Somercotes Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium and former cricket ground site on Nottingham Road in Somercotes, Derbyshire.
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| Location | Nottingham Road, Somercotes, Derbyshire |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°05′04″N 1°22′19″W / 53.08444°N 1.37194°W |
| Opened | 1954 |
| Closed | 1971 |
Origins
editSomercotes Greyhound Stadium was constructed on the site of the Somercotes Cricket Ground. The cricket club had left the ground before the war.[1]
Opening
editHarry Hill, Len Meredith, Ted Callaghan and Charlie Hall of the Alfreton and District Greyhound Company Limited owned the track and it opened in September 1954. The pavilion remained from the cricket days as part of the facilities and the local football team played on the inside field.[2]
History
editThe track was 370 yards in circumference and had race distances of 270 and 480 yards. The track was grass with sand and peat moss on the banked bends with an inside hare.[3]
Racing was on Monday and Friday evenings with trials held after racing and the races consisted of both graded races and handicap races.[3]
The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the National Greyhound Racing Club).[4]
Closure
editThe stadium closed in 1971 and is now part of the NHS Distribution Service Depot.
References
edit- ^ "Somercotes Cricket Ground". Somercotes History.
- ^ "Somercotes Greyhound Stadium". Somercotes History.
- ^ a b Furby, R (1968). Independent Greyhound Racing. New Dominion House.
- ^ Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. p. 422. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.