The Barrow Bombers were a speedway team promoted in Barrow-in-Furness that existed at various times from 1930 to 1985.[1]
| Barrow Bombers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Club information | |
| Track address | Holker Street Barrow-in-Furness |
| Country | England |
| Founded | 1930 |
| Closed | 1985 |
| Club facts | |
| Colours | Yellow |
| Track size | 379 metres (414 yd) |
History
editSpeedway arrived in Barrow during 1930 when a number of meetings were conducted at Holker Street, the home of Barrow A.F.C., the town's football club.[2] Organised by the Northern Sports Club, the first meeting was held on 12 June 1930.[3]
Racing moved to Little Park in Roose during 1931 but crowd levels were insufficient.[4][5]
In 1972, speedway returned to Barrow after a 42-year absence. The former Romford Bombers promotion who started the season at the West Ham Stadium in London moved the team north to Holker Street, which had recently installed a circuit around the pitch.[6] The team were initially called the Barrow Happy Faces as their sponsor at the time was Duckhams Oil - its happy face logo was prominently displayed on the team's race jackets. The team finished 9th during the 1972 British League Division Two season.[7]
The team were renamed Barrow Bombers for the 1973 and 1974 seasons, where they finished 10th and 12th respectively.[8] Despite good crowds, a new home had to be found for the team after the end of the 1974 season, when problems with ground sharing became insurmountable.[9]
Local businessman Cliff Hindle built a new stadium at Park Road, which opened halfway through the 1977 season for a short series of open meetings. In 1978 a team was entered under the name Barrow Furness Flyers, but they finished bottom of the National League. Crowds were poor and the track closed after only one season.[10]
Speedway in Barrow was revived once again in 1984, under the promotion of ex-Barrow rider Chris Roynon. A series of challenge matches were held to gauge public support. Interest was such that a team was entered for the 1985 season under the name of the Barrow Blackhawks.[11] After a disastrous start to the season with an understrength team, the Blackhawks were thrown out of the league. A number of challenge matches were held for the remainder of the season in front of low crowds before the track once again closed.[10]
Season summary
edit| Year and league | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 British League Division Two season | 9th | rode as Happy Faces |
| 1973 British League Division Two season | 10th | |
| 1974 British League Division Two season | 12th | |
| 1978 National League season | 20th | rode as Furness Flyers |
| 1985 National League season | N/A | rode as Blackhawks, withdrew, results expunged |
Notable riders
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Barrow Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "1930 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Barrow Speedway Record". Lancashire Evening Post. 13 June 1930. Retrieved 26 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Pavey, A. (2004) Speedway in the North-West, Tempus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7524-3192-7
- ^ "Successful Opening Meeting". Lancashire Evening Post. 2 June 1931. Retrieved 26 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Reaction after tough week-end". Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail. 4 April 1972. Retrieved 26 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "British League Tables - British League Era (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
- ^ a b "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Dave leads charge on Army line-up". Kentish Express. 10 May 1985. Retrieved 26 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.