Any memories of this place..?

[Donnyjim]

Doncaster speedway / greyhound stadium. I can only remember it in this disused guise. I played Sunday league football in the middle. Apparently it used to be the home of the Doncaster Dragons speedway team? We're there ever any stands? What sort of crowds went? I would welcome any recollections?

[Albert Trousers]

I once played football on the pitch in the centre of the track, the goalposts were unusual in the fact they were black & white striped rather than the normal plain white.

[not on facebook]

Sure me old man took me there to watch some ...Stock car racing....

Which was bascially old crapped out Made up cars going round and round
Whilst knocking fcuk out Of each other.

Last one moving Wins.

Only went there a couple Of time,what was it called and where was it in donny?

[Donnyjim]

Sure me old man took me there to watch some ...Stock car racing....

Which was bascially old crapped out Made up cars going round and round
Whilst knocking fcuk out Of each other.

Last one moving Wins.

Only went there a couple Of time,what was it called and where was it in donny?

It was the old greyhound stadium (according to OS maps), but I think it was mostly used for speedway and stock cars. It was right behind furniture factors at the bottom of Newlands Drive. There are houses on it now. Mine is one.

[drfc1951]

It was the first home of the Dons in 1951 to about 1954 when they moved to Tattersfield.

[Donnyjim]

It was the first home of the Dons in 1951 to about 1954 when they moved to Tattersfield.

Where a crowd of 7,000 watched their first match. This link tell us alot more about the stadium. http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/Doncaster.htm

[GM-MarkB]

Yeah I saw stock cars there too many moons ago...my late Grandad took me...must have been the early 70's

[nightporter]

Me too, used to watch banger racers there. 

[Welling Rover]

Used to go to the greyhound racing around 1960/61. My brother operated the traps and my dad did the photo finish camera.
They also had a casino there for a short time in the early sixties.

[The Red Baron]

I've never been there but I drove past it umpteen times when we lived in Donny. The stand looks very like the one at Tattersfield- presumably built by the same company.

The speedway appears to have stopped in around 1970. Did they just have stock cars/ bangers after that or did they go back to dog racing?

[idler]

The banger racing went on for a while after.
I moved to Tennyson Ave. Sprotborough after getting married in 1972 and remember hearing the noise when a meet was on for a couple of years or so after.
I think some folk complained to the council about the noise.

[Sprotyrover]

I heard that the site was owned by the Copley family and was a colliery slag heap which was strategically positioned to spoil the batty wrights sons view from Cussy hall.
There did seem to be quite a bit of slag on the ground when I was a kid.

[Hag]

Mate of mine once had a dog running at Donny, get yer rent on it he said, so I did, it came fourth.... but it won next time out, he wasn't me best mate, not even a mate for much longer.
I have just about caught up with the rent arrears!!
Another one running at Donny, a different mate, told me to lump on .. so I did ... ran straight into the fence around the track, it didn't see the bend - it was so full of VITAMINS.
I don't bet on dogs anymore!

[1879Rovers]

I played football in the middle. They were having Greyhound trials the same morning and the game kept getting stopped so they could do their trials. I did score direct from a corner though.

[The Red Baron]

I played football in the middle. They were having Greyhound trials the same morning and the game kept getting stopped so they could do their trials. I did score direct from a corner though.

How many were found guilty? 

[Crowle Rover]

I had a mate who used to race greyhounds.


They always beat him!

[niteowler]

Yes I remember it well , used to be owned by Charlie Bint and the dog handicapper was Tommy Flynn who finished up on the committee of the Woodfield club. Dog racing was on a Tuesday and Saturday nights and I used to train and run dogs at the track (which you could in those days - early sixties). Remember well one night when they used to play roulette upstairs in the bar after racing , which I am sure everybody thought was legal , the door being smashed open and about 20 police officers rushed in taking photographs of every one and there mother. Some of the punters had to go to court as witnesses and the owners fined and the roulette closed down. It was like something from the untouchables for those who remember it. Those were the days.

[Donnyjim]

The main stand as it was, hiding the roulette table no doubt. 
As previously mentioned a similar structure to Tattersfield.

[not on facebook]

When did the Stock car or banger racing finish?

[Donnyjim]

When did the Stock car or banger racing finish?

About 73 / 74 according to the above post. When I played in the middle in about 86, nothing had been around that track for about 15 years.

[PDX_Rover]

Bloody hell. I have a very vague memory of going to see Stock Car Racing there... Must've been 72/73 - I,d have been 5 or 6 years old. I remember the smell of hot dogs, oil and the noise. Loved motor sport ever since.

[Donnywolf]

I used to go to the Speedway regularly

Doncaster formed a Team and Ithere were I seem to remember competitions to "name that team" in local papers

I think the first name they had was Doncaster Dragons but then when disbanded and restarted they went to being Doncaster Stallions to more reflect the Towns horsey connections (the names may have been Stallions followed by Dragons but I cant be bothered to climb in loft to look at the progs I have)

Either way it was new and exciting and I had many good Afternoons and evenings down there even watching  Young England v Young Czechoslovakia on one night

Donnys best spell came when they had Chip Hawkes and Guy Shearer as Numbers 1 and 2 and when they were both in same race it used to seem to end in maximum points for Donny

It was truly a family event too and during the times when Football was getting and deserving a bad press you could trip to the Speedway and there was no such nonsense going off

I can scan the Progs if anyone is interested !

[ravenrover]

I used to "work" there on Dragon Speedway days, no pay just free admission. I started off as the chap with the big rake that rakes everything back from the outside of the bends to the inside. Later I became a pusher, that is pushing the bikes to get them going and parading the bikes at the start of the meet. I seem to remember that an old timer Gordon MacGregor was brought out of retirement to lead the team, others I remember are Hec Haslinger, George Major and Chris Harrison. Happy days!

[not on facebook]

I might have seen some speedway Aswell ,but what played fcuk with my head back then Bern so young was that rovers played football at BV and there was Also a speedway track in Manchester called BV,to which i could never Get me head round that.

There is a mention that the Police closed down a casino at the track in doncaster.iam Now having Flash backs to seeing the reports or pictures
Of said action via the doncaster evening post and me old man not Been
To happy about it.

[BobG]

Wasn't George Major a bit of a star Raven? I have a vague memory he was a bit good.

Cheers

BobG

[Donnywolf]

I might have seen some speedway Aswell ,but what played fcuk with my head back then Bern so young was that rovers played football at BV and there was Also a speedway track in Manchester called BV,to which i could never Get me head round that.

There is a mention that the Police closed down a casino at the track in doncaster.iam Now having Flash backs to seeing the reports or pictures
Of said action via the doncaster evening post and me old man not Been
To happy about it.

...AND Wakefield Trinity (now Wildcats of course) also play at Belle Vue too

WAKEFIELD TRINITY WILDCATS

The Rapid Solicitors Stadium
Belle Vue
Doncaster Road
Wakefield
WF1 5EY

[The Red Baron]

Wasn't George Major a bit of a star Raven? I have a vague memory he was a bit good.

Cheers

BobG

Bob- you're not thinking of Ivan Mauger (pronounced Major) are you? He was a New Zealander and was "Mr Speedway" when I was a lad. Won the world championship many times.

[RobTheRover]

I learnt to ride a motorbike there when I was 15. The Police ran a course for kids to learn to ride safely after loads of youngsters were hurt falling off 50cc Honda plaggys

[RedRover45]

I might have seen some speedway Aswell ,but what played fcuk with my head back then Bern so young was that rovers played football at BV and there was Also a speedway track in Manchester called BV,to which i could never Get me head round that.

There is a mention that the Police closed down a casino at the track in doncaster.iam Now having Flash backs to seeing the reports or pictures
Of said action via the doncaster evening post and me old man not Been
To happy about it.

...AND Wakefield Trinity (now Wildcats of course) also play at Belle Vue too

WAKEFIELD TRINITY WILDCATS

The Rapid Solicitors Stadium
Belle Vue
Doncaster Road
Wakefield
WF1 5EY

And Rhyl play at Belle Vue too !!

[ravenrover]

Wasn't George Major a bit of a star Raven? I have a vague memory he was a bit good.

Cheers

BobG

Yes he had raced at a much higher level than the Dragons, nice bloke as well. I remeber him taking one of the lads to DRI and I went as guide, he drove a car like he did a Speedway bike! He was a bit of a rogue as well, after The Dragons had raced at Berwick he cadged a lift back on the supporters bus and spent all the way back chatting up one of the older ladies in the party and saved himself the cost of bed and breakfast that night!