The Crewe Kings was a British
Speedway
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta
*Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana
Types of races and race cours ...
team which operated in
Crewe,
Cheshire from 1969 until its closure in 1975.
History
The team first competed in 1969 promoted by
Maury Littlechild for Allied Presentations who also promoted the
Rayleigh Rockets
The Rayleigh Rockets were a Speedway team which operated from 1949 until their closure in 1973 from the Rayleigh Weir Stadium in Rayleigh, Essex .
History
The Rockets inaugural league season was in 1949 Speedway National League Division Three, ...
, the
Sunderland Stars and the
Reading Racers
Reading Racers are a British motorcycle speedway team. Formed in 1968, they won four British League titles during their history. The club closed in October 2008 after the lease on Smallmead Stadium was sold and the site was demolished. In 2016 a ...
. Littlechild died on 12 July 1972 - a year when the Kings achieved the
League
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
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Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
and
Cup double and
Phil Crump
Philip John Crump (born 9 February 1952) in Mildura, Victoria is a retired Australian Motorcycle speedway riderLawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. who attained 3rd place in the 1976 World Championship. He also won the 1976 Spee ...
won the Division Two riders championship; Ken Adams took over until the end of the season.
In 1973,
Len Silver
Len Silver (born 2 February 1932, east London, United Kingdom) is a former speedway rider and is former promoter of the Rye House Rockets.
Racing career
Silver stopped racing in 1957 but returned to the Ipswich Witches in 1960 after a layoff d ...
took over on behalf of Allied Presentations, continuing in that role until former Crewe rider
Dave Parry took over in 1975. The Earle Street track established itself as the fastest track in the UK. Originally 470 yards long, it was feared by many riders but was shortened to 436 yards in 1971, both versions had their track records in the''
Guinness Book of Records'' for the fastest average speeds.
The team was renowned for developing young riding talent, giving early opportunities to
Geoff Curtis, Phil Crump,
Les Collins
Leslie 'Les' Collins (born 24 May 1958) is a former speedway rider. He finished runner-up in the 1982 Speedway World Championship as well as winning the Intercontinental Final in 1982, the British Under-21 Championship in 1977 and the British ...
, John Jackson,
Dave Morton,
Ian Cartwright and
Chris Turner.
However, the club started to run into financial difficulties at the end of 1974 with Dave Parry taking over in 1975 before closing at the end of the season. It ran as a training school for two more years.
A memorial plaque to Crewe Kings was unveiled in the nearby Kings Arms pub in September 2010.
Crewe LMR
The speedway track also operated for a short time in the late 1920s / early 1930s. Previously also used as a cycling and athletics track, it encircled a cricket pitch that was used by Crewe Alexandra cricket club from 1898 (following its relocation from the
Alexandra Recreation Ground
The Alexandra Recreation Ground, also known as Nantwich Road, was a multi-sport venue in Crewe in England. It was the home ground of Crewe Alexandra, and also hosted an FA Cup semi-final and the 1886-87 Welsh Cup final, both in 1887, and an E ...
on Nantwich Road),
and by its successor, Crewe LMR (
London Midland Region
The London Midland Region (LMR) was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways (BR), and initially consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) lines in England, Wales and Northern Irelan ...
) cricket club until 1975. The track's site is now the location of the Grand Junction retail park.
Notable riders
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Season summary
References
{{Reflist
Defunct British speedway teams
1969 establishments in England
Crewe