Cradley Heathens were a motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England. The team was founded in 1947 and competed primarily at the top level of British speedway at Dudley Wood Stadium until its closure in 1995. The team was revived as Dudley Heathens in 2010, competing in the National League, reverting to the Cradley Heathens name in 2013 but ceased operating after the 2019 season.[1]
In 1917, Cradley Heath St Lukes Football Club found farmland that was suitable for a pitch and constructed a basic football ground and stadium east of the Dudley Wood Road.[2][3] Due to financial issues, members of the club formed Cradley Sports Enterprise, who constructed speedway and greyhound tracks around the pitch.[4]
The Cradley Heath speedway team was formed for the 1947 season, with the team name taken from Dudley Wood stadium's proximity to Cradley Heath town centre, though it lies in the borough of Dudley, centred about 3 miles (4.8km) away. At the time of formation the two towns were in different counties - Staffordshire and Worcestershire, but both towns are now part of the county of West Midlands. Riding as the Cradley Heath Cubs they competed in their first match away to Hanley Potters on 8 May 1947.[5] They first raced at Dudley Wood Stadium on 21 June 1947 against Wombwell Colliers.[6] The Cubs would finish runner-up in their inaugural league season to Eastbourne Eagles, only missing out on the title on points difference.[7] The team finished runner-up again in 1948 before a change in the club's nickname and division ensued for 1949. Having gained promotion from the National League Division Three to the National League Division Two, they adopted the name of Cradley Heathens.
1950s
The Heathens raced in division 2 from 1950 to 1952 before they were forced to disband following the withdrawal of the promoter Eli Sumner due to financial issues.[8] The track reopened seven years later in 1959 for one unlicensed meeting.
Ivor Brown topped the league averages in 1962[12] before the team secured a second Knockout Cup title during the 1963 season, defeating Newcastle Diamonds in the final.[13][14]
After one more season in division 2, the Heathens were founder members of the new British League (the top division of British speedway). The Heathens struggled for the next few years, managing a best placed finish of 7th in 1969.[15]
1970s
Russ Osborne and Dave Perks race for Cradley in 1975
The Heathens continued to find the British League a challenge, continually finishing in the lower half of the league table despite the performances of Bernt Persson, Bob Andrews and Roy Trigg. From 1973 to 1976 they rode under the name Cradley United but results only marginally improved.[16]
The United name was dropped for the 1977 season and Cradley signed former world champion Anders Michanek. The season resulted in a much improved 7th place finish, which was then followed in 1978 by new signings; Bruce Penhall replacing Michanek at number 1 and Alan Grahame arriving from Birmingham. The Heathens won their first top division silverware in 1978 (jointly with Coventry Bees), winning the British League Pairs Championship held at Foxhall Stadium on 12 October. The meeting was abandoned after 14 heats due to fog but the result stood, with Steve Bastable and Penhall claiming the honours.[17][18]
The decade ended with further success when the team won the 1979 Knockout Cup, a season which also saw the arrival of the 19-year-old Dane Erik Gundersen.
1980s
Bruce Penhall
Erik Gundersen
The golden years of Cradley speedway arrived during the 1980s, the club won two league titles (1981 and 1983),[19] a further seven Knockout Cups from 1980 to 1989[20] and four Midland Cups.[21][22][23]
Along with Oxford Cheetahs and Coventry Bees, the three teams dominated British speedway during the decade and several of the world's leading riders rode for Cradley, including Bruce Penhall, Erik Gundersen and Jan O. Pedersen and these were well supported by the likes of Alan Grahame, Phil Collins, Simon Wigg, Lance King and Simon Cross. The 1980s promotion teams consisted of Dan McCormick, followed by Peter Adams in 1981 and then he was replaced by former rider Colin Pratt, who joined in 1984.[24]
1990s
Greg Hancock
Billy Hamill
The club had operated continuously at top flight level from 1965 but the decade started without Gundersen, who had suffered a horrific accident on 17 September 1989, that left him paralysed.[25] The glory years began to fade despite the signings of American stars Greg Hancock in 1989 and Billy Hamill in 1990. Some success was experienced when in 1995, Hancock, Hamill, Cross and Scott Smith won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 6 August 1995, at the East of England Arena.[26]
Unfortunately after the 1995 season, the team were evicted by the new landlords, who had bought the stadium to redevelop into housing. The team survived for one additional year, competing at the Loomer Road Stadium in Stoke in 1996, under the name 'Cradley and Stoke' Heathens, following a merger with the Stoke Potters.
2010s
Supporters of the club continued to campaign to resurrect speedway in the local area and plans were submitted to Dudley Council for a new site in 2009. The Birmingham promoter, Tony Mole and Bob Edwards (on behalf of supporters group, CRASH – Cradley Raising Aid Saving Heathens) led the planning application[27] and an online petition to show support for the application which was linked from the Cradley Heath speedway website.[28]
The team returned in 2010 as the Dudley Heathens, competing in the third tier National League, with home meetings initially shared between two stadiums – Monmore Green (home track of Wolverhampton) and the Perry Bar Stadium (home track of Birmingham).[29] The team manager was Will Pottinger, and the club was promoted by Sky Sports speedway presenter Nigel Pearson, and then by Chris Van Straaten & Gary Patchett.
Between 2011 and 2014 home matches were solely at Monmore Green[30] and the team experienced considerable success as a third tier team, winning the league and cup double in both 2013 and 2014, in addition to various other trophies.[31][32]
A team bearing the Heathens name has operated under the NORA umbrella on the Isle of Wight in 2021 and 2022 and in 2022 won the Michael Richardson Trophy.[1]
The club also operated a junior team in the British Junior League in the years 1986 to 1992 inclusive, being Runners-Up in 1986 and Winners in 1991.
Club honours
British League Champions: 1981, 1983
Knockout Cup (Div 1) Winners: 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986+, 1987, 1988, 1989 (+shared with Oxford)
Knockout Cup (Div 2) Winners: 1961, 1963
League Cup Winners: 1982, 1984, 1986+ (+shared with Oxford)
Inter-League Cup Winners: 1979
Premiership A season-opening challenge match, held over two legs, between the previous year's League and KO Cup winners (similar to English football's Charity Shield).[35]
Bruce Lee Penhall is an American former professional motorcycle speedway racer who later starred in television and in film. He was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and rode for the successful Cradley Heath Heathens speedway team in the United Kingdom. He retired from speedway racing the night he won his second World Championship in 1982 in front of his home crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Erik Gundersen is a former motorcycle speedway rider. Gundersen is one of the most successful speedway riders of all time, having won the Speedway World Champion on three occasions, the Long Track World Championship twice and the World Pairs Championship five times. He is also a seven-time World Team Cup winner with Denmark, and earned 91 international caps for the country.
Jan Osvald Pedersen is a former Speedway rider who became Speedway World Champion in 1991 after finishing runner-up in 1986 and in third place in 1988 behind fellow Danes Erik Gundersen and Hans Nielsen. He also won the Speedway World Pairs Championship in 1990 and 1991, both times partnered by Hans Nielsen. He earned 42 caps for the Denmark national speedway team.
Stephen Henry Bastable is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England.
Robert Benjamin Schwartz is an American professional motorcycle speedway rider. He became World Pairs Champion with Bruce Penhall in 1981 and Dennis Sigalos in 1982. He earned 74 caps for the United States national speedway team.
Philip David Collins is a former motorcycle speedway rider. He finished runner-up with England in the World Team Cup final in 1984 and third in 1985. He was British Under-21 Champion in 1978. His transfer from Ellesmere Port to Cradley Heath in 1978 for £15,000 was a record transfer fee at the time.
Dudley Wood Stadium also known as Cradley Heath Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound racing, speedway and association football stadium.
The 1979 Gulf British League season was the 45th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 15th season known as the British League.
The 1980 British League season was the 46th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 16th season known as the British League.
The 1961 Provincial Speedway League was the second season of the Provincial League.
The 1981 British League season was the 47th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 17th known as the British League.
The 1982 British League season was the 48th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 18th known as the British League.
The 1983 British League season was the 49th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 19th known as the British League.
The 1984 British League season was the 50th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 20th known as the British League.
The 1986 British League season was the 52nd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 22nd known as the British League.
The 1987 British League season was the 53rd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 23rd known as the British League.
The 1989 British League season was the 55th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 25th known as the British League.
Henry Bastable was an international motorcycle speedway rider and promoter from England.
The 2013 season of the National League, the third tier of British speedway was contested by eight teams.
Lance Alan King is a former speedway rider from the United States. He earned 47 international caps for the United States national speedway team.
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Bruce Penhall
Erik Gundersen
