DOG TRACKS LONG GONE

Mr Memory. Thanks for the reply unfortunately I live in Yorkshire so I probably will never get to Romford although I was brought up in the East End.

Found this one on the internet Mitcham Greyhound Stadium - apparently Leyton Orient brought the East Stand for their ground in 1956.

Edmonton Greyhound Track situated Lower Edmonton London, opened in early 1930's and was a flapping track

Stainforth, nr Doncaster, Askern, West Cumberland Workington, Willow Park and Great Houghton both around the Kottingley area 1938, Wheatley Hill Coundon Belmont and Spennymoor Co.Durham

any one know when holmes rotherham flapping track closed. use to run dogs there 1950-1960s.can remember at one time 2 betting rings.saw some very good sheffield dogs beat when gambled unable to run track first time.up and down hill.

taffs well skewen bedwellty forest fach brean

"alan53".......1974, just after I went to Barnsley.

forest fach looked a picture when i first visited super turf

Exeter, presumably the Rugger pitch is still going. I had the sprint TR holder there.
St. Austell, market or some kind of business? Won an open there 30 years ago yesterday.
Newton Abbot, no trace now, part of the horse race track. (visited last year)
Glastonbury? I have no idea whether that one is still going.
Brean? same as above.
Live in Canada now, no dogs here except Huskies. :)

"Al Dente".........The "Animal Rights" organisation is very active in the West Country & make life difficult for any promoter.

The original Newton Abbot track was called "Halfway" as it was near Kingkerswell on the road to Torquay. It had the sharpest bends that I have ever seen.....the track was almost triangular in shape.

Nearly every bookmaker was called Redfern.

What cracking memories some of these posts bring up.I must have attended dogs at least 4 nights a week throughout the 1970s-2000 visits! Anyone remember Loudwater? (straight track in High Wycombe)

ColonelsRib Wheatley Hill is still going.Good thread heres a few tracks that I have raced at over the years what I dont think have been mentioned and hopefully someone can reveal what replaced them.Ashfield,Mount Vernon,Wallyford,Wishaw,Stanley,Hartlepool,Blackpool,Preston,Chester,Bury St.Edmunds,Ipswich,Clacton,Aldershot.

missing...Blackpool,Preston,Chester,Bury..

"Cinema"......Up the hill at Loudwater....it probably packed up when the bike chain that towed the lure wore out.

Mr Memory,yes I do remember that hare being very hit or miss!

WOW how many tracks are there still open answers on here please not on a postcard thanks

"Cinema".......I think that the "hare" was the inspiration behind the invention of the bouncy castle.

Very little mention on here of the Scottish tracks their must have been 20 at one time, the likes of Carfin,Wishaw,Ayr,Wallyfood,Ashfield (went one year in the 80s for their £4000 derby and their was 23 books standing). + many more.
The Scottish were renowned for having the best sprinters in the British isles,if there was a good sprinter in Ireland it invariably ended up flapping in Scotland.
last I heard Gretna was still open are there any others?

hi phil the tracks left in scotland flapping as far as i know are ayr  armadale thornton gretna corbiewood not sure about carfin

Mr Memory,I wish it had inspired me to invent the bouncy castle!

Two tracks that nobody have mentioned,,,,,  westerham Hill straight on Sunday morning and Gillingham in Somerset again a straight.

Stockton-Pear shaped with a fair down hill run into the tight bend,built on I believe.
Hartlepool-Not a bad track but Cyril would never put my dogs on the card,
Coundon-mentioned earlier,now has a couple of buildings on it but otherwise just a field.
Gateshead-Don't know if anyones mentioned this one.

A couple of Scotch ones which I don't think have been mentioned
Hawick
Brig Of Don(or something like that-Aberdeen)
Another English one Ashington.You needed a dog with its left legs shorter than its right ones here to get round the corner flags.

Cinema and Mr. Memory  LOUDWATER was run by georgie Rogers? moved from there to High Wycombe when his 8? legal meetings expired?
Similar straight meetings that era throughout essex at Brentwood ,tilbury,noak hill.Rayleigh has that been mentioned?they even had trotting at one time and also staged 10.30pm start on saturdays after southend finished.Maidstone in Kent and Lynsted(sat, afternoons) run by george macey of the Stedlyn prefix fame (later kennels for Mr and Mrs Cumner reading and sitingbourne)now housing estate,oh dear i,m getting old! Rochester!

was there once a track at canterbury think it was ngrc track or i may be getting mixed up with sittingbourne

CANTERBURY GREYHOUND STADIUM
 
Greyhound racing first took place at the Kingsmead Stadium track, replacing speedway, in 1988. A number of very successful years meetings were held at the track, and many dogs from the track enjoyed Open race successes. However, the Council-owned track closed its doors on 30th October 1999, and some 2 years later the football club ceased being.

a sad tale slippy but true of many great tracks now gone makes you wonder where the sport will be in the next ten years mate

spike was two miles from highgate yorkshire, highgate track still there flapping

HIGHGATE IS STILL GOING TWO BOOKS WHO WILL TAKE AT LEAST A MONKEY SO WORTH A VISIT

same at askern still going you can get 1500 to 2000 on so again worth bringing a fair dog

ANYONE REMEMBER SHEFFIELD HYDE PARK NEAR THE FLATS I THINK

HIGHGATE ST LEDGER HEATS 29TH AUGUST. FINALS 5TH SEPT. FLAPPING STILL GOING IN SOME PLACES

Allpoints
A couple of Scotch ones which I don't think have been mentioned
Hawick
Brig Of Don(or something like that-Aberdeen)
Another English one Ashington.You needed a dog with its left legs shorter than its right ones here to get round the corner flags.

Fantastic call on Ashington, however there were some great dogs seen around there, on a personal note I miss the old place had some good old gamble there

how many tracks left flapping in the north east now fellas ?

Easington & Wheatley Hill,don't know if Cambois is still going.

is there still racing at wansbeck and is this a flapping track

maidstone-world of leather.what about tilbury?

Think Wansbeck only race one night a week and last I heard Wheatley Hill was Friday night only.

thanks digger i may take a trip up how many books are there and do they lay a fair bet

Hi chrisjake think theres 3 books at Wheatley Hill and only the one at Wansbeck but its only what i've heard at the races as I have not been for about 10 years.Good luck if you venture up.

CHEERS MATE BE LUCKY

any scotch lads know about ayr closing or is this just a load of ball****

Hope I'm wrong but Wheatley Hill closed after arson attack on 14 May 2005

The following, I hope, are still open:

Armadale
Askern
Ayr
Corbiewood
Easington
Ellesmere Port
Fakenham
Gretna
Valley
Wansbeck
Warwick
Westhoughton
Whitwood

That's 13.

Armadale,Ayr,Gretna, Thornton,Wheatley hill,Easington,Wansbeck,Westhoughton,Ellesmere.Askern.Highgate.Valley

Dont no what happened there add Ellesmere, Askern.Highgate, Valley

Does anybody remember Denny my 1st track Motorway 2 Stirling went thru itWed nite Sat afternoon Gray or Frew wood rember it

Chris went 2 Hyde park for the big Council of Gt Britain open Paddy Sweeney organised it My friend had the fav for final on the way home he stopped for a drink dog got stolen his name was Wee Willie

I REMEMBER ted soppit getting a dog either getting nicked or loose at spennymore years ago

Chris whats that do do with Hyde Park

for those that asked, southend is now a retail park appropriatly named stadium way. ill never forget the 40p tote units with collosal dividends and the thursday night open racing specially the early 80s with along the line and mr blueskies frequent winners over the 647

Found the following article, (thought it might be of interest):

Eighty years ago,on April 7,1928, greyhound racing-which had been introduced to Britain two years earlier at Manchester's Belle Vue Stadium- came to Wales.
The first meeting took place at the now long gone Welsh White City Stadium at Sloper Road in the Grangetown area of Cardiff.
Owing to the persistent rain that fell that historic Easter Saturday only 9,000 spectators turned up. And when the first hurdle event was declared a no-race, because  the dogs were so busy fighting each other that none of them completed  the 470 yard
track, the future of greyhound racing in Cardiff didn't look too promising.
However, fine weather on the Easter Monday saw some 25,000 people paying either 2s 4d or 5/-to get into the stadium which before the Second World War had been a venue for  football, rugby, speedway, athletics and other sporting events.
The Greyhound Racing Association (South Wales) had erected six
kennels with accommodation for 180 dogs and under the grandstand
there was spacious accommodation for its members who were provided with a lounge,bar, ladies room,cloak room all for just two guineas  a year.

Owners who intended to race their dogs at the track paid just a
£1  a week and they could select any of the following trainers Paddy
Fortune (Cork),William Baldwin(London), Albert Carter (Somerset) D T Edwards
(Wattstown) and T Phillips(Cardiff).
In those days, the greyhounds raced on turf not sand and this had  been brought from Caerphilly Mountain.The stadium was said to be comparable with the big London tracks like Wembley and White City and 'the dogs'   became so popular  that soon afterwards another greyhound track  was  opened at  then world famous Cardiff Arms Park.

Mick The Miller, the most famous greyhound in the history of the sport, set a world record of 29.55 seconds for the standard distance of 525 yards when winning the 1930 Welsh Greyhound Derby at the Sloper Road stadium. Another famous greyhound to race there was Beef Cutlet  trained by John Hegarty who later became the racing manager at the Cardiff Arms Park track. Beef Cutlet, won the 1933 Welsh Greyhound Derby clocking 29.56 seconds,just 01 slower than Mick's tremendous time.

The opening of the greyhound track at the Cardiff Arms Park  was reported to have been:" A triumph of pluck and perseverance.''  Men  were still working on the track a few hours before the public were admitted and it was, not until 6 o clock that the hurdle trials were held. Despite the hustle and uncertainty the meeting went off without a hitch and   5,000 fans are said to have had an interesting evening's sport  even  though the grading of dogs was not what it might have been.

A band played during the intervals as the dogs paraded and a new  type trackers hare proved most satisfying. When greyhound racing came to Newport's Somerton Park Stadium in the November of 1932, several thousand people waited an hour,  after  the fifth race, while  electricians tried to remedy a mechanical defect in   the flood-lighting. Earlier, Alderman Fred Phillips formally opened the ' most modern Welsh track' and the South Wales Argus reporter wrote: "Whiz went  the hare; fleet-footed sped the dogs after it,their legs and  bodies  craned to see those wonderfully intelligent animals jockey for the position near the rail.'' "There were gasps of wonder and astonishment as newcomers to the sport saw the fastest animals trained on four legs leap gracefully  over the hurdles.'' The fault, however, could not be  located and  officials had no alternative but to abandon the rest of the card.

Greyhound racing came to an end at the old Sloper Road track  during  the war years and at Somerton Park it finished  in 1963 after the twice-weekly meetings attendances,   every Tuesday and Friday, had dropped to hundreds rather then the 3,000 after the war crowds who had supported  it. A crowd of  700 gathered to witness the  death nell of the sport in Newport and it was the mechanical  hare, that  had raced around the track a million times since 1932, which had the last  laugh, for,  as the final race was about to start, the traps opened  too soon – before the dogs with the hare chasing the dogs for a  change! Len  Davies, secretary at Somerton Park, told a local newspaper: "Some of the best dogs in  the country have raced at Somerton Park.  Perhaps the best of them all was Antartica, a white bitch which set a track  450 yards  record  in a Somerton Stakes heat in 1958.''
He also recalled that during the same year three dogs-Combined Hope,Finnerty and Maglin Breeze-ran a triple dead heat, a very  rare occurance indeed. Sadly, greyhound racing at Cardiff came to an end on July 30,1977 because the Welsh Rugby Union needed the track to extend  terracing  at the National Stadium. 1,128 fans saw Lillyput Queen, owned by Cardiff butcher Malcolm Davies and trained by Freddie Goodman,win the last race.Cardiff City Council   had taken less than ten minutes to reject a plan to switch   greyhound racing to Maindy Stadium. And no longer would enthusiasts flock there to see well-  known greyhounds such as Shaggy Lass(1945), Trev's Pefection   (1947), Ballylanigan Tanist (1951), Endless Gossip(1952) Mile Bush Pride (1959) and Patricia's Hope(1972) who all won the Welsh Greyhound Derby. Now fans in Wales have only three flapping (unlicensed) meetings  to attend at Swansea, Bedwellty and Ystrad Mynach to witness  there favourite sport.

sum more Scottish flaps Clydebank Denny Motherwell Larkhall Galston Irvine Townhead&Stadium Auchenleck Falkirk Linlithgow &coatbridge both outside McGee Hare Tranent Wallyford Kirkcaldy Kilmarnock Stevenson

THE MAD GHOST IS FAKENHAM THE SAME AS IN NORFOLK

cashless looking good - Yes, inside the racecourse

not any more fakenham closed years ago and newton abbot i think

Fakenham closed in 1999 but reopened on Sunday, 7 June 2009.  Whether it's still open or not, I can't find any information.

Add Methil &Dunfermline 2 Scottish flaps gone

Mad Ghost,Most interesting article.The Somerton track was at the old Newport County football ground.I delivered a dog to the landlord of The Ruperra pub on Commercial Rd. Newport some time after the war and went with him to the track.Interesting to see the admission prices at Cardiff.I was a boy the first night Harringay raced but I seem to remember the men paid 1/-to get in.A few years later it went up to1/6 including the racecard  so in comparison Cardiff was dear.

Endless Gossip gets a mention,he was an amazing greyhound from birth.His sire Priceless Border was a Derby winner ,so was his dam I think her name was Niagra Anna .Not many bitches won the Derby.Endless Gossip won a Derby himself and after his racing days were over his trainer,Leslie Reynolds,probably the greatest of all time took him coursing.I think he got to the semi final of The Waterloo Cup.After his coursing days were over the handsome brindle got into the finals of Crufts.I know he was a champion show dog and I would say the most versatile greyhound of all time.

whitmarsh - Thanks for your comments.  I remember the first time I went to Whie City, London in 1968 it was 5/- entry to the cheap side, (7/6 the main grandstand), so again it shows how dear Cardiff was.  The only bitchs I can remember winning The Derby are Sarah's Bunny (1979)& The great Dolores Rocket (1971).  Narrogar Ann (1949) was before my time and I don't think any bitches have won The Derby at the poor substitute place.  Quite right about Endless Gossip, I'm certain he's the only Derby winner whose parents both won The Derby.

"whitmarsh"........"Endless Gossip" was owned & bred by Mr.H.E.Gocher.....his greyhounds were named with the initials E G....one
example being "Eton Graduate"

Mr.M,I am always amazed and interested by your knowledge of greyhound racing.Perhaps you would know but I am sure I read or heard somewhere that Endless Gossip mated bitches in England,Ireland,the U.S.A. and Australia,which for the fifties was another astonishing feat.
Mad Ghost,Thank you for correcting me ,Narrogar Ann was the actual name of the dam of Endless Gossip.Dolores Rocket was owned and trained by the three White brothers and their mother.One was called Lenny.

Wimbledon is a cesspit now

Preston, was once NGRC, then went flapping under the same banner as Blackpool. Intrestingly. The last racing manager at Preston (Closed Xmas 1987) was one Mr Peter O'Dowd, now for many years the RM at Romford. Preston is now an housing estate. Blackpool is now the Odeon cinama, Once the home of The Fylde Rugby club, with the Dogs on the outside, 420m was the race of the Blackpool derby, always won by a top NGRC dog in disguise. Always a lump in the throat when I drive past em both. Happy Days!

williewalsh
Some information that might interest you.

Blackpool:
Racing distances: 270, 460, 550,620, 649 yards + 500 yard straight
Race days: Monday,Wednesday & Friday
Hare Type: Outside Sumner
Racing Surface: All Grass
Circumference: 343 yards(314 metres)
Opened: 1939 (approx.).  April 1962: Sold for housing development
Closed: Circa 1994/5

Preston:
Racing distances: 440, 520, 612 & 725 yards
Racing Surface: Grass then Sand
Opened: 1938.  1978: Becomes a“Flapping Track”
Closed: 20 December 1988.  July 1989: Demolished

Two more,cleethorps and skegness.

Derby
Long eaton (flapper)

Mad Ghost,As far as I knowFakenham was never really what I would call a flap.They ran dogs up a straight a couple of times a year.I dont even know if there were any bookmakers their.I never was at the place but what I heard was that it wasnt much more than giving a dog a gallop up a straight.The same could be said about Thirsk where dogs raced up a straight.They had a bookie there when I went old Tubby  who sold the roots and bulbs in Doncaster market priced up.It was the back of Thirsk racecourse but you wouldnt call that a flapping track.

only track as far as i know that used to have a flap inside was newton abbot

Whitmarsh

Nevr been to Fakenham so am quite happy to take your word for it.

I WAS IN THE MIDDLE AT FAKENHAM ON TUESDAY NO SIGN OF IT STILL EXISTING ,BUT I WILL ASK COLIN ARMES A NORWICH BOOKIE WHO MORE THAN LIKELY COULD HAVE BET THERE

Whitmarsh

I have some information that they used to "race" over 220 yards at Fakenham.

Mad Ghost,You may be right but they kept it a secret.I spoke to a couple of friends last night and they didnt know about it.Certainly not as recently as stated in the post,but Im never too old to learn.

Whitmarsh:

Yes, the only other pieces of information I have is that they raced on Sunday and used a drag hare.  This suggests that it wouldn't take long to set-up a meeting especially as they would know the horse racing schedule, and, as the racing distance is 220 yards, I presume that they, like Cheltenham, would use part of the horse racetrack.  Only conjecture, I'm afraid.

I think that there must have been several 'occasional' tracks that operated for relatively short time periods. In the early 70's there was one in Lower Feltham, not far from the Job's Dairy building with the 'cows' on the roof. In the mid 80's Staines Football Club hosted 2 bend whippet racing for a while, the bookmakers were I believe: Steve Wilkinson, Frank Morrad and 'Eddie' Cantor, whose Board name escapes me now, but for many years bet in the cheap ring at Sloough before, I think, transferring to the main one in the track's latter days.

Expat,Cantor made a book at Southend,he used to go to the horses as well as a punter.He only backed 2y.o. odds on chances on time figures.He was a big player 40 odd years ago,would bet a 2000 to 1000 on without batting an eyelid.

White City,Govan.Glasgow.

Bit late with that one wood lane was on the thread ages ago

Sorry mate must have missed it.

Some of the venues referred to were "flips" not licenced by local authorities as the flapping tracks were. They were allowed up to six meetings a year with betting. Very often having used up the six meetings would move to the next field for a further6.

monmore man
Date Joined: 15 May 03
Add contact | Send message
When: 01 Aug 10 18:35
Poor old Geoff Kenney is very ill at the moment.  It was in the paper last week.  Does not sound good at all.  I often see him on Saturdays after he has wasted his afternoons watching the Blue Army.  Hope he pulls through

Monmore man. You posted the above in this thread on 1 August. Any more news on this please?

Another golden oldie from our forum.

Marsh Barton, Exeter now an industrial estate.

White City (Manchester) now a retail park

Incredible what has and is still happening to our Sport ,both sides of the water now

Never mind Lets all get Behind Towc  that should sort everything out ..

HOBB will be sitting in the Restaurant saying how great and Fantastic it all is  and Chapman

Roaring Like a Lunatic on the Gobi Desert Derby ....


Absolutely beyond fckin Belief .

  Marsh Barton, Exeter now an industrial estate.


  IRISH, i took a dog to exeter back in 1989, ran second in a sprint open ( 250 mts ) btn 1 lenghth. 15.85.

  wasnt working at the time and called the dog " giro ". 

  still got the old programme , stadium was at county ground, st thomas.   happy days... copped £50 for coming second. 

marsh Barton was closed in the 1950s mate

..  maybe IRISH, before my time, this stadium was called the exeter county ground, also advertising for dog racing at newton abbot

  racecourse. both gone now i imagine ?

lot of people get that mixed up and used to when they went there to run dogs
the county ground at Taunton in Somerset was the same
built for cricket the dogs raced around the boundary
bit like towcester no straights

How many flapping tracks are left now?

Thornton in scotland,just outside kirkaldy. Only 1 left. If u nip in2 thornton b4 racing
Tobys fish n chip resturant. 8 tables fish chips bread n butter pot o tea. Different class. Sadly toby has passed his son anthony runs shop now. Both great dog men. Fearless punters.

May be wrong, Thornton, Wheatley Hills, Easington, Highgate, Askern & The Valley. I stand correcting, 6 Flapping tracks left in the U/K.

Maggie thatcher a lot to answer for. When all the pits closed in scotland within 2 yrs flapping scene was all but done. Lots of miners had greyhounds. Untold amounts of flapping tracks up here at 1 time. Some of the coldest tracks on the planet. The 2 coldest were carfin. Sprint trip 330yrds an 350 yrds 4 bends 540 yrds. Put towcester to shame. What a gallop.  An corbiewood was baltic in winter. Just by stirling. Great track.

Think Easington Closed earlier this year

Just had there derby few weeks ago. Watched heats on greyhound racers facebook. Final on youtube as well.

Of the flaps, think Ellesmere Port and Westhoughton recently gone?

Thought was gone Few months back Private ,Appoligies

No worries case. May have closed for a while. Watched heats n final. Believe scottish dog won final.

The GeeKay dogs that ran at Derby were owned by Nigel Flowers father,who ran a Snooker Club at Northampton.
Probably the best he had was GeeKay Hercules, who won many marathons at both Derby and Milton Keynes.
Nigel used to run a book at MK and Coventry,and now stands at Towcester with Tony Johnson.