| Crystal Palace Glaziers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Club information | |||
| Track address | Crystal Palace Exhibition Grounds Sydenham South London | ||
| Country | England | ||
| Founded | 1928 | ||
| Closed | 1939 | ||
| League | Southern League National League | ||
| Major team honours | |||
| |||
Crystal Palace Glaziers were a British speedway team that existed from 1928 to 1939. [1]
Speedway at Crystal Palace was first held on 19 May 1928 during the pioneers days of the sport which had been brought over from Australia that year. [2] The track was constructed around the former football pitch, which was located in the grounds of The Crystal Palace in Sydenham and was famous for hosting FA Cup finals. [3] Organised by the London Motor Sports Ltd, speedway fixtures were held throughout 1928 at Crystal Palace before the Southern League and Northern Leagues were inaugurated the following year in 1929.
A team known as the Glaziers (because of the glass buildings) were formed and they competed in the 1929 Speedway Southern League, which was the first season conssiting of a league system. [4] The Glaziers star riders included Joe Francis and Triss Sharp and the first home fixture took place on 4 May 1929 against Wimbledon Dons. [5]
The Glaziers continued to compete in the Southern League for the three seasons and won their first and only honours when winning the London Cup in 1931, beating Wembley Lions in the final. [6] Other rider to beome stars at the track were Roger Frogley, Ron Johnson, Nobby Key and Tom Farndon.
In 1932, the league changed its format, becoming the National League following the merger with the Northern league. The Glaziers performed well and finished as the league runner-up behind Wembley. [7]
At the end of the 1933 season under the promotion of Fred Mockford, the entire team relocated to New Cross speedway, with the reason being that Mockford believed attendances would be larger. [8] [9]
Crystal Palace open meetings were staged at various times in subsequent years until the Glaziers returned for the 1939 Speedway National League Division Two. However the team withdrew mid-season and had their records expunged. [10] [11]
The last speedway meeting at Crystal Palace was on Sunday, 13 May 1940 but did not involve the Glaziers. [4]
| Year and league | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 Speedway Southern League | 4th | |
| 1930 Speedway Southern League | 7th | |
| 1931 Speedway Southern League | 4th | London Cup winners |
| 1932 Speedway National League | 2nd | |
| 1933 Speedway National League | 4th | |
| 1939 Speedway National League | N/A | withdrew records expunged |
Roger Frogley was a pioneering British motorcycle speedway rider. He earned three international caps for the England national speedway team and was the 1929 Star Riders' Champion.
The New Cross Rangers were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1934 until their closure in 1953. They also rode as the New Cross Lambs from 1934 to 1935 and then the New Cross Tamers in 1936. The team were League Champions in 1938 and 1948.
The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London from 1929 until 1991. The team were seven times champions of Britain.
The Wembley Lions were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1929 until their closure in 1971. Their track was located at Wembley Stadium, Wembley Park, London.
Thomas Farndon, was a British speedway rider who won the Star Riders' Championship in 1933 whilst with the Crystal Palace Glaziers.
The National League was formed in 1932 combining teams from the Northern League and Southern League. It was the fourth season of speedway in the United Kingdom.
The 1933 National League was the fifth season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom.
The 1934 National League Division One was the sixth season of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. It was also the first time that a second division/tier of racing was introduced following the creation of a reserves league.
The 1935 National League Division One was the seventh season of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.
Robert Charles Appleby was a speedway rider from Canada.
Sidney Ronald Clarke was a former international speedway who qualified for the Speedway World Championship finals twice.
George Harold Shepherd was an international speedway rider who has been credited with the invention of the starting gate still used in speedway today.
The 1929 Southern League was the inaugural season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams. There was also a Northern League called the 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League that started during the same year.
The 1930 Southern League was the second season of speedway in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams. The Northern teams also had their second season known as the 1930 Speedway Northern League.
The 1931 Southern League was the third season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams, and its final season before amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Leagues. The Northern teams also had their third season known as the 1931 Speedway Northern League.
The 1939 National League Division Two was the second season of British speedway's National League Division Two. The season was never completed, due to the outbreak of World War II.
Walter Charles Key known as Nobby Key was an international speedway rider from England. He earned 11 international caps for the England national speedway team.
Richard Charles Smythe was a motorcycle speedway rider from Australia. He would earn ten Australia national speedway team international caps.
Joseph Thomas Francis was an international motorcycle speedway rider from England. He earned six international caps for the England national speedway team.
Clement Walter Mitchell was an Australian international motorcycle speedway rider. He earned 29 international caps for the Australia national speedway team.
