Hastings Saxons were a British motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway

Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...

 team which operated for two years between 1948 and 1949 at the Pilot Field in Hastings

Hastings

Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....

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History

At the end of 1947, the Eastbourne Eagles

Eastbourne Eagles

The Eastbourne Eagles are a British speedway team based near Eastbourne, England who compete in the British Elite League. They became Elite League Champions in 2000. They were also Elite League Knockout Cup winners in 2002 and again in 2008. Speedway was initially introduced to Eastbourne in...

 were forced to close down due to a petrol ban enforced at their Arlington

Arlington, East Sussex

Arlington is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex. The parish is on the River Cuckmere, and is the location for a medieval priory, a reservoir and car racetrack.-History:The area has been settled since Anglo-Saxon times...

 Stadium. They decided to transfer their team to Hastings and at the beginning of 1948 the Speedway Control Board

The Speedway Control Board

The Speedway Control Bureau , formerly known as the Speedway Control Board, governs the sport of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom on behalf of the Auto Cycle Union . The directors are appointed by the ACU and British Speedway Promoters' Association...

 granted a licence to Hastings to stage speedway. They entered the National League Division Three

Speedway National League Division Three

The National League Division Three was the third division of Speedway in the United Kingdom. The league was created as a third tier in 1947 but ran for only 5 years. In 1952 it was replaced by more regional leagues such as the Southern League.-References:...

 under the management of ex-Wimbledon

Wimbledon Dons

The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They were closed during the Second World War but upon their re-opening in 1946 there were 42,000...

 rider Charles Dugard. In their first meeting at their track at Pilot Field, approximately 5,000 people saw Hastings beat Stoke

Stoke Potters

The Stoke Potters are a British Speedway team currently competing in the National League. The team races at Loomer Road Stadium.In the late 1940s, early 1950s and the early 1960s, the club was based in Sun Street in Hanley, and were originally known as the Hanley Potters when crowds of over 12,000...

 44-39. Hastings finished the 1948

1948 Speedway National League Division Three

-Final table:...

 league season in a mid table position and completed the 1949

1949 Speedway National League Division Three

-Final table:...

 season in a similar position. At the end of 1949, Hastings were forced to close after a group residents living near to the track took legal action to prevent further racing. The residents claimed that the noise from the speedway motorcycles was a public nuisance

Public nuisance

In English criminal law, public nuisance is a class of common law offence in which the injury, loss or damage is suffered by the local community as a whole rather than by individual victims.-Discussion:...

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Notable riders were Jock Grierson, Ken Middleditch

Ken Middleditch

Kenneth Arthur Middleditch is a British retired motorcycle speedway rider.-Career Summary:Middleditch served in the RAF in World War II as a rear gunner, and became interested in speedway while stationed in Egypt....

 and Wally Green, who went on to race for West Ham

West Ham Hammers

The West Ham Hammers were a speedway team, first promoted by Jimmy Baxter in 1929.. They operated from the West Ham Stadium until the outbreak of World War II under several different promotions, most successfully under the control of Johnnie Hoskins....

 in the First Division

Speedway National League

The National League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1932 until 1965 when it became known as the British League. Prior to 1932 there were only small regional leagues competing within the sport in the UK. The National League was re-incarnated in 1975 as the second division...

 and was runner up in the 1950 World Final

1950 Individual Speedway World Championship

The 1950 Individual Speedway World Championship.Speedway riders from New Zealand, Wales and Republic of Ireland was started in World Championship first time.:# Freddie Williams# Wally Green# Graham Warren-Qualification:...

. The Pilot Field is still in use by football team Hastings United

Hastings United F.C.

Hastings United is a semi-professional English football club who currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division and are affiliated to the Sussex County Football Association and the Hastings Football Association....

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