while looking for material on my local football club, Leyton Orient. The first reference is about Clapton Stadium, then it goes on to mention Wembley, Hackney Wick and Lea Bridge. It's from a site named as
LEYTON ORIENT FC Supporters Club Scandinavia.
During the Easter of 1927, the syndicate which owned the Millfields Road Ground spent 80.000 pounds installing greyhound racing facilities and inevitably a few years later Clapton Orient were asked to move. To exacerbate matters, the club had just been relegated to Division Three South. The Clapton dog track no longer exists, it was built over with homes for the aged in the mid-1970's.
Orient's new ground was only half a mile away, at the large but rather bleak Lea Bridge Speedway Stadium. They managed to take with them a few fittings from Millsfield Road, but soon encountered problems. After beating Torquay United at Lea Bridge in one of their first gams there in 1930~31, complaints were made that the perimeter fences were too close to the touchlines. The Leauge ordered Orient to lay extra turf within a fortnight, since the lines could not be moved inwards as the pitch was already at minimum width. The speedway company refused to sanction this alteration, so Orient had to make hurried arrangements to find another venue for their home games. Neighbours Leyton F.C. and Walthamstow Avenue were approached unsuccessfully, then incredibly, Wembley Stadium agreed to host Orient's next fixture vs. Brentford. Wembley's officials had already been considering leasing the stadium to a League club in order to increase its usage, and were therefore pleasantly surprised when a crowd of 10.300 watced orient's 3-0 win on 22. November 1930. (Although Wembley is a long way from Clapton, it is very near Brentford). The Daily Herald correspondent "Syrian" noted, "I question if Brentford will ever play at Wembley again" and also reported that the sacred turf had been a quagmire and might need relaying.
At this point the speedway company agreed to add the turf at Lea Bridge, but Orient, flushed with victory in nobler surroundings went to Highbury for their next home fixture, a cup replay versus Luton on 4. December. But after their second game at Wembley two days later against Southend - the attendance was only 2500 and receipts of 100 pounds was insufficient to cover Wembley Stadium's guarantee, so they returned to Lea Bridge, poorer but wiser. Wembley also decided to drop the idea of staging League Football.
The 1930's continued to be difficult for Clapton. There were talks of a merger with Thames F.C., another East London club in the Third Division, and moving to Hackney Wick Stadium where the rent would be less. Nevertheless, Lea Bridge gates averaged 7000, and in 1936/1937 Orient's match versus Millwall attracted the ground's highest attendance, 20.400. But the club was never happy at the speedway stadium, and in 1937 rode their final move to Brisbane Road, a mile away in Leyton. The Speedway Stadium has gone since, the site having been taken up for industrial use.
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Post by mrsgustix on Jan 29, 2009 23:23:55 GMT
I found this on a website about Lea Bridge. It gives some background to the East London track's speedway history.
Lea Bridge Speedway Team
This purpose-built stadium was situated next to Lea Bridge Station in north east London, on what was previously described as a marshy rubbish dump. In a blazing heatwave, the track opened to dirt-track racing on Saturday 14 July 1928, to a full house. League racing was soon on the agenda and Lea Bridge operated in the Southern League from 1929 to 1931.
On 26 March 1932, a first outlawed meeting was run which allowed betting to take place on a series of handicapped races. Later on in 1932 team racing returned to the stadium, when the renamed Clapton Saints joined the National League, having taken over the fixtures of Southampton .
In 1933 Lea Bridge Stadium was used for filming racing scenes for the movie Britannia of Billingsgate.
The team name reverted back to Lea Bridge in 1934, but the track was closed by the Control Board on 27 July due to 'continuing irregularities'. Wembley hired the track in 1935 for practice. It was also used for midget car racing. Promoters re-launched regular speedway racing at the stadium on 1 Aug 1938 with the side partaking in the National League Division Two, under the name of Lea Bridge Cubs with Gus Kuhn as Captain. The first meeting saw the Cubs beat Norwich 50-30 in a league fixture.
Team racing ceased at the end of that season, with the last-ever meeting staged on 26 September, when Lea Bridge defeated Leeds 50 -35 in a league match.
[Thanks to Homes of British Speedway by Robert Bamford & John Jarvis, 2001, ISBN 0752422103
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Post by tungate on Feb 3, 2009 20:54:29 GMT
When I discovered my list of riders who rode in the Norwich v Staines match I also came on a match between Norwich v Lea Bridge. This was on 1st May 1932 and the listed riders were NORWICH = Arthur Reynolds, Herb Peters, Jack Smythe, Phil Thompson, Harry Fletcher, Hugh Bentley, Bill Butler, Jim Millward and Don Dines Lea Bridge = Eric Spencer, Bill Wilson, Les Blakebrough, Louis Berger, Don Boswell, Alf Foulds, Douggie Stewart, Doug Hines, Doug Hutchingss and Richard Bird. On a photocopy of an advert it says HARRY HUTCHIN and JOE WILSON however. Admission was listed as Sevenpence and One Shilling. both including Tax. The meeting was advertised as "the most daring combination of riders ever seen in Norwich".(sevenpence = 3 and a half p whilst a shilling was nowadays = 5p)
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Post by thebaldeagle1932 on Feb 6, 2009 19:47:01 GMT
Besides the arrival of Southampton late in the 1932 season to race as Clapton Saints, I seem to recall that a couple of seasons later the Sheffield team also took up residence at Lea Bridge? Larry Boulton was one of the northern riders who travelled south, then went off to Australia with his pal Ernie Evans. Boulton did well 'down under' and won an Australian Championship - either two-lap or three-lap.
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Post by cardrew on Feb 9, 2010 22:18:37 GMT
1933 Clapton basically became 1934 Harringay 1933 Sheffield basically became 1934 Lea Bridge
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nsr
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by nsr on May 19, 2010 18:28:34 GMT
Here is a bit on Lea Bridge, from the website Disused Stations. On 14th July 1928 a speedway stadium was opened next to Lea Bridge Station and some special services were introduced to bring speedway fans to the station between 1928 - 1939 when the stadium closed.
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Post by Administrator on Nov 27, 2010 15:49:13 GMT
MOVED FROM CLAPTON:: ::::::I have been told by a work colleague that a 'pirate' speedway meeting took place at Lea Bridge at Whitsun 1940 when starters included Vic Collins, Ernie Pawson, Les Trim, Charlie Appleby, Eddie Barker and Keith Harvey. Any more known of this?
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Post by Administrator on Aug 17, 2012 12:02:52 GMT
Here is a bit on Lea Bridge, from the website Disused Stations. On 14th July 1928 a speedway stadium was opened next to Lea Bridge Station and some special services were introduced to bring speedway fans to the station between 1928 - 1939 when the stadium closed. Lea Bridge was also a leading midget car venue in 1937 and at the start of the 1938 season before moving on to Crystal Palace where they staged a handful of meetings.
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Post by Administrator on Aug 27, 2018 18:31:23 GMT
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