Hastings Saxons
{{Short description|Former British speedway team}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox motorcycle speedway team
|clubname = Hastings Saxons
|image = 150px
|track = The Pilot Field
Elphinstone Road
Hastings
East Sussex
|country = England
|founded = 1948
|closed = 1949
|manager = Charles Dugard
|captain =
|league =
|website =
|colours = Red and White
|tracksize = {{convert|388|yd}}
|track record time= 71.0 seconds
|track record date= 1948
|track record holder= Wally Green
|honour1 =
|year1 =
}}
Hastings Saxons were a British motorcycle speedway team which operated for two years between 1948 and 1949 at the Pilot Field in Hastings.{{cite book | first = Norman | last = Jacobs | year = 2006 | title = 75 Years of Eastbourne Speedway | publisher = NPI Media Group | isbn = 0-7524-3751-8}}{{cite web |url=http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/Hastings.htm|title=Hastings Speedway|website=Defunct Speedway|access-date=25 August 2021}}
History
At the end of 1947, the Eastbourne Eagles were forced to close down due to a petrol ban enforced at their Arlington Stadium. They decided to transfer their team to Hastings and at the beginning of 1948 the Speedway Control Board granted a licence to Hastings to stage speedway. They entered the National League Division Three under the management of ex-Wimbledon rider Charles Dugard. In their first meeting at their track at Pilot Field, approximately 5,000 people saw Hastings beat Stoke 44–39.{{cite web | title =The early days | work =Hastings Saxons Speedway | publisher = | year =2007 | url =http://hastingssaxons.1066-media.com/Hastings-Saxons.htm | doi = | accessdate =2008-04-21 }}
Hastings finished the 1948 league season in a mid table position in sixth place.{{cite web |url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/yearbyyear.html|title=Year by Year|website=Speedway Researcher|access-date=25 August 2021}} They completed the 1949 season in a similar mid table position (8th).{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/history/leaguetables1946-1964|title=BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)|website=Official British Speedway website|access-date=25 August 2021|archive-date=11 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811131607/https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/history/leaguetables1946-1964|url-status=dead}}{{cite book|last=Rogers|first=Martin|title=The Illustrated History of Speedway|year=1978|page=129|publisher=Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd|isbn=0-904584-45-3}} At the end of 1949, Hastings were forced to close after a group residents living near to the track took legal action to prevent further racing. The residents claimed that the noise from the speedway motorcycles was a public nuisance.{{cite web | title =Closure | work =Hastings Saxons Speedway | publisher = | year =2007 | url =http://hastingssaxons.1066-media.com/closure.htm | doi = | accessdate =2008-04-21 }} An appeal by Hastings Speedways Ltd in January 1950 was unsuccessful.{{cite news |title=Speedway Appeal to be heard |work=Liverpool Daily Post |date=4 January 1950 |access-date=4 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000650/19500104/002/0002 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}
The Pilot Field is still in use by football team Hastings United.
Notable riders
Season summary
| class="wikitable" | ||
| width=350|Year and league
!width=50|Position !width=350|Notes | ||
|---|---|---|
| align=center
|align="left"| 1948 Speedway National League Division Three | 6th | |
| align=center
|align="left"| 1949 Speedway National League Division Three | 8th |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://hastingssaxons.1066-media.com Hastings Saxons Website]