The Walthamstow Wolves were a

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 which operated from 1934 and again from 1949 until their closure in 1951.

History

The club opened in 1934 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 ...

, when

Lea Bridge Lea Bridge is a district in the London Borough of Hackney and the London Borough of Waltham Forest in London, England. It lies 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of Charing Cross. The area it takes its name from a bridge built over the River Le ...

were forced to find a new venue after their licence was revoked by the Speedway Control Board in late July. Walthamstow Wolves took on their last ten fixtures. They finished ninth in the

1934 Speedway National League The 1934 National League Division One was the sixth season of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. It was also the first time that a second division/tier of racing was introduced following the creation of a reserves league. Summary Birming ...

. After the 1934 season the Wolves were forced to relocate due to noise complaints and subsequent court proceedings. They moved to the

Hackney Wick Stadium Hackney Wick Stadium was a greyhound racing and speedway stadium located at Waterden Road in Hackney Wick, London, England. Origins The site chosen for the stadium was on land known as Hackney Marshes west of the River Lea and on the west side ...

as the

Hackney Wick Wolves Hackney Speedway opened in 1935 at Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, London, and operated until 1996. The team raced under various names, known as Hackney Wick Wolves, Hackney Hawks, Hackney Kestrels and London Lions. History Origins & 1 ...

. League speedway returned to Wathamstow for the

1949 Speedway National League Division Two The 1949 National League Division Two was the fourth post-war season of the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. Summary The League was extended to 12 teams with the addition of new entrants Walthamstow Wolves and Ashfield G ...

and the promotion spent a considerable sum signing riders. Wilf Jay was signed from

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

for £1,000 and Dick Geary joined from

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...

for £1,000. Despite the new signings the team struggled to attract good crowds due to being situated between Division one tracks at

West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...

and

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 ...

. The Wolves finished 6th that season and this was followed by two 5th place finishes in 1950 and 1951, before they finally closed in 1951 due to declining attendance and complaints of noise from local residents. The track was later covered in tarmac for easier maintenance of the

greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around an oval track. The sport originates from Hare coursing, coursing. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually a form of windsock) that travels ahead of th ...

track. The stadium was sold in August 2008 and demolished to make way for a housing development.

Season summary

Notable riders

* * * * * * * *

References

{{Reflist Defunct speedway teams in the United Kingdom Speedway teams in London Walthamstow