Ellesmere Port Gunners
Encyclopedia
Ellesmere Port Gunners were an English speedway
team in Ellesmere Port
, Wirral
, which operated from 1972 until their closure in 1985.
Championship. However speedway has not been hosted there since as the local council, the stadium owners, are not willing to have the sport back. The speedway track has since been replaced by a sand greyhound racing
track.
The first track record on the 424 yard track was 76.0 seconds, set by John Jackson on 2 May 1972. The eventual track record went twice on the same night during the Knock-Out Cup Final 1st-leg in 1985. Gordon Kennett of Eastbourne Eagles clocked 69.2 only to be beaten by The Gunners Louis Carr in the very next heat with a time of 69.1.
A rider died on the Ellesmere Port track on 3 December 1977. Stuart Shirley lost his life on a Saturday morning training school after a collision with Kenny Carter
.
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
team in Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in turn gives access to the River...
, Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
, which operated from 1972 until their closure in 1985.
History
The team operated from 1972 until 1982 continuously. The club was resurrected for one season in 1985 and went on to win the National LeagueSpeedway National League
The National League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1932 until 1965 when it became known as the British League. Prior to 1932 there were only small regional leagues competing within the sport in the UK. The National League was re-incarnated in 1975 as the second division...
Championship. However speedway has not been hosted there since as the local council, the stadium owners, are not willing to have the sport back. The speedway track has since been replaced by a sand greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
track.
The first track record on the 424 yard track was 76.0 seconds, set by John Jackson on 2 May 1972. The eventual track record went twice on the same night during the Knock-Out Cup Final 1st-leg in 1985. Gordon Kennett of Eastbourne Eagles clocked 69.2 only to be beaten by The Gunners Louis Carr in the very next heat with a time of 69.1.
Riders
Riders from the 1970s included Paul Tyrer, Robbie Gardener, Wayne Hughes, Colin Goad, Barry Booth, Graham Drury, John Jackson, Gerald Smitherman, Geoff Pusey, Steve Finch, Chris Turner, Ian Gills, Roger Austin, Duncan Meredeth, Steve Taylor, Steve Casey, Nigel Wasley, Chris Morton, Louis Carr, Peter Carr, Phil Collins, Neil Collins, Eric Monahan, Pete Ellams, Paul Embley, Robert Craven, as well as Paul O'Neil from New Zealand and Cliff Anderson from Australia,A rider died on the Ellesmere Port track on 3 December 1977. Stuart Shirley lost his life on a Saturday morning training school after a collision with Kenny Carter
Kenny Carter
Kenneth 'Kenny' Malcolm Carter , was a world class speedway rider. He rode for Newcastle Diamonds , Halifax Dukes and Bradford Dukes ....
.