Aldershot Shots also known later as Aldershot Poppies were a speedway team that existed from 1950 to 1960, they were based primarily at Aldershot Stadium in Tongham, near Farnham.[1]
| Aldershot Shots | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Club information | |
| Track address | Aldershot Stadium Oxenden Road Tongham near Farnham Surrey |
| Country | England |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Closed | 1960 |
| League | National League Division Three Southern League Southern Area League |
History
editIn 1929, eight meetings were held at the 25 acres Aldershot Sports Stadium on Boxall's Lane. The first of these was held on Wednesday 3 July 1929.[2] Although seven of the meetings were individual events there was one team fixture against Southampton Saints.[3] The stadium is known to have hosted speedway in 1931 but would later become a reservoir (known as Badshot Lea Little Pond). The date that the stadium was demolished is unknown.
In 1950, speedway returned to Aldershot at the greyhound stadium known as Aldershot Stadium. The track was completed by February 1950[4] and a team was entered for the National League Division Three season,[5] where the team finished the season in fifth place.[6] In 1951, the finished slightly better in third place. The star of the 1950 and 1951 team was Trevor Redmond while his fellow Kiwi Geoff Mardon was also a star man.[7]
In 1952, the third division was replaced by the Southern League and Aldershot finished 7th. In 1953, the stadium was used for open meetings.[8]
A team called the California Poppies moved to Aldershot in 1957 and were renamed the Aldershot Poppies. The team competed in the 1957 Southern Area League, Aldershot reverted back to the name Shots and had one more season of league racing in 1959.[9]
In 1960, after a short season of open meetings, the speedway track closed.[10]
Notable riders
edit
Season summary
edit| Year and league | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 Speedway National League Division Three | 5th | |
| 1951 Speedway National League Division Three | 3rd | |
| 1952 Speedway Southern League | 7th | |
| 1957 Southern Area League | 4th | known as Aldershot Poppies |
| 1959 Southern Area League | 3rd |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Aldershot Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Dirt Track Racing". Surrey Advertiser. 6 July 1929. Retrieved 20 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1929 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ "Rain stopped speedway trials". Aldershot News. 17 February 1950. Retrieved 20 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway is in Third Division". Aldershot News. 17 March 1950. Retrieved 20 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.
- ^ Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. ISBN 0-7524-2210-3
- ^ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ Pavey,A. (2004) Speedway in the North-West, Tempus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7524-3192-7