Bushbaby Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 Pete Howe will be cremated on Friday 29th of july at 2.30 at grenoside crematorium south chapel. R.I.P Pete. T.C. Should be a good turnout - I'll be there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlstripe Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Sheffield club arranging one minute silence for Pete Howe at the British Open Club Championships at The Graves Tennis Centre on Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushbaby Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 Sheffield club arranging one minute silence for Pete Howe at the British Open Club Championships at The Graves Tennis Centre on Saturday. Nice one guys!! I'm hoping there will be a good turnout at Greno on Friday# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepstox Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Nice to see the old sport is being remembered. All a bit before my time but here goes with some names and teams and a few memories. Firstly, I got interested as did a load of lads from Greno (Reg Wilson see....) by watching the Ecclesfield Jokers race on Sunday afternoons adjacent to the White Bear. They got big crowds and took loads of dosh with a bucket which went round the crowds sitting atop the old wine cellars or whatever they were. We formed Ecclesfield Kings and initially raced on the track aforementioned on Green Lane Ecclesfield. It was the only limestone track in the UK as far as I know. Anyway, teams and riders I remember: Ecclesfield Jokers: Pete Smith, Mick Mole Stradbroke Arrows: Eddie Fordham (emigrated to Australia) and Gary Fordham. Parkwood Aces: Pete Smith, Chris Simmerson, *** Wadsworth, Glenn Galloway. A kid called Ivan Haywood who tragically died. Sheffield Stars: Les Sheldon, Phil White, Ray Carlton, Danny Prior, Shaun Gartland. Wadsley Lions: Martin Gamble, Steve Green, Dave Robinson. Ecclesfield Kings: Glynn Stringer, Rob Knight, Pete Marriott, Neil Edwards, John Sykes, myself Mick Marsh, Paul O' Malley, Neil Bailey. Later myself and the Ecclesfield Kings committee contacted councillor Hanwell and he got us a track built at Foxhill. Riders included refugees from the now defunct Parkwood, Aces. Stars and Wadsley. I stand to be corrected here. Anyway riders names I remember were Ian Bennett, Chris Cottingham, Shaun Gartland, Richard Simmerson. Ecclesfield Kings continued with the name and entered the Northern League? riding at Offerton, Blackley, Denton, Gorton, New Mills, Heckmondwyke, Hull etc. Later we entered a Midlands league, racing at Stoke, Long Eaton, Hull and Heywood amongst others. We were banned from the Midland?? National? can't remember the proper name; for fighting at Heckmondwyke and at Heywood. At one meeting at Foxhill, the Fox pub turned out and invaded the track after a kid called Mason from Stoke got a bit too cocky with the local p***heads. The team all bar broke up but by that time the scene on Sheffield had whittled down to just the one team. I lost touch for a bit but from what I recall, after Glynn Stringer left the sport Martin Gamble single handedly dragged it back and is to be credited with keeping it alive in the city. I recall an All Sheffield select going down to the Speedway World Team Cup at Wembley and riding at Morden, Uxbridge and Wimbledon over the weekend. I was gobsmacked at the Wimbledon rider's bikes. chrome plated, metallic painted frames the dogs danglies. By this time, booze and match angling took over my life and although I popped along to the odd meeting, it never had the appeal it once had and I looked back fondly at a sport I did as a kid and enjoyed. I built my own bikes, straightened forks by heating them in my mum's oven then straightening them behind the lamppost and wanging it in a bucket of water to temper them. Cotterless sets.....we all aspired to cotterless sets. I remember changing back cogs (sprockets?) from 16s to 21's depending on the size of the track we were racing on. Halcyon days. I now follow F1 stockcars with their 7 litre engines, 650 bhp of power and loads of noise. Well you've got to do summat ain't yer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushbaby Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 myself Mick Marsh, Paul O' Malley, ? Is Paul O'Malley from Grenoside? He'd be about 52 now? If so, his son is the Arctic Monkeys base guitarist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big dinners Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Interesting read from ZEPSTOX, some of the names mentioned are still knocking about,Martin Gamble still is the driving force with the current clubs in Sheffield.Dave Robinson and Glyn Stringer still pop down to the tracks now and again, Robbo recently top scored in an 'old boys v new lads' freindly last year and can be seen annually at the Greno chase-think he's done everyone for the last 25-30 years. This Saturday see's the biggest cycle speedway event ever to take place in Sheffield at the Graves track in Norton. The British open club championship brings together the top teams and riders in the country, and also the British ladies club champs take place on the same day at the same venue. Sheffield have a good chance in both,if all our top riders are there to take part,as a couple of our lads will be involved in the Motor Speedway event at Stoke on the same day. I think the semi finals begin around 11am with the finals starting around 3pm. Should be a good day out if anyone fancies it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepstox Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Is Paul O'Malley from Grenoside? He'd be about 52 now? If so, his son is the Arctic Monkeys base guitarist Yep, that's the one. I never knew his son was a musician though, great. Just remembered the biggest name in the sport when I was racing; Denis Naylor. He was a real star at the time. The Stradbroke 1, 3 & 5 were virtually unbeatable at their home track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big dinners Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 quote-At one meeting at Foxhill, the Fox pub turned out and invaded the track after a kid called Mason from Stoke. Are you sure this wasn't Rob Machin- not Mason,hes still rides now and agian for Stoke and I think he also rode for Stradbroke one season in the seventies when they tried to build a super team to win the national league-but eventually finished bottom because the lads they'd signed from Stoke never turned up for matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerman Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Should be a good turnout - I'll be there i am sorry to say i carnt make it to petes funeral and iam realy realy gutted.will you tell ken and his mum iam sorry and my thoughts are with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushbaby Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 i am sorry to say i carnt make it to petes funeral and iam realy realy gutted.will you tell ken and his mum iam sorry and my thoughts are with them. Will do Tony - I'll pass your message on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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