Summary
The Stoke Potters previously the Hanley Potters were a British speedway team competing in the National League. As Stoke, the team raced at Loomer Road Stadium in Newcastle-under-Lyme.[2] As Hanley Potters they raced from 1929 to 1963.
| Stoke Potters | |||||||||||||||
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| Club information | |||||||||||||||
| Track address | Loomer Road Stadium Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire ST5 7LB | ||||||||||||||
| Country | England | ||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1929 | ||||||||||||||
| Closed | 2019[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Team manager | Adam Isherwood | ||||||||||||||
| Team captain | Tom Perry | ||||||||||||||
| League | National League | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||
| Club facts | |||||||||||||||
| Colours | Red and White | ||||||||||||||
| Track size | 312 metres (341 yd) | ||||||||||||||
| Track record time | 60.5s | ||||||||||||||
| Track record date | 8 August 2009, 26 September 2009 | ||||||||||||||
| Track record holder | Ty Proctor, Steve Johnston | ||||||||||||||
| Major team honours | |||||||||||||||
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History edit
Hanley Potters were inaugural members of the 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League but withdrew during the season and their results were expunged.[3] They rode at the Sun Street Stadium in Hanley.[4] In the late 1940s, early 1950s and the early 1960s, the club attracted crowds of over 12,000.
Hanley won the National League Division Three and Div 3 National Trophy in 1949.[5][6][7] The Sun Street track closed in 1963 after the greyhound stadium owners sold the site to a garage business.[8]
The team returned in 1972 riding at a new venue the Loomer Road Stadium; they were known for one season as Chesterton Potters.[9] From 1973 to 1995 they competed mainly in the National League.
In 1996, The team rode as the Cradley & Stoke Heathens, after the Cradley Heath team were displaced from their base at Dudley Wood Stadium, Cradley Heath.[6]
November 2010 saw a major decision taken by the club's promotion. The team were to withdraw from Premier League racing to drop a division and compete in the National League, speedway's third tier.[10] The club had been struggling financially for the last couple of seasons and the move was made in order to stabilise finances and hopefully get on a sure footing to make a return to the Premier League later.
2011 saw the club top the National League table by seven points.[11] Injuries struck key riders and this affected their final matches in which they were beaten in the play-off semi finals by the Mildenhall Fen Tigers who also beat them in the final of the National League Knockout Cup. Since the 2011 campaign the Potters have continued to race in the National League with little success and they ended 2015 season's National League table with only Kent Kings below them.[12] On 13 July 2019, Stoke won the National League Fours for the second time.[13]
Season summary edit
Season summary (juniors) edit
Extended content
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Previous seasons (riders) edit
Extended content
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2010 team
2009 team 2008 team
Also Rode: 2007 team Also Rode
2006 team |
Notable riders edit
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Ken Adams - Mike Broadbank
- Nigel Crabtree
- John Fitzpatrick
- Ray Harris
- Peter Jarman
- Les Jenkins
- Alan Mogridge
- Eric Monaghan
- Paul Pickering
- Colin Pratt
- Paul Thorp
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Jan Staechmann - Fred Strecker
References edit
- ^ "FINAL CALL FOR POTTERS - British Speedway Official Website". speedwaygb.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ Bamford, R & Jarvis, J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ "Stoke Speedway Hanley". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Official Stoke Potters Speedway: BRIEF HISTORY OF STOKE SPEEDWAY". stoke-speedway.com. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. p. 423. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "POTTERS JOIN NL - British Speedway Official Website". speedwaygb.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "British Speedway Official Website". speedwaygb.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "British Speedway Official Website". speedwaygb.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "STOKE CROWNED NL FOURS CHAMPIONS - British Speedway Official Website". speedwaygb.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2019.