Tony Hurren

The stars turn out for Hackney reunion

The Hackney Speedway reunion and the following day’s Vic Harding Memorial Trophy meeting at Rye House were overwhelming successes.

From the moment the turnstiles opened at 7pm at Paradise Park in Hertfordshire on July 22 for the reunion, through to the thrilling climax of the Vic Harding meeting the following day, it was a case of nostalgia, nostalgia and more nostalgia.

It speaks volumes for the ‘family atmosphere’ that was always an essential part of the Hackney set-up when it is realised that riders like Zenon Plech, Bengt Jansson, Malcolm Brown, Finn Thomsen, Bo Petersen and Dag Lovaas had travelled from continental Europe and the USA to be present. It must also not be forgotten that other former Hackney stalwarts travelled from all parts of the UK.

With the stadium at Waterden Road now just a memory the Hackney reunion was not only a gathering of so many stalwarts, but a kind of memorial service to a sporting arena that gave speedway fans immense pleasure over nearly 30 years.

The reunion was a wonderful, nostalgic and sometimes tearful occasion that brought back so many happy memories. A public word of thanks must go to Paul Tadpole and Chris Fenn for the immense amount of work they put in over many months to get the reunion off the ground. They must be as pleased as punch that it was such a success.

It was no mean achievement to get 35 riders at the reunion and, in addition to the overseas travellers, there were so many present whose names are synonymous with Hackney Speedway, none more so than Barry Thomas and Colin Pratt. It was abundantly clear from the attention that Thommo received that he was the icon of The Hawks and rumour has it that the occasion even brought a smile from Pratty.

Among those present were Trevor Hedge – who virtually started his career at Hackney and certainly ended it there -- Laurie Etheridge, Dave Morton, Geoff Maloney, John Poyser, Malcolm Simmons, Jimmy Heard, Pete Sampson, Keith White, Mike Broadbank (although we always knew him as Mike Broadbanks), Ted Hubbard, Bobby McNeil and many more.

Those present saw video footage from The Wick, a cabaret act from Malcolm Brown, Len Silver doing a turn with his banjo, speeches, presentations and a disco. There were stalls selling memorabilia and former Rayleigh Rocket and current VSRA committee member Terry Stone had an area displaying a speedway bike, old race jackets and photographs in abundance.

The weather was just right for the barbecue and former riders, officials and supporters of Hackney spent a wonderful evening wining, dining and reminiscing.

Len Silver – described by Master of Ceremonies Gareth Rogers as speedway’s greatest ever promoter – was presented with a signed and framed Hackney Hawks body colour. Len was so overcome with emotion that he found it difficult to get his words out when he responded to the presentation.

The reunion shoed quite categorically that the Hackney supporters – and the riders – realised it was largely (very largely) down to Len’s own efforts that the show at Waterden Road kept going for so many years.

The following evening’s Vic Harding Memorial Trophy meeting at Rye House was a fitting culmination to what was a magnificent 24 hours. It was a splendid meeting that produced a very worthy – and somewhat surprising – winner in the form of Tommy Allen.

It was a tribute to Vic’s popularity that many of the riders who had attended the previous evening’s Hackney reunion put in an appearance at Rye House. The sight of Finn Thomsen, Bengt Jansson, Keith White and Malcolm Brown racing four laps of the Rye circuit brought tears to many eyes.
I look forward to the next Hackney reunion but, deep down, wonder if what we witnessed at Paradise Park can ever be repeated.

Tony Hurren


Make it a date – Friday at eight

Hello folks

Some genius once said – it was probably Professor Barnard –a problem arises when possibilities are looked upon by some as probabilities and interpreted by others as certainties. That just about sums up my feelings when Paul Tadpole told me that he and Chris Fenn were organising a Hackney Speedway reunion and I am delighted that the dream is about to become a reality.

It would be even better if Hackney Speedway devotees could view the aforementioned statement with a greater degree of veracity but, now that the old place in Waterden Road has been flattened, even the most optimistic among us know that speedway racing at Hackney Stadium is lost forever.

Hackney Speedway operated year on year from 1963 to 1991 and during that time many thousands of supporters filed through the turnstiles. Alas, some are no longer with us and others simply waved speedway goodbye when the doors at The Wick finally closed.

Terry Russell and Ivan Henry made an honest attempt to revive speedway’s fortunes at Hackney in 1996 but the damage had already been done. Supporters didn’t like watching from a grandstand that was constructed primarily for greyhound racing; they didn’t like the track; and they certainly didn’t like the race night.

Friday night was Hackney night and it is fitting that the Hackney reunion will again see those people lucky enough to be at Paradise Park on July 22 Making it a date – Friday at eight.

The Hackney reunion is an event that has caught the imagination of so many people who had Hackney at heart – promoters, riders, track staff, spectators and so on. Two of my closest friends, Hawkeye and Birdbrain, have told me they’ll be in attendance and I believe they might be penning a few words for the reunion programme.

I am looking forward to again seeing the former Hackney riders who will be at Paradise Park – some I understand coming from Poland, Sweden, Denmark, the United States and so on. I am also excited at the prospect at meeting up with so many devoted Hackney Speedway fans that I came to look upon as true friends.

I just hope that Hawkeye and Birdbrain can bring back to life some of the characters that starred in their respective columns and that those in attendance can have a bit of a laugh because, after all, although it will be a nostalgic and exciting evening there are bound to be a few tears.

The evening will allow those present to reflect on some of the great moments and classic races that were staged week in and week out at the best racetrack in the country. Folk will, without doubt, remember those riders who lost their lives at Waterden Road and indeed, those who suffered bad injuries.

Let us all bask in the glory that was Hackney Speedway. Let us reflect on a sporting arena that, although a few panes of glass short of the new-look Wembley (if it ever gets built), held a magical aroma for thousands of genuine speedway fans.

When the Magnificent Seven music is played let us imagine that Len Silver is about to walk on to the centre green at Waterden Road, announce the bill of fare and start a mad scramble among the kids as he tosses the 50p coin into the crowd.

Let us imagine that the riders are about to come to the tapes for Heat 1 and let us imagine that The Hawks have once again soundly beaten the Wimbledon Dons and sent their fickle supporters home empty handed.

TONY HURREN
Hackney Speedway staff man 1963 to 1991 and 1996