Cradley Heathens

History

Origins & 1940s

In 1917, Cradley Heath St Lukes Football Club found farmland that was suitable for a pitch and constructed a basic football ground and stadium east of the Dudley Wood Road. Due to financial issues, members of the club formed Cradley Sports Enterprise, who constructed speedway and greyhound tracks around the pitch.

The Cradley Heath speedway team was formed for the 1947 season, with the team name taken from Dudley Wood stadium's proximity to Cradley Heath town centre, though it lies in the borough of Dudley, centred about 3 mi away. At the time of formation the two towns were in different counties - Staffordshire and Worcestershire, but both towns are now part of the county of West Midlands. Riding as the Cradley Heath Cubs they competed in their first match away to Hanley Potters on 8 May 1947. They first raced at Dudley Wood Stadium on 21 June 1947 against Wombwell Colliers. The Cubs would finish runner-up in their inaugural league season to Eastbourne Eagles, only missing out on the title on points difference. The team finished runner-up again in 1948 before a change in the club's nickname and division ensued for 1949. Having gained promotion from the National League Division Three to the National League Division Two, they adopted the name of Cradley Heathens.

1950s

The Heathens raced in division 2 from 1950 to 1952 before they were forced to disband following the withdrawal of the promoter Eli Sumner due to financial issues. The track reopened seven years later in 1959 for one unlicensed meeting.

1960s

In 1960 the Heathens entered the newly formed Provincial League under the promotion of Morris Jephcott. The club won their first major silverware in 1961, winning the Provincial League Knockout Cup (the second division cup). Watched by 10,000 in the home leg, they defeated Edinburgh Monarchs in the September two-legged final, with Ivor Brown and Harry Bastable scoring heavily.

Ivor Brown topped the league averages in 1962 before the team secured a second Knockout Cup title during the 1963 season, defeating Newcastle Diamonds in the final.

After one more season in division 2, the Heathens were founder members of the new British League (the top division of British speedway). The Heathens struggled for the next few years, managing a best placed finish of 7th in 1969.

1970s

The Heathens continued to find the British League a challenge, continually finishing in the lower half of the league table despite the performances of Bernt Persson, Bob Andrews and Roy Trigg. From 1973 to 1976 they rode under the name Cradley United but results only marginally improved.

The United name was dropped for the 1977 season and Cradley signed former world champion Anders Michanek. The season resulted in a much improved 7th place finish, which was then followed in 1978 by new signings; Bruce Penhall replacing Michanek at number 1 and Alan Grahame arriving from Birmingham. The Heathens won their first top division silverware in 1978 (jointly with Coventry Bees), winning the British League Pairs Championship held at Foxhall Stadium on 12 October. The meeting was abandoned after 14 heats due to fog but the result stood, with Steve Bastable and Penhall claiming the honours.

The decade ended with further success when the team won the 1979 Knockout Cup, a season which also saw the arrival of the 19-year-old Dane Erik Gundersen.

1980s

|File:Bruce Penhall, US speedway rider 1981.png |Bruce Penhall |File:Erik Gundersen.jpg |Erik Gundersen

The golden years of Cradley speedway arrived during the 1980s, the club won two league titles (1981 and 1983), a further seven Knockout Cups from 1980 to 1989 and four Midland Cups.

Along with Oxford Cheetahs and Coventry Bees, the three teams dominated British speedway during the decade. Cradley developed a reputation for discovering young talent, which included Americans Penhall, Bobby Schwartz and Lance King, Danes Gundersen and Jan O. Pedersen, along with homegrown talents such as Grahame, Phil Collins, Simon Wigg and Simon Cross. Individual success would also come for these riders, Penhall won back-to-back world titles in 1981 and ’82, Gundersen winning three in 1984, ’85 and ’89, and Pedersen adding his own in 1991. The 1980s promotion teams consisted of Dan McCormick, followed by Peter Adams in 1981 and then he was replaced by former rider Colin Pratt, who joined in 1984.

1990s

|File:Greg hancock.jpg |Greg Hancock |File:Billy Hamill (9907880834).jpg |Billy Hamill

The club had operated continuously at top flight level from 1965 but the decade started without Gundersen, who had suffered a horrific accident on 17 September 1989, leaving him partially paralyzed. The club dipped back into the American talent pool and signed future world champions Greg Hancock in 1989 and Billy Hamill in 1990. The club's fortunes however would begin to fade both on and off the track, heat leader Pedersen was also forced to retire prematurely less than a year after winning his world title due to a back injury, and property developers began to mount pressure on the club due to the high value of the stadium’s land. Some success was experienced when in 1995, Hancock, Hamill, Cross and Scott Smith won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, which was held on 6 August 1995, at the East of England Arena.

Unfortunately after the 1995 season, the team were evicted by the new landlords, who had bought the stadium to redevelop into housing. The team survived for one additional year, competing at the Loomer Road Stadium in Stoke in 1996, under the name 'Cradley and Stoke' Heathens, following a merger with the Stoke Potters.

2010s

Supporters of the club continued to campaign to resurrect speedway in the local area and plans were submitted to Dudley Council for a new site in 2009. The Birmingham promoter, Tony Mole and Bob Edwards (on behalf of supporters group, CRASH – Cradley Raising Aid Saving Heathens) led the planning application and an online petition to show support for the application which was linked from the Cradley Heath speedway website.

The team returned in 2010 as the Dudley Heathens, competing in the third tier National League, with home meetings initially shared between two stadiums – Monmore Green (home track of Wolverhampton) and the Perry Barr Stadium (home track of Birmingham). The team manager was Will Pottinger, and the club was promoted by Sky Sports speedway presenter Nigel Pearson, and then by Chris Van Straaten & Gary Patchett.

Between 2011 and 2014 home matches were solely at Monmore Green and the team experienced considerable success as a third tier team, winning the league and cup double in both 2013 and 2014, in addition to various other trophies.

The Heathens raced at Perry Barr Stadium in Birmingham for the 2015 season Monmore Green during 2016. Max Clegg won the Riders' Championship during the 2016 National League speedway season.

The team's final season was the 2019 National League speedway season, in which the Heathens finished in fourth place.

2020s

A team bearing the Heathens name has operated under the NORA umbrella on the Isle of Wight from 2021 and also at Iwade Speedway in 2024. In 2022 the A.R.H Heathens won the Michael Richardson Trophy and followed this by winning the Vince Mapley Trophy in 2023, in 2025 The Heathens won both The Steve Piper Memorial Trophy and regained The Vince Mapley Trophy. In addition to these successes the Junior Heathens have been successful too under the NORA auspices winning trophies in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Season summary

The club also operated a junior team in the British Junior League in the years 1986 to 1992 inclusive, being Runners-Up in 1986 and Winners in 1991.

Club honours

British League

Champions: 1981, 1983

Knockout Cup (Div 1)

Winners: 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986+, 1987, 1988, 1989 (+shared with Oxford)

Knockout Cup (Div 2)

Winners: 1961, 1963

League Cup

Winners: 1982, 1984, 1986+ (+shared with Oxford)

Inter-League Cup

Winners: 1979

Premiership

A season-opening challenge match, held over two legs, between the previous year's League and KO Cup winners (similar to English football's Charity Shield).

Winners: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990

Inter-League Four Team Tournament

Winners: 1980

Premier League Four Team Tournament

Winners: 1995

Midland Cup/Lge/Shield

Winners: 1950, 1951, 1963, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1987

National League

• National Shield - 2011, 2012 and 2013
• National League Fours Winners - 2011, 2013 and 2014
• National League Pairs Winners - 2013
• National League Champions - 2013 and 2014
• National League Knock Out Cup - 2013 and 2014

Notable riders

Individual honours

World Champion

• USA Bruce Penhall - 1981, 1982
• DEN Erik Gundersen - 1984, 1985, 1988
• DEN Jan O. Pedersen - 1991
• USA Billy Hamill - 1996

Under-21 World Champion

• DEN Gert Handberg - 1989

Long Track World Champion

• SWE Anders Michanek - 1977
• DEN Erik Gundersen - 1984, 1986

British Under-21 Champion

• ENG Phil Collins - 1978
• GBR Scott Smith - 1992

Intercontinental Champion

• USA Bruce Penhall - 1981
• DEN Erik Gundersen - 1986, 1987
• DEN Jan O. Pedersen - 1988

Overseas Champion

• ENG Phil Collins - 1983
• USA Lance King - 1984
• ENG Simon Cross - 1988

British League Riders Champion

• DEN Erik Gundersen - 1983, 1985
• DEN Jan O. Pedersen - 1988

National League Riders Champion

• GBR Lee Smart - 2010

American Champion

• USA Bruce Penhall - 1980, 1981
• USA Greg Hancock - 1995

Danish Champion

• DEN Erik Gundersen - 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989
• DEN Jan O. Pedersen - 1988
• DEN Gert Handberg - 1992

Swedish Champion

• SWE Bernt Persson - 1977

Scottish Open Champion

• ENG Phil Collins - 1983
• USA Greg Hancock - 1991, 1992

Australasian Champion

• AUS John Boulger - 1976

South Australian Champion

• AUS John Boulger - 1974, 1975, 1976

Western Australian Champion

• ENG Simon Cross - 1987

Victorian Champion (Aust)

• ENG Roy Trigg - 1969, 1970

References

References

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6. (19 June 1947). "Speedway racing". Evening Despatch.
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30. "[https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/motorbikes/speedway/9377842.stm Dudley Heathens choose to race at Wolverhampton]", [[BBC]], 27 January 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2013
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