Rye House Rockets

The Rye House Rockets were a speedway team based at Rye House Stadium, Hoddesdon, England. They competed in various British speedway leagues from 1954 to 2018.^[2]

Rye House Rockets
Club information
Track address	Rye House Stadium Rye Road Hoddesdon Hertfordshire EN11 0EH
Country	England
Founded	1934
Closed	2018^[1]
Club facts
Colours	Black, Chrome and Orange
Track size	262 metres (287 yd)
Track record time	54.7 seconds
Track record date	1 August 2015
Track record holder	Robert Lambert
Major team honours
Southern Area League Champions 1955, 1956 Southern Area League Cup Winners 1956 Premier League Champions 2005, 2007 Premier Trophy Winners 2005 National League Champions 1980 National League KO Cup Winners 1979

History

Rye House began life in 1934 hosting open meetings. Whilst at Hackney in 1937, Dicky Case took over the sixty acre estate of Rye House and set up a training school at Rye House Stadium, operating under the name of the Hackney Motor Club.^[3] The school operated until 1938 when Rye House entered the Sunday Dirt-track League.^[4][5][6]

Their first season competing in a league was in 1954 when as the Rye House Roosters they finished third in the 1954 Southern Area League.^[7] The team then won two league titles; the 1955 Southern Area League and the 1956 Southern Area League.^[8]

The team competed in the 2nd division of speedway for 20 years, from 1974 to 1993, with their best successes being the 1980 league champions and 1979 Knockout Cup winners.^[9][10]

In 1999, the team returned to league action in the Conference League (the 3rd division) but they soon moved up to division 2 and formed a junior side to compete in the Conference League. The team's last major honours were winning the league during the 2005 Premier League speedway season and repeating the feat two years later in 2007, after winning the playoffs.

In September 2018, the Lakeside Hammers, a speedway team in the SGB Championship, moved to the Rye House Stadium.^[11] The Rye House Rockets had “been annulled by the Speedway Control Bureau” earlier that year.^[12]

In December 2020, the Rye House stadium was demolished.^[13]

Junior teams

Rye House ran a junior side called the Rye House Raiders and later the Rye House Cobras. The team competed in the Conference League and then the National League.^[14] The Raiders won the Conference League Four-Team Championship in 2003.^[15]

Riders

Rider of the year

• 2017:   Scott Nicholls^[16]
• 2016:   Stuart Robson^[17]
• 2015:   Edward Kennett^[18]
• 2014:   Edward Kennett^[19]
• 2013:   Tyson Nelson^[20]
• 2012:   Jason Garrity
• 2011:   Chris Neath
• 2010:   Linus Sundstrom
• 2009:   Luke Bowen
• 2008:   Luke Bowen
• 2007:   Tai Woffinden
• 2006:   Steve Boxall
• 2005:   Stuart Robson
• 2004:   Tommy Allen
• 2003:   Scott Robson
• 2002:   David Mason

Notable riders

•   Brian Brett
•   Mike Broadbank
•   Marvyn Cox
•   Karl Fiala
•   Bob Garrad
•   Martin Goodwin
•   Chris Harris
•   Ted Hubbard
•   Edward Kennett
•   Kelvin Mullarkey
•   Chris Neath
•   Scott Nicholls
•   Ashley Pullen
•   Jens Rasmussen
•   Stuart Robson
•   Hugh Saunders
•   Andrew Silver
•   Tai Woffinden

Season summary

Extended content

Year and league Position Notes 1954 Southern Area League 3rd rode as Rye House Roosters 1955 Southern Area League 1st Champions 1956 Speedway National League 1st Champions 1957 Southern Area League 3rd 1959 Southern Area League 4th 1974 British League Division Two season 16th 1975 New National League season 14th 1976 National League season 5th 1977 National League season 2nd 1978 National League season 3rd 1979 National League season 2nd Knockout Cup winners 1980 National League season 1st Champions 1981 National League season 16th 1982 National League season 6th 1983 National League season 11th 1984 National League season 8th 1985 National League season 13th 1986 National League season 11th 1987 National League season 16th 1988 National League season 14th 1989 National League season 14th 1990 National League season 15th 1991 British League Division Two season 9th 1992 British League Division Two season 5th 1993 British League Division Two season 8th 1999 Speedway Conference League 4th 2000 Speedway Conference League 6th 2001 Speedway Conference League 4th 2002 Premier League speedway season 13th 2002 Speedway Conference League 4th Raiders (junior side) 2003 Premier League speedway season 14th 2003 Speedway Conference League 2nd Raiders (junior side) 2004 Premier League speedway season 6th 2004 Speedway Conference League 2nd Raiders (junior side) 2005 Premier League speedway season 1st Champions 2005 Speedway Conference League 6th Raiders (junior side) 2006 Premier League speedway season 4th 2006 Speedway Conference League 3rd Raiders (junior side) 2007 Premier League speedway season 3rd Champions (play off winners) 2007 Speedway Conference League 6th Raiders (junior side) 2008 Premier League speedway season 4th 2008 Speedway Conference League 7th Cobras (junior side) 2009 Premier League speedway season 9th 2009 National League speedway season 10th Cobras (junior side) 2010 Premier League speedway season 5th 2010 National League speedway season 4th Cobras (junior side) 2011 Premier League speedway season 8th 2012 Premier League speedway season 11th 2013 Premier League speedway season 9th 2014 Premier League speedway season 13th 2015 Premier League speedway season 12th SGB Premiership 2018 N/A record annulled

Junior riders

Extended content

2009 team   Daniel Halsey   Jamie Courtney   Lee Strudwick   Rob Smith   Michael Bovis   Daniel Blake   Ben Morley 2008 team   Andrew Aldridge   Richard Franklin   Nick Laurence   Terry Day   Rob Smith   Danny Betson   Daniel Halsey   Lee Strudwick   Gary Cottham   Daniel Greenwood 2007 team   Harland Cook   Ben Powell   Robert Mear   Daniel Halsey   Lee Strudwick   Gary Cottham   Barry Burchatt   Karlis Ezergailis   Nick Laurence 2006 team   Luke Bowen   Ben Powell   Harland Cook   Barry Burchatt   Gary Cottham   Daniel Halsey   Robert Mear   Danny Betson   Lee Strudwick

References

1. "Statement:Rye House Speedway". speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
2. Bamford, Robert (1 March 2007). Tempus Speedway Yearbook 2007. NPI Media Group. ISBN 0-7524-4250-3.
3. Jacobs, N. (2003) Speedway in the South-East, Tempus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7524-2725-3
4. Jacobs, Norman (2007). 70 Years of Rye House Speedway. Stroud: Tempus Publishing ISBN 978-0-7524-4162-7
5. "Cinder Star Plans". Daily Mirror. 14 September 1937. Retrieved 23 January 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. Jacobs, N. (2003) Speedway in the South-East, Tempus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7524-2725-3
7. "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
8. Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
9. "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
10. "British League Tables - British League Era (1965-1990)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
11. "LAKESIDE CLUB STATEMENT - British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
12. "STATEMENT: RYE HOUSE SPEEDWAY - British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
13. "Speedway fans devastated by 'huge loss' as iconic Hoddesdon Rye House track is ripped up". Hertforshire Mercury. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
14. Jacobs, Norman (2007). 70 Years of Rye House Speedway. ISBN 978-0-7524-4162-7
15. Oakes, P (2006). Speedway Star Almanac. Pinegen Ltd. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0.
16. "Rye House Speedway Official Website: SCOTT IS MR ROCKET!". ryehouserockets.co. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
17. "KENNETT SKIPPERS ROCKETS". Speedway World Championships. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
18. "Rye House Speedway Official Website: MASTERS AND BRANFORD WIN ACES!". ryehouserockets.co. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
19. "Kennett and Garrity set to stay at Rye House Rockets next season 29 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine", Hertfordshire Mercury, 10 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014
20. "Tyson Nelson named Rye House Rockets rider of year", Harlow Star, 6 October 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2014

 

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