Lea Bridge also known as Clapton Saints were a British

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

team that existed from 1928 to 1938. They raced at the

Lea Bridge Stadium The Lea Bridge Stadium was a football and speedway stadium on Lea Bridge Road in the Leyton area of London. It was the home ground of Clapton Orient between 1930 and 1937. History Speedway was introduced in the summer of 1928 by Motor Speedwa ...

History

Origins

Speedway was introduced in the Summer of 1928 by Motor Speedways Ltd, under the guidance of the Managing Director Ernest J. Bass and track manager Ray Abbott, following the construction of a purpose built facility on a ten acre plot of land. The 33ft wide track was built with a football field on the inside and the stadium could accommodate 40,000 spectators. There was parking for cars and one of the four stadium entrances was directly opposite the Lea Bridge railway station. The first fixture was held to the Lea Bridge Stadium on 14 July 1928

Team

Fixtures continued to be held throughout 1928 including a team challenge against the original White City team. The following season a team was formed with the purpose of racing in the

1929 Speedway Southern League The 1929 Southern League was the inaugural season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams. There was also a Northern League called the 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League that started during the same year. ...

and they finished 10th place in the 11 team league. The team fared better the following season, finishing 8th from 13 before

Cyril "Squib" Burton Cyril Frederick "Squib" Burton (16 January 1908 – June 1990) was a motorcycle speedway rider who was one of the sport's early stars, becoming a leading rider for the Leicester Stadium team and for Rochdale, and going on to represent England. ...

became the club's first big signing, starring during the

1931 Speedway Southern League The 1931 Southern League was the third season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams, and its final season before amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Leagues. The Northern teams also had their third season ...

season. The Southern and Northern Leagues merged to create the first

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 ...

in 1932. However, the team ceased to become members of the league because Mr Bass had installed a tote and indicated that they would allow betting on Speedway meetings, which forced the National Speedway Association to withdraw the team from the league. In May 1932, the Southampton Saints promotion left Banister Court Stadium to take over the licence at Lea Bridge, with the team becoming the Clapton Saints. Led by the Parker brothers, Jack and

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

, the Saints finished in a solid fifth place in 1933. In 1934, the team reverted to the name Lea Bridge but were unable to fulfill their fixtures, which resulted in their licence being revoked. The fixtures were completed by Walthamstow Wolves. In July 1938, Tom Bradbury Pratt was granted a licence to race in the 1938 Speedway National League Division Two, under the name of Lea Bridge Cubs. The team made up largely of

Harringay Harringay (pronounced ) is a district of north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the New River, where it crosses Green Lanes by Finsbury Park, and Duckett's ...

reserve riders would finish the league in 5th place. It would be their final season in existence.

Site today

The stadium site today is commemorated by a blue plaque at nearby Rigg Approach.

Notable riders

Season summary

References

{{Reflist Defunct speedway teams in the United Kingdom Speedway teams in London 1928 establishments in England 1938 disestablishments in England Sports clubs and teams established in 1928 Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1938