Stoke Sun Street

Stoke's first stadium: Hanley Stadium, Sun Street, Hanley, Staffs operated off and on between 1929-1963

Update: Bob Bath says: back row l.to r. ?, Stan Bradbury, Ken Adams,?,?,?, Front Row l. to r. Ray Harris, ?, Les Jenkins(aka the "Stoke Express") Hope this helps
Sue Powell says: Hi there, I can help with this photo as it is my father Brian Pritchett - the first on the back row - left to right - with the hairdo! From a programme he gave me I gather he was popular with the crowds as he fell off quite a bit - win or fall off in the process was his mantra. No stranger to hospitals I gather! He filled me in on the others. Top Row Left to Right: Brian Pritchett; Stan Bradbury; Ken Adams (Captain); Johnny Fitzpatrick;; Bill Harris (Aus); Gil Blake (who after a winning streak - unbeaten for 5 or so meetings had a nasty accident falling off onto his face but came back after a spell away looking none the worse for it; Bottom Row: left to Right; Ray Harris; Lindsay Mitchell (Aus)(my brother got to be named Lindsay after him); Les Jenkins. I will look out my programme and get a copy to you if that helps.

Alan Goodman says: Also picture No two. - Stoke racejackets for sale, the number 4 one is from Southampton.

Belle Vue at Stoke in 1953, can anyone describe that section of track, was it tarmac? John and can anyone name the Belle Vue riders
Alan Goodman says:Stoke (Sun Street) - I can name quite a few of the Belle Vue team in the picture. At the front it is Jack Parker.In row 2, the rider in the middle is Ken Sharples and next to him is Ron Johnston in the Y/B helmet. Peter Craven is on the back row by the fence, next to him is Bob Fletcher and on the inside(in starting grid one) is Louis Lawson. The other two regulars for the Aces that year were Jock Grierson and Harry Edwards. If that is the case I think Edwards is the fair haired one on the back row.
The starting grid should have been made of ribbed concrete. I think is it the last year before they shortened them, so the
riders came straight off on to the dirt. they were abandoned altogether a couple of years later.

Ribbed concrete should have produced an incredible amount of grip making for a faster and more furious first turn and it would have made digging at the gate a thing of the past. Why not re-introduce concrete starts now?

Don't know if this will reach you, but found your site, when looking for memories for my Uncle Sam, who is now in a Care Home. He is 83 and used to work at Sun Street.
I can tell you that the starting grid was concrete, and when it was dug up, a section of it found its way to my Uncle Sam's back garden (as a path), and it is still there to this day !

St.John Rylance has supplied the picture shown above and the following items, his dad John Rylance and uncle Keith Rylance rode for Stoke in 1960

Stoke Potters 1960 on their return to Sun street, Hanley for the first time since 1953. Both my dad John Rylance and uncle Keith Rylance raced there that year. My uncle Keith (who seems to have had a knack of getting himself into team photos) is 2nd from right. My dad says Sun street was a great track and venue which always seemed packed (maybe crowds of 6,000 plus). My mum and auntie Frances liked it as they could watch from the glass-fronted restaurant (see pic at the head of this page).
St.John Rylance
2008
Update: Terry Stone has been in touch and he says: It's Ray Harris and Reg Fearman at the back from left and Peter Kelly bottom right ( I agree Peter Kelly) the others are possibly A Rowe and G Owen
Update: Reg Fearman says: Ray Harris (Little Porky) Reg Fearman, Vic Lonsdale, Arthur Rowe, Keith Rylance, Gordon Owen,
Update: Reg Fearman has has another look he says: Ray Harris, Reg. Fearman. Arthur Rowe, I think Vic Lonsdale although Keith Rylance looks very similar, Johnny James. Front Row Gordon Owen and Peter Kelly.
Ok I think we can safely assume that it was Keith Rylance and not Vic Lonsdale with the glasses.

1961: Reg Fearman introduces Pat Phoenix (Elsie Tanner) to the team, can you name the riders, I recognise Colin Pratt

1961: Co-promoters Reg Fearman and Mike Parker covering Eric Hockaday's race jacket with their Stoke race jacket

I have received the following item from Kathy Hitchen on the signing of the strangely named Tyburn Gallows, Kathy says:- Tyburn Gallows (Raymond Humphries), my husband remembers him well at Stoke Sun Street. I' m enclosing programme notes from the Stoke v Belle Vue fixture on the 30th of September 1961. if you read the news and views from Mike and Reg you will see where the assistant hangman may have come from .Reg wrote these notes and and I'm pretty sure it was just a wind up but please ask Reg. Best wishes Kathy.

Stoke 1961 Can anyone add any names? John
Terry Stone says: Mike Parker, Ken Adams, Colin Pratt, Bill Wainwright, John Edwards, Ray Harris, Ron Sharp, Peter Jarman and Reg Fearman

Photo taken at Stoke's world championship qualifying round. can you name the riders, the two in suits are co-promoters Reg Fearman and Mike Parker John
Update: Tom Marriott says: Can’t name them all off the top of my head but here are the ones I know listed from the left Front row: Colin Pratt 1st Eric Hockaday 3rd Trevor Redmond 4th Ken Vale 5th Middle Row: Reg Fearman Promoter 1st Geoff Mudge 2nd Kid Bodie (Howard Cole) 4th Cyril Francis 6th Back Row: Pete Jarman 2nd Ron Bagley 4th Alan Jay 5th
Colin Greenwell says: Riders in Middlesbrough Bears colours are, back row John Fitzpatrick, Middle row Kevin Torpie Others? looks like Trevor Redmond and Ken Adams at the very right of front row.
Bob Bath says: I can add some names to Tom Marriott' s list of riders in this pic. Front row, Colin Pratt, Roy Bowers, Eric Hockaday, Trev Redmond, Ken Adams. Middle Row, Reg Fearman, Ernie Baker, Kid Bodie, Kevin Torpie, Cyril Francis, Cliff Cox. Back Row ?, Pete Jarman, John Fitzpatrick, Ron Bagley and Alan Jay.
Alan Goodman says: I have been looking at the pic of Stoke W Champ round and I think the one missing name - Back row left could be Brian Craven.

Yes Alan looks like a Diamond Racejacket and is likely to be Brian Craven at left rear

Bob Bath says: Hi John hope u are well guy between Reg Fearman and Ernie Baker in middle row is of course Geoff Mudge Cheers Bob

Reg Fearman introduces actor Kenneth Cope to Colin Pratt, So Reg if you read this come on and tell us why Ken Cope was there

Hi John, I've just being looking through your fascinating website, and wondered if I could relate a few memories of said track ? As I was born and raised 2 streets away from the Stadium, I still have strong memories of the noise, the smell( AAHHH!) and especially the music !! (Shadows, Duane Eddy, Tornado's, etc!)

I remember when the site was demolished in 1963-64,us kid's were allowed to ride on the contractor's bulldozers and tipper trucks (we also threw sheet's of Asbestos roofing onto bonfires and watched it explode!).
Anyone from the HSE reading this ?!

The Grandstand also proved a problem, in that they had to use explosives to destroy the foundations! The site was bought by the local Ford car dealership, which opened it's state of the art workshops in 1965-66. I myself started work there in 1967 as an apprentice mechanic, and learnt to drive on the old stadium car park area.
I hope these few ramblings may be of some interest! Keep up the excellent work! Best regards John Fellows

These pictures are of a reunion that we had in Robson Street which was the main entrance to the Hanley Stadium although the address was Sun Street. We also had a tour of a Pot factory and met the fans at their pub HQ in the evening.

Dave Anderson was the first Captain in 1948 and then Ken Adams. Dave a victim of a stroke and Ken Parkinson's. Sadly both died shortly after as did Arthur Rowe with cancer.

Chatfields' Manager, J Heard, J Fitzpatrick, R Fearman, A Rowe, E Hockaday, D Anderson, K Adams.