Cradley Heath

Defunct Speedway Tracks

Cradley Heath Speedway

Cradley have only had one home. Dudley Wood Sports Stadium, Dudley Wood Road, Dudley, West Midlands were they operated off and on between 1947 -1995. This is a team that should be brought back.

Courtesy of Dan Gibbs

Chris Wallett says: Thought you might be interested in following couple of pictures, taken this week (August 2010) of Cradley Heath or sadly the lack of it. The one shows the familiar approach down Dudley Wood Road known so well to generations of speedway fans. The small car park and turnstiles at the front have now been replaced by houses. The only evidence of speedway is the road on to the estate named after the stadium. Very sad even for a diehard Wolves fan who only ever referred to Cradley as "The Spoons". Sad to see another speedway venue lost. This one certainly will never return.
Thanks Chris. The pictures are an all to familiar sight. Housing where a speedway track used to be. Promoters need to look outside built up areas to re-launch tracks such as Cradley. The sport needs to reinvent itself if it is ever to survive. I am sure Cradley fans and others from urban defunct tracks will travel outside towns to watch their teams, if promoters are willing to take risks. John

Where Cradley Heath Speedway used to be

Mike Willis says: Hi there. Cradley Heathens have been brought back this year,2010, after a fashion. They have a new team in the bottom tier, the National League, and are currently called Dudley Heathens,but they still don't have a home track of their own so share their home meetings between Monmore Green on a Tuesday night, and Perry Barr on a Wednesday night if Monmore is unavailable. In spite of having a very young side they look like continuing the great Heathens tradition of success by very likely finishing top of the National League, not bad for their first season. They will only be deprived of first place if their great rivals, Buxton Hit-men, beat Kings Lynn away in their final league fixture by 45 points or more-not impossible but unlikely. Ommer Um Cradley!
Webmaster says: Good luck to Cradley and I hope they come back with their own stadium soon. Bye the way, us that don't speak fluent black country, would like to know what, Ommer Um Cradley! means?

Mike says: Hi John. To a non-native of the Black Country I suppose Ommer Um means nothing at all.! It was the Cradley Heathens war-cry and has historical roots. Cradley Heath, and nearby Netherton, were great chain-making areas back in the day and the vast majority of the chains were made by hand. This involved heating a length of metal bar, bending both ends round, and hammering the 2 ends together while still red hot to weld them into a strong joint and hence make a single link of the chain. This was repeated over and over until you ended up with the length of chain required. Hammer, in Black Country speak, is Ommer, hence the war cry. Regards, Mike.
John says: So Ommer means Hammer which is the symbol shown on the Cradley racejacket. I was an apprentice Patternmaker in the 1960's my end of apprenticeship test was to carve a chain from a solid piece of hardwood, my chain was a bit manky but I did it. I will now feel affiliated to Cradley for all time.

Eric Williams Courtesy of Mike Kemp

Local derby action Tommy Sweetman (Wolves) against Heathen Ivor Brown

Can you name this Cradley team John
Steve Remington has been in touch he says: From the back left, Chris Julian, Clive Featherby, Ted Flanaghan (team Manager) Rick France, Ivor Hughes. Front Matt Mattocks, Ivor Brown, Chum Taylor. Rick France must have been a guest as I don't remember him being a Heathen

Ivor Hughes