Cradley Heathens were a

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

team from

Dudley Dudley ( , ) is a market town in the West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically part of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the ...

, England. The team was founded in 1947 and competed primarily at the top level of British speedway at

Dudley Wood Stadium Dudley Wood Stadium also known as Cradley Heath Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound racing, speedway and association football stadium.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. Origins The origins of the track date back to ...

until its closure in 1995. The team was revived as Dudley Heathens in 2010, competing in the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

, reverting to the Cradley Heathens name in 2013 but ceased operating after the 2019 season.

History

Origins & 1940s

In 1917, Cradley Heath St Lukes Football Club found farmland that was suitable for a pitch and constructed a basic football ground and stadium east of the Dudley Wood Road. Due to financial issues, members of the club formed Cradley Sports Enterprise, who constructed speedway and greyhound tracks around the pitch. The Cradley Heath speedway team was formed for the 1947 season, with the team name taken from Dudley Wood stadium's proximity to

Cradley Heath Cradley Heath is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is in the Black Country, west of Birmingham. The town was known for the manufacture of chains in the first half of the twentiet ...

town centre, though it lies in the borough of Dudley, centred about away. At the time of formation the two towns were in different counties -

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

and

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

, but both towns are now part of the county of West Midlands. Riding as the Cradley Heath Cubs they competed in their first match away to Hanley Potters on 8 May 1947. They first raced at

on 21 June 1947 against Wombwell Colliers. The Cubs would finish runner-up in their inaugural league season to

Eastbourne Eagles The Eastbourne Eagles were a British motorcycle speedway team, based at Arlington Stadium, near Eastbourne, England. They were founded in 1929 and are two times champions of Britain in 1995 and 2000. The team last raced on 31 July 2021. Hist ...

, only missing out on the title on points difference. The team finished runner-up again in 1948 before a change in the club's nickname and division ensued for 1949. Having gained promotion from the National League Division Three to the National League Division Two, they adopted the name of Cradley Heathens.

1950s

The Heathens raced in division 2 from 1950 to 1952 before they were forced to disband following the withdrawal of the promoter Eli Sumner due to financial issues. The track reopened seven years later in 1959 for one unlicensed meeting.

1960s

In 1960 the Heathens entered the newly formed

Provincial League Provincial League (formerly known as Professional League) also known as Pro League was the old regional Football league in Thailand in 1999–2008. It was founded in 1999 under the name "Provincial League" organized by Sports Authority of Thailan ...

under the promotion of Morris Jephcott. The club won their first major silverware in 1961, winning the Provincial League Knockout Cup (the second division cup). Watched by 10,000 in the home leg, they defeated

Edinburgh Monarchs The Edinburgh Monarchs are a Scottish speedway team based in Armadale. They compete in the SGB Championship, racing on Friday nights during the speedway season. The club is run by a board of directors, chaired by Alex Harkess and also runs a ...

in the September two-legged final, with

Ivor Brown Ivor John Carnegie Brown CBE (25 April 1891 – 22 April 1974) was a British journalist and man of letters. After graduating from Oxford with top honours, he joined the civil service, but left after two days to pursue a freelance career as a ...

and Harry Bastable scoring heavily. Ivor Brown topped the league averages in 1962 before the team secured a second Knockout Cup title during the 1963 season, defeating

Newcastle Diamonds Newcastle Diamonds were a motorcycle speedway team that raced in the British speedway leagues from 1929 to 2022. They were based at Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium was previously known as Brough Park. History Origins and ...

in the final. After one more season in division 2, the Heathens were founder members of the new

British League The British League was the main motorcycle speedway league in Britain from its formation in 1965 until 1995 when British speedway was restructured. It initially had a single division, with a British League Division Two, second division starting i ...

(the top division of British speedway). The Heathens struggled for the next few years, managing a best placed finish of 7th in 1969.

1970s

The Heathens continued to find the British League a challenge, continually finishing in the lower half of the league table despite the performances of

Bernt Persson Bernt Eveart Persson (24 June 1946 - 20 September 2020) was a Swedish international motorcycle speedway rider. He earned 102 caps for the Sweden national speedway team. Career Persson started his career in the Swedish Speedway Team Championshi ...

, Bob Andrews and

Roy Trigg Roy Richard Trigg (born 29 April 1943, in Morden, Surrey)Fenn, C.(2003). ''Hackney Speedway, Friday at Eight''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England. He earned 31 international caps for the England nati ...

. From 1973 to 1976 they rode under the name Cradley United but results only marginally improved. The United name was dropped for the 1977 season and Cradley signed former world champion

Anders Michanek Anders Michanek (born 30 May 1943) is a Swedish Speedway rider. In 1974 he won the Speedway World Championship in his Swedish homeland with a maximum score of 15 points. He earned 101 caps for the Sweden national speedway team. Career Michane ...

. The season resulted in a much improved 7th place finish, which was then followed in 1978 by new signings;

Bruce Penhall Bruce Lee Penhall (born May 10, 1957) is an American former professional motorcycle speedway racer who later starred in television and in film. He was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and rode for the successful Cradley Heath Hea ...

replacing Michanek at number 1 and Alan Grahame arriving from Birmingham. The Heathens won their first top division silverware in 1978 (jointly with

Coventry Bees Coventry Bees are a motorcycle speedway team that existed from 1929 to 2018. They raced at Brandon Stadium, Brandon, Warwickshire, Brandon near Coventry, England. They are eight times champions of Britain. History Origins and 1920s The firs ...

), winning the

British League Pairs Championship The British League Pairs Championship was a motorcycle speedway contest between the top two riders from each club competing in the British League in the United Kingdom, or the top division thereof when it had multiple divisions. History The me ...

held at

Foxhall Stadium Foxhall Stadium is a Stock car racing in the United Kingdom, Stock car and Motorcycle speedway, speedway stadium located in Foxhall, Suffolk, Foxhall near Ipswich. The stadium is run by Spedeworth Motorsports stock car promoters. The stadium ...

on 12 October. The meeting was abandoned after 14 heats due to fog but the result stood, with

Steve Bastable Stephen Henry Bastable (born 16 September 1956, in Birmingham) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England. Family His father Harry Bastable, was also a speedway rider. Career Bastable spent the majority of his career with the Cr ...

and Penhall claiming the honours. The decade ended with further success when the team won the 1979 Knockout Cup, a season which also saw the arrival of the 19-year-old Dane

Erik Gundersen Erik Gundersen (born 8 October 1959 in Esbjerg, Denmark) is a former motorcycle speedway rider. Gundersen is one of the most successful speedway riders of all time, having won the Speedway World Champi ...

1980s

The golden years of Cradley speedway arrived during the 1980s, the club won two league titles (1981 and 1983), a further seven Knockout Cups from 1980 to 1989 and four Midland Cups. Along with

Oxford Cheetahs The Oxford Cheetahs are a British Motorcycle speedway, speedway teamLawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. based at Oxford Stadium, in Oxford, England. They were founded in 1939 and are five times champions of Britain, in 1964 Speed ...

and Coventry Bees, the three teams dominated British speedway during the decade. Cradley developed a reputation for discovering young talent, which included Americans Penhall,

Bobby Schwartz Robert Benjamin Schwartz (born August 10, 1956) is an American professional motorcycle speedway rider. He became Speedway World Pairs Championship, World Pairs Champion with Bruce Penhall in 1981 Speedway World Pairs Championship, 1981 and Denni ...

and

Lance King Lance King (born November 23, 1962) is an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter known for his work in progressive and power metal. He has performed with bands including Balance of Power, Pyramaze, and Gemini, and founded Nightmare Reco ...

, Danes Gundersen and Jan O. Pedersen, along with homegrown talents such as Grahame,

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...

Simon Wigg Simon Antony Wigg (15 October 1960 – 15 November 2000) was an English speedway, grasstrack and longtrack rider. He won five World Long Track Championships and finished runner-up in the Speedway World Championship in 1989.Rogers, G.(2005 ...

and

Simon Cross Simon James Cross (born 31 May 1965 in Hereford, England) is a former motorcycle speedway rider who spent most of his career with the Cradley Heathens. Career Cross began his British leagues speedway career riding for the Oxford Cheetahs dur ...

. Individual success would also come for these riders, Penhall won back-to-back world titles in 1981 and ’82, Gundersen winning three in 1984, ’85 and ’89, and Pedersen adding his own in 1991. The 1980s promotion teams consisted of Dan McCormick, followed by Peter Adams in 1981 and then he was replaced by former rider

Colin Pratt Colin George Pratt (10 October 1938 – 2 October 2021) was a British motorcycle speedway rider and later promoter of the Coventry Bees who compete in the British Elite League. He earned 14 international caps for the England national speedway t ...

, who joined in 1984.

1990s

The club had operated continuously at top flight level from 1965 but the decade started without Gundersen, who had suffered a horrific accident on 17 September 1989, leaving him partially paralyzed. The club dipped back into the American talent pool and signed future world champions

Greg Hancock Gregory Alan Hancock (born June 3, 1970, in Whittier, California) is a former professional motorcycle speedway rider from the United States. As of 2023, he was one of only six riders to have won the individual World Championship four or more ti ...

in 1989 and

Billy Hamill William Gordon Hamill (born 23 May 1970) is an American international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a former Speedway World Champion, winning the title in 1996 and earned 29 caps for the United States national speedway team. Career Earl ...

in 1990. The club's fortunes however would begin to fade both on and off the track, heat leader Pedersen was also forced to retire prematurely less than a year after winning his world title due to a back injury, and property developers began to mount pressure on the club due to the high value of the stadium’s land. Some success was experienced when in 1995, Hancock, Hamill, Cross and Scott Smith won the

Premier League Four-Team Championship The SGB Championship Fours formerly the Premier League Four-Team Championship is a contest between teams competing in the second tier of speedway in the United Kingdom. Teams are grouped into fours, with one rider from each team in each race. The ...

, which was held on 6 August 1995, at the

East of England Arena The East of England Showground is a large showground area (667,731sqm) located on East of England Way near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The Showground is owned by Bellway as of around 2019 and the site currently includes the East of E ...

. Unfortunately after the 1995 season, the team were evicted by the new landlords, who had bought the stadium to redevelop into housing. The team survived for one additional year, competing at the

Loomer Road Stadium Loomer Road Stadium was a sports stadium situated in Chesterton, Staffordshire from c.1970 to 2019. The building had considerable parking facilities, covered terracing and a bar with a view of the track. The stadium opened in 1973 and hosted gr ...

Stoke Stoke may refer to: Places Canada * Stoke, Quebec New Zealand * Stoke, New Zealand United Kingdom Berkshire * Stoke Row Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stoke Gifford * Bradley Stoke * Little Stoke * Harry Stoke * Stoke Lodge Bucking ...

in 1996, under the name 'Cradley and Stoke' Heathens, following a merger with the

Stoke Potters The Stoke Potters previously the Hanley Potters were a British speedway team. As Hanley Potters they raced at the Sun Street Stadium from 1929 to 1963 and as Stoke, the team raced at Loomer Road Stadium in Newcastle-under-Lyme from 1973 to ...

2010s

Supporters of the club continued to campaign to resurrect speedway in the local area and plans were submitted to

Dudley Council Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Dudley Council, is the Local government in England, local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The town of Dudley had been a B ...

for a new site in 2009. The Birmingham promoter, Tony Mole and Bob Edwards (on behalf of supporters group, CRASH – Cradley Raising Aid Saving Heathens) led the planning application and an online petition to show support for the application which was linked from the Cradley Heath speedway website. The team returned in 2010 as the Dudley Heathens, competing in the third tier

, with home meetings initially shared between two stadiums – Monmore Green (home track of Wolverhampton) and the Perry Bar Stadium (home track of Birmingham). The team manager was Will Pottinger, and the club was promoted by

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...

speedway presenter Nigel Pearson, and then by Chris Van Straaten & Gary Patchett. Between 2011 and 2014 home matches were solely at Monmore Green and the team experienced considerable success as a third tier team, winning the league and cup double in both 2013 and 2014, in addition to various other trophies. The Heathens raced at

Perry Barr Stadium Perry Barr Stadium (also known as Perry Barr Greyhound Stadium and previously as Alexander Sports Ground(s)) is a Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom, greyhound racing and motorcycle speedway stadium on Aldridge Road in Perry Barr, Birmin ...

in Birmingham for the 2015 season Monmore Green during 2016. Max Clegg won the Riders' Championship during the

2016 National League speedway season The 2016 National League speedway season was the third tier/division of British speedway. Summary The title was won by Birmingham Brummies. Final league table Fixtures & results Play-offs Play Off Final ---- ---- National L ...

. The team's final season was the 2019 National League speedway season, in which the Heathens finished in fourth place.

2020s

A team bearing the Heathens name has operated under the NORA umbrella on the Isle of Wight from 2021 and also at Iwade Speedway in 2024. In 2022 the A.R.H Heathens won the Michael Richardson Trophy and followed this by winning the Vince Mapley Trophy in 2023 as well as the Junior Heathens winning trophies in 2023 and 2024.

Season summary

The club also operated a junior team in the British Junior League in the years 1986 to 1992 inclusive, being Runners-Up in 1986 and Winners in 1991.

Club honours

British League
Champions: 1981, 1983 Knockout Cup (Div 1)
Winners: 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986+, 1987, 1988, 1989 (+shared with Oxford) Knockout Cup (Div 2)
Winners: 1961, 1963 League Cup
Winners: 1982, 1984, 1986+ (+shared with Oxford) Inter-League Cup
Winners: 1979 Premiership
A season-opening challenge match, held over two legs, between the previous year's League and KO Cup winners (similar to

English football Football is the most popular sport in England. Widely regarded as the birthplace of modern football, the first official rules of the game were established in England in 1863. The country is home to the world's first football league, the oldest ...

's Charity Shield). Winners: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990 Inter-League Four Team Tournament
Winners: 1980 Premier League Four Team Tournament
Winners: 1995 Midland Cup/Lge/Shield
Winners: 1950, 1951, 1963, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1987 National League *National Shield - 2011, 2012 and 2013Mildenhall Speedway: Fen Tigers miss out on National Shield.
, worldspeedway.com, 1 May 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013 *National League Fours Winners - 2011, 2013 and 2014British Speedway Roll of Honour 2013
, speedwaygb.co, 31 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013 *National League Pairs Winners - 2013 *National League Champions - 2013 and 2014 *National League Knock Out Cup - 2013 and 2014

Notable riders

Individual honours

World Champion *

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

* Jan O. Pedersen -

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

Under-21 World Champion *

Gert Handberg Gert Handberg (born 30 May 1969 in Brædstrup) is a Danish former international motorcycle speedway rider. He earned 20 caps for the Denmark national speedway team. Career Gert joined Cradley Heathens in 1988 on a recommendation, after win ...

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

Long Track World Champion *

- 1977 *

- 1984, 1986 British Under-21 Champion *

- 1978 * Scott Smith - 1992 Intercontinental Champion *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

* Jan O. Pedersen -

Overseas Champion *

- 1983 *

- 1984 *

- 1988 British League Riders Champion *

- 1983, 1985 * Jan O. Pedersen - 1988 National League Riders Champion * Lee Smart - 2010 American Champion *

- 1980, 1981 *

- 1995 Danish Champion *

- 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989 * Jan O. Pedersen - 1988 *

- 1992 Swedish Champion *

- 1977 Scottish Open Champion *

- 1983 *

- 1991, 1992 Australasian Champion *

John Boulger John Boulger (born 18 June 1945 in Adelaide, South Australia) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. Boulger won a record nine South Australian Championships (a record jointly held with Jack Young), as well as two Australian So ...

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

South Australian Champion *

- 1974, 1975, 1976 Western Australian Champion *

- 1987 Victorian Champion (Aust) *

- 1969, 1970