Plymouth Gladiators
| Plymouth Gladiators | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Track address | Plymouth Coliseum Coypool Road Plymouth PL7 4NW | ||||||||||||||||||
| Country | England | ||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1932 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team manager | Mattie Bates | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team captain | Jason Crump | ||||||||||||||||||
| League | SGB Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | https://plymouth-speedway.com | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Colours | Blue, Yellow and Black | ||||||||||||||||||
| Track size | 216 metres | ||||||||||||||||||
| Track record time | 49.40 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Track record date | 27 July 2021 v Leicester | ||||||||||||||||||
| Track record holder | |||||||||||||||||||
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The Plymouth Gladiators are a speedway team in the British SGB Championship. Under several names Plymouth have competed during various seasons from 1932. The club was reformed after a gap of thirty-six years in 2006 by former St Austell Gulls rider Mike Bowden[1] In 2021 the club successfully applied to join the British second division, the SGB Championship. The team names included Tigers, Panthers, Devils and Bulldogs[2]
History[]
1932–1937[]
Plymouth's original home was Pennycross Stadium. As the Plymouth Tigers they competed in the first National League season in the 1932 Speedway National League.[3] The Tigers became the Panthers for the 1936 season and the stadium was used in 1937.
1947–1954[]
The stadium re-opened in 1947 when the Devils raced in the 1947 Speedway National League Division Three. Apart from short spells in the Second Division the team operated at this level until 1954. In 1952, the team achieved their first major success, winning the Division three section of the National Trophy. They defeated Rayleigh Rockets in the final. [4] After another season in the Southern League (1953) they withdrew from the 1954 Speedway National League Division Two.[5][6]
1961–1969[]
The track re-opened for a couple of years in the 1961 Provincial Speedway League (as the Plymouth Bulldogs) and 1962. It re-opened 1968 and had spells in the British League Division Two.
2006–present[]
Temporary planning permission was awarded for a new speedway track in 2006,[7] but in August 2007 the club was granted full planning permission.[8] During the 2006 Speedway Conference League the club finished first in the regular season table but lost in the play off final. Two years later in 2008 they repeated the feat of topping the table but once again lost in the play offs. They did however gain consolation when winning the Conference League Knockout Cup. One year later they reached the play off final during the 2009 National League speedway season.
In 2011, the club moved up to division 2 and in 2014 they ran a junior side called the Devon Demons, previously the Demons had been the junior side for the Exeter Falcons.[9] They stayed in division 2 until 2017 when they dropped back down to division 3.
In 2019, they changed their name from the Devils to the Gladiators and in 2021 competed in the second division again, called the SGB Championship. From 2022, the club will also run a development side called the Centurions.[10]
Season summary[]
Riders previous seasons[]
Extended content
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2019 team 2018 team
Also rode in 2018
2016 team Also rode in 2016 2015 team
Also rode in 2015 2014 team Also rode in 2014 2013 team
Previous riders in 2013 2010 team Previous Riders In 2010 2009 team 2008 team 2007 team |
References[]
- ^ Bamford, Robert (1 March 2007). Tempus Speedway Yearbook 2007. NPI Media Group. ISBN 0-7524-4250-3.
- ^ "Plymouth Speedway". Defunct Speedway. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ "1952 National Trophy". Speedway archive.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ "Speedway back on track". BBC. 6 January 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
- ^ "Bowden Delighted with Green Light". Plymouth Herald. 3 August 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Devon". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "CENTURIONS ARE LAUNCHED". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
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| Former Teams |
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- National League speedway teams
- Speedway Premier League teams
- Sport in Plymouth