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| Newcastle
Speedway Part 2 |
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| Brough Park |
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British League 1970
1970 Team
Anders Michanek
Three Diamonds
In The 1970 World Final Ian
Hoskins
1975
Reopening In The New National League
Newcastle's 1975_Team
Tom & Joe Owen
Kenny Carter
Newcastle
Diamonds 1977 Team Rod
Hunter
Phil
Michaelides Leading Robbie Blackadder
1976 Team |
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Robbie
Blackadder Ron Henderson
Tom and Joe Owen
Andy Cusworth
Tom Owen
Phil Michelides
1978 Newcastle Diamonds
Kevin McDonald
Kenny Carter 2
Nigel Crabtree
Neil (fish) Coddington
Chris Prime RIP
Dave Younghusband |
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Newcastle Speedway, Brough Park Stadium,
The Fossway, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Speedway began here in
1929 and after a few closing down and reopenings lasted til 2022.
The speedway closed due to small crowds and high costs. The
stadium rental was the most expensive in the land and admission
cost £17.00 was just too much for quite a lot of fans |
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British League 1970 |
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| Newcastle's 1960s promoter Mike Parker pulled
out after 1969 and he took our star rider Ole Olsen with him to
Wolverhampton. We may have closed down following Parkers walk out
but Allied Presentations Ltd stepped in putting Ian Hoskins in charge.
New Newcastle boss Ian Hoskins did his level best in 1970. Here he
is introducing his previous team Edinburgh at Brough in the 1960's. Ian was doing the big
introductions long before the boxing guy's "let's get ready to rumble". |
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1970 Team |
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This team started the season on 30th March 1970, It was the last season the
Diamonds would line up in traditional Black Leathers. This had been the
classic look of a Speedway Team for 40 years, but sadly it was the end of an
era. It had all changed when Speedway returned to Brough in 1975. The men
in black would be no more! |
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| Press Day
1970 |
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Practice day 1970: Dave Gifford, Anders Michanek, Mike Watkin
and Dag Lovaas
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| Anders
Michanek |
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| Following the departure of immense talents Ivan
Mauger and Ole Olsen, Ian Hoskins brought in a Swede, Anders Michanek,
hopefully to lead the 1970s Diamonds team. Anders proved to be the
man for the job and he emulated our big two by also going on to win the
world title. In 1970 Anders was second in the BL averages to Ivan and ahead
of Ole! |
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As you may know the track shape had been changed,
the new length being 340 Yards. I’ve attached a scan (see above) from the second program of
the season showing Ander's new track record time of 69.8 seconds. The
track record was beaten a few times in 1970 as follows: -
1.Anders Michanek 30th March 69.8 seconds.
2.Anders Michanek 6th April 67.4 seconds.
3.Bengt Jansson 15th June 67.4 seconds. (equalling Anders time)
4.Ivan Mauger 3rd August 67.0
seconds,
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Anders Michanek leading
Bob Kilby |
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| This action shot of
Anders was taken at Swindon.
Anders leads Robin Bob Kilby. Swede Anders was brought to Brough in 1970 by
the new promoter Ian Hoskins. He was a great rider and later won the world
championship, but he came to us at the wrong time. Dwindling crowds and a lack
of co-operation by the stadiums owners forced the club to close its doors and
Anders went elsewhere for 1971. The promotion wanted to drop down into the
lower division to keep the sport going in 1971 but the stadium owners said no to
the proposed move and the bikes went silent for 4 seasons. |
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Three Diamonds
In The
1970 World Final |
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1970 Russ Dent,
Dag Lovaas &
George Hunter
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| Ian Hoskins |
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| Ian with Ivan Mauger some years after and on the mike doing
his "big"
rider introductions at Brough in 1970 |
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Ian has been in touch with me recently and has
had this to
say about his father's spells at Brough Park and on his own, all-to-brief spell as
a
Newcastle promoter: - |
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Many thanks to you John for
allowing me to submit a message for Newcastle speedway friends, riders and
promoters over the past 75 years. My father,
Johnny Hoskins, ran Brough Park prior to the war and I have many memories of Syd
Littlewood, Norman Hargreaves and the great George Pepper, the Canadian who was
killed flying a Mosquito during the war. My Dad also reopened it again in l946 and
there was the great Jeff Lloyd and the brief memory of Ken le Breton who was
transferred in exchange for Lloyd to New Cross plus a thousand pounds, the worst
deal, ever made by Johnny as Le Breton didn't come good until he went to
Ashfield in Glasgow in l949 and rode for the Giants. |
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I have mixed
memories about my season in l970 when Allied Speedways asked me to run Newcastle
for them when they took Brough Park over from Mike Parker. Unfortunately,
Parker had sold Ivan Mauger to Belle Vue which made Parker the most
unpopular man since Adolf Hitler on Tyneside. To make matters
worse, after I agreed to accept the challenge, Parker demanded that Ole Olsen,
the other superstar at Newcastle, join him at Wolverhampton and they agreed.
Anders Michanek and George Hunter from Edinburgh were unable to compensate for
the loss of Ivan and Ole, so it was Mission Impossible. I also made my last
speedway discovery in Dag Lovaas from Norway, the l6 year-old boy who later
became a world finalist when he joined Reading at the end of the luckless
Newcastle 1970
season. |
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May Newcastle continue to thrive and may the many memories of
those who helped make Brough Park what it was for 75 years,
continue to be recalled in the years ahead. Dave Gifford, who rode
in my l970 team, sends his regards from New Zealand where I am now
based. |
Yours Aye,
Ian Hoskins March 2005 |
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John says: I wrote back to Ian to ask him
for more of his views and maybe a picture or two. This is Ian's reply:
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| Hi John: Many thanks for your eulogy.
'Fraid my computer has been out of action with a virus, hence the
delay in replying. I am not computer literate. In fact, I'm a
computer ignoramus and have no idea how to send a photograph. It
follows that your web site proposal is like asking me to send a
message to Tony Blair asking him to vote Tory at the next
election. All I will say is this. |
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What killed the Glasgow Ashfield promotion?
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In the first
season when moving away from Shawfield in Glasgow across to Ashfield, they had a
crash. The ambulance took the rider to hospital and the next race was delayed
for one hour until it returned to the track, thus sending thousands of would-be
supporters away home vowing never to return. Common sense must surely prevail.
There are motor cars that could service as an ambulance surely? The track doctor
could attend to any new injury until the ambulance returned. What about a
telephone call to the hospital? If speedway could survive for 40 odd years
without an ambulance being mandatory, surely the Ashfield case must be
considered? (Ashfield is the home of the Glasgow Tigers and I discovered the
track in l949 for the Glasgow Giants, a team run by Johnnie Hoskins and starring
Ken le Breton who was killed on track in Australia in 1951.)
Yours aye,
Ian Hoskins.
March 2005
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John says: Thank you Ian for your memories and views and
yes we can only wonder at what might have been had Mauger and Olsen still been
at Newcastle when you came in! Anders, Ivan, Ole, George, Dag and Giffy that
would have been some team! But it wasn't to be and we closed down. Ian's points about entertainment and lengthy
delays are good ones. We have all stood around in the cold whilst we await
the return of an ambulance etc. I would agree that waiting an hour between
races could stop a new supporter from wanting to come back again. Now Ian! sending a photograph by e-mail for the
site isn't that hard to do! ask an eleven-year-old relative to show you how! |
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British League Newcastle Closed Down At The End
Of
Season '70 |
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Brough Park Closed!
No Action Between
1971-1974 |
1975 Reopening
In The
New National League |
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| New promoters Ian Thomas (deceased) and George
Graham opened Newcastle Speedway with the newly defunct Sunderland
Speedways license. The following year (1976) saw George Graham
step down and Brian Larner came in to co-promote with Ian Thomas and so
began the most successful years in the history of Newcastle Speedway. |
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| Newcastle's1975 Team |
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| Ron Henderson, Tim Swales, Joe Owen, Robbie
Blackadder, Phil Michaelides, Tom Owen with Captain Brian Havelock on
the bike with his son Gary Havelock who became a British world champion
in 1992 |
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Another 1975
Line Up |
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| 1976 - Robbie Blackadder, Tom Owen, Tim Swales, Mike
Watkin, Joe Owen, Ron Henderson, Andy Cusworth, Captain Brian Havelock
and Phil Michaelides. Brough Park had a big grandstand and bar on the back
straight shown here, now demolished. |
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| Tom & Joe Owen |
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Tom & Joe They carried Newcastle Through the clubs most successful
spell 1975 -1984 |
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| The unforgettable Owens in a pose the
opposition was usually to see. Their backs!" As they raced off
into the distance. After a decade in the British League dropping
down a division and watching the Owens etc in the National League was no
hardship. |
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| The Owen Brothers were from Ormskirk in
Lancashire. Both were riding at Barrow in Cumbria in 1974 when Ian Thomas
signed them for his new venture! To re-open Brough Park in '75. What a major capture
for 1975 these two turned out to be. First it was Tom who made us sit up
and take notice, then younger brother Joe started on his winning ways.
Every match Tom and Joe swapped top scorers roles with really only mechanical
failures and falls stopping both from scoring maximum points. |
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1976 Joe Owen
NLRC Winner
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Tom Owen
& "Stape" |
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| Tom on the inside, doing "the business" team-riding with
New Zealander Graeme Stapleton. Usual stuff from these two! 1st and 2nd for 4 laps and you could
throw a blanket over them, they trusted each other so much, they rode flat out
inches apart. 2 very skillful riders, making it impossible for the opposition
to overtake them. Graeme was very popular and he would thump anyone who
said he wasn't! He had a Citroen Safari to carry his bikes around in.
The guy practically lived in that car as he was based in London for much of the
time he was a Diamond.
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Newcastle Diamonds
1977 Team |
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1977 - Ron Henderson, Taffy Owen, Dave Younghusband, captain
Tom Owen on bike, Robbie Blackadder, Brian Larner, Nigel Crabtree, Phil Kynman.
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| Kenny Carter |
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| We had Kenny Carter aged 17
pictured above on his way to his first
paid maximum and superstardom. Young Kenny was at Newcastle for
one year only such was his talent he went from us to British League
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Kenny was a cocky little Yorkshire lad when he
joined Newcastle in 1978. He developed into one of England's top men and
is famous, some would say infamous, for his on track battles in World
Championship finals with American, Bruce Penhall. Bruce and Kenny produced
what was probably the best televised Wembley Stadium world final ever in the
early 1980's passing and re-passing each other elbow to elbow. Then they
almost repeated the act in Los Angeles a year later. Kenny losing out both
times to the charismatic American. Controversy and Kenny went hand in
glove and he met his death in 1986 in a highly controversial manner. The newspapers reported that Kenny had shot his
wife Pam dead and then turned his shotgun on himself and committed suicide.
Two young lives lost in tragic circumstances.
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| Rod Hunter |
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| Rod is an Australian who came to Newcastle in
the late70s and rode throughout the 80s for us. After a settling in period he
started to show that he was going places. A lightning fast gater he often led
from start to finish but when he had to he could sweep around the outside in
breathtaking style to overtake. I remember Rod and team mate Joe Owen both
scoring 21 point maximums in the same match! |
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Phil Michaelides Leading
Robbie Blackadder |
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| Robbie Blackadder was with the Diamonds 1975
-1981 during which time he rose from rookie status to heat leader, he
began a relationship with a local girl and took her back to Aussie with
him. I believe they are still together. Phil also from down
under was with us between 1975 - 1977. Phil's career as a speedway
rider did not fulfill his potential although he seemed a hit with the
fans. |
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| 1976
Team |
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| 1976 Joe Owen, Tom Owen, Robbie Blackadder,
Phil Michelides, Ron Henderson, Andy Cusworth and Tim Swales |
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1975 New National League Pairs Winners
Tom Owen
& Brian
Havelock |
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| Robbie Blackadder |
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| I think the "head" over Robbies shoulder
is Rod Hunter? |
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| This Aussie was very popular during his 1975
-1981 spell at Brough Park. He was a bit of a wild racer
but a great team man, he went back to Australia with Denise, a local girl who used to
work in the offices of Newcastle's Fenwick's department store. Sadly all of my attempts to
obtain action pictures and some news of him have so far failed. If you, like me
were a fan of Mr. Blackadder's then please come to the rescue and supply us with
some pictures and news.
John |
| Rob Best tells me that Robbie was a bit
careless at tying his bike onto the back of his car. He was on his
way to Canterbury when the bike and car parted company. The bike
was wrecked but happily no-one was hurt. |
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| Ron Henderson |
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| Australian Ron Henderson joined us when we
reopened in 1975 and stayed until 1977. Another popular Aussie of the mid 70's side. Ron Struggled
for a while then just as his talent started to become noticeable he decided to
quit and I believe he became some kind of social worker. |
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| Hendo's Top Hat |
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| Ron had a top hat which he used to don
for pre-match parades |
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| Tom & Joe Owen |
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| Andy Cusworth |
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| Tom Owen |
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| Phil Michelides
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| Phil In 1977 |
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| 1977: Phil was never a big scorer but he made
the effort every time he
took to the track and when he was in front he took some passing. |
Caroline Michelides says: Hello John, Just some info for your
webpage. Phil returned to Australia after an up and down
season in the UK during 1977. He decided to give up speedway
racing and get a "proper job". He married his Geordie
girlfriend Caroline in 1978.
Phil had his own business for
many years and after flirting with go karts, TQ's (Formula 500's)
and road racing bikes he took up yacht racing. Now retired and
living in south east Queensland, cruising on his yacht and enjoying
retired life. The Michelides have two sons, Ross and Dean whom are
both married. Phil is Pa Pa to two adorable little girls. |
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| 1978 Newcastle Diamonds |
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1978 Diamonds:
Names put to faces by Bob
Grainger and Irene Best
Back: Kevin McDonald, Peter Moy, Rob Maxfield, Robbie Blackadder,
Neil (Fish) Coddington, Tom Owen.
Front: Paul Cook (mascot), Robbie Gardner, Kenny Carter, Chris
Prime, David Bargh, Nigel Crabtree.
I am told Nigel Crabtree Who was visiting as
manager of Stoke on 5th July 2004 and he was shown this picture That he got a real
shock seeing himself on the screen.! You were very popular in your days as a
Diamond, Crabbers. |
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| Kevin McDonald |
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| North of Australia, Papua New Guinea rider Kevin
McDonald came to us in 1978. He struggled for a while then he
started to ride the track well but unfortunately came to grief on the
second bend at Brough Park. Young Kevin (21) had broken his thigh
bone and his career in the UK came to an end, which was a great shame as
he was improving all the time. |
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| Kevin has been in touch with me, we will correspond and
he says he will send me some photos and memories |
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Kevin McDonald says: Such a small world to be chatting to someone
who was there that night when I broke my leg. I don’t recall a whole
lot about it but do know that it was Fish (Neil Coddington) that ran
over my leg! I knew about Fish's fatal speedboat accident here in Oz
and about Chris (Prime) and Kenny's (Carter) deaths too.
I went back racing the following year here in Australia but because
I suffered foot drop as a result of the accident, I had to use wire
from the front of the steel shoe and tie it to a dog collar above my
knee to hold the foot upright at an angle to allow me to hold my
foot up and stop the toe from digging in to the dirt. I still won
both our state Open and Handicap events (the latter is where you
have to start at different points behind the start line and to play
catch up. Once having proved to myself that I could still ride, I
knew that I couldn't achieve what I had planned in the sport and
decided to retire on a high note.
I had lived and started racing in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and raced
motocross, short circuit and speedway up there (we had the only
uphill speedway track in the world!). I had tried to get across to
England back in '75 but couldn't get anyone to sign me as no riders
had ever come out of PNG to ride internationally before and we
didn't have the contacts. Instead I went to California, raced
freelance in PNG colours and was picked up by the LA Sprockets,
Irwindale. That was the first year that they started Teams racing.
Bruce Penhall was my captain and Bobby Schwartz was there as well. The
tracks were way too short and tight and my main goal was to get to
England.
I came back from the US and went back to PNG, then decided to come
back in 76 to Australia to try to get more racing experience. In 77
I went to an Ivan Mauger training school and he contacted Newcastle
to get me over there. My father was a Geordie who had migrated to
Australia as a child in the 50s, so he was rapt when I ended up with
the Diamonds. As you know, the time in Newcastle was short lived. I
was 21 and just starting to get the hang of the tracks and the
racing over there and have always felt that I could have gone a long
way if it weren't for the accident. The Geordie people were amazing
and so very welcoming.
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| John says: Everyone I speak to at Brough Park, (still
going there every home meeting), thinks Kevin was starting to impress
us. What if? well Kevin never got the chance to show us what he was
going to be capable of. Tough luck Kev and please send the website some pics
and memories of your good times in Newcastle. Your ex-pat Geordie dad would want
you to do that. |
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| Kenny Carter |
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Young Kenny became England's number 1 rider after leaving Newcastle
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| Kenny was a Diamond for only 1 season
1978 |
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| 1978 Team |
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| Robbie Gardner, David Bargh, Kenny Carter, Tom
Owen, Robbie Blackadder, Graeme Stapleton, Rod Hunter.
This team was my personal favourite
of the 1970s Newcastle team line ups. None
of these guys knew when they were beaten. They overtook more than any side we
have ever had. What I like about the photograph is the contrast between
the older lads faces and Davy and Kenny. The two kids faces are fresh and
innocent looking but with their team mates to learn from both became ferocious
racers, Kenny almost a world champion and David one of the best team men of his
era. |
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| Rod Hunter |
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| Nigel
Crabtree |
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John says: I remember Crabbers as a second halfer who went into the bends
faster than most of our team. He often fell and had a wild man reputation then it
all clicked into place for him.
Joe Wake says:
Nigel rode for us from 1977 to 1980. Then did not ride for a spell if I remember
before riding for Scunthorpe.
John says:
Thanks for the photos Joe and I am sure you are right |
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Big Hair!
Neil (fish) Coddington.
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Neil never quite made the top as a speedway rider.
His match averages hovered around 5 points. He returned
to Australia and to speedboat racing. I know he had a serious smash a couple
of years ago in his
boat which almost cost him his life. If you know more get in touch and let
us all know that Fish is ok now.
Update: Fish survived that crash only to crash again in 2010. This time he
did not survive his injuries. Neil, 57, was a champion powerboat racer and
was killed while out on a training run where he was believed to be warming up
the Championship winning hydroplane, Blue Max, that had seen him and his brother
Graham take countless major trophies. |
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Neil (Fish) Coddington
& Nigel
Crabtree |
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| Newcastle's reserve pairing. Neil (Fish) Coddington (6)and Nigel Crabtree (7) 1979 (not sure
of the year). This is one of my favourite photos on the website |
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| Fish RIP |
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| Died 2010 after crashing his
speedboat he was 57yrs old |
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Courtesy of Steve Magro
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| Phil Kynman |
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Phil only rode for
Newcastle in 1977,
he finished 4th in the averages with 7.22.went
to Hull in 78 had a torrid time and had retired before the end of May.
Returned in 1979 to ride for Berwick. He returned to Scunthorpe in 1981 and
again retired mid-season this time permanently. |
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| Chris Prime
RIP |
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| Chris was a regular second halfer in 1977 he was on the verge of making a
reserve spot his own in 1978 but became the 3rd rider to be fatally inured at Brough Park when he crashed heavily and
subsequently lost his life.
Chris died on Monday, April 3, 1978 following a crash in Heat 2 of the
National League match between Newcastle and Mildenhall at Brough Park.
Many fans did not see Chris hitting the fence coming out of the last bend as
all eyes were on a terrific scrap up front as Kenny Carter tried to split
Melvyn Taylor and Neil Leeks on the run-in to the flag.
The match was abandoned after the final heat (Heat 13) as news of Chris's
death reached Ian Thomas who announced it to the crowd.
Chris was 18 and hailed from Hull. |
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| Dave Younghusband |
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| Dave on the outside line trying to get
around Mike Broadbank |
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| Dave 1963 in Middlesbrough colours |
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| Dave Younghusband says: After an accident at Poole Speedway in 1973 which ended my
racing career, I was approached by Ian Thomas to take on the role of Team
Manager at Newcastle Speedway on its reopening in the National League in 1975
after several years (4) of closure. This was a very exciting time with a team made
up of several riders from Australia who were taking their first steps in British
Speedway and the backbone of the team being two English brothers, Tom and Joe
Owen, who had previously ridden at Barrow. |
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| Despite the fact that this was a young team, some of the riders being very
inexperienced, it was run on a very professional basis. Every effort was made
to build up team spirit (which is the basis for any successful team) and all
riders were expected to present themselves on race nights with immaculate and
well maintained equipment and riding gear. |
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| This discipline and effort paid dividends as the team
enjoyed a considerable amount of success and it would be fair to say became the
most exciting team in the National League. They were League Champions in 1976,
1982 and 1983, Runners-up in 1975, 1978 and 1980 and third in 1981. In fact
the team’s lowest finish position was sixth in 1977 and 1979. A similar
success was achieved in the KO Cup when the team finished Champions in 1976 and
1982 and reached the semi-finals in 1975. They were also 4 Team Champions in
1976, 1982 and 1983, Pairs Champions in 1975 and Super National Play-off
Champions in 1982 and 1983. A fantastic achievement by all standards. |
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These achievements were recognised when the team was voted
winners of the North-East Sportsman of the Year Trophy – an award which was
normally given to individual sportsmen rather than a team – and presented to
them at a dinner attended by all the leading sportsmen in the North East.
Also, along with all of the club’s officials, wives and girlfriends the team was
invited to a reception at the Mansion House in Newcastle to meet the Lord Mayor
who expressed his thanks and appreciation to the team on behalf of the City for
being such good ambassadors for the region.
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| Happy days and happy memories!! |
| Dave Younghusband |
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| The contents of the site are © and should not be
reproduced elsewhere for financial gain. The contributors to this site
gave the pictures and information on that understanding. If anyone has
any issue or objections to any items on the site please
e-mail
and I will amend or remove the item. Where possible credit
has been given to the owner of each item. |
