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THE HUNTERS ERA This book begins with the early struggle to re-establish speedway in Leicester during the late forties when a number of locations were considered before racing finally returned to the Blackbird Road stadium in 1949 after a twelve-year gap. Played in front of near capacity crowds, the early Leicester teams produced some of the best speedway results on their way towards a top three finish in as many seasons. From this meteoric rise emerged many heroes with Harwood Pike, Cyril Page, Len Williams, Joe Bowkis, Lionel Benson and Jock Grierson fondly remembered by Hunters fans even to this day. In the late fifties the Hunters once again came within touching distance of winning a National League Championship title when a new wave of names created their own celebrity status in the city. Among them were Jack Geran, Bryan Elliott, Charlie Barsby, Stefan Kwoczala, Norman Hunter and finally Ken McKinlay who blazed a trail across British speedway tracks to become a rider of world-class renown. The chase for World Championship glory is told along with the time when Leicester riders were at the forefront of individual honours in the Midland Riders Championship. Chapters include the quest for British Match Race glory and a look down the years at those high-octane derby clashes between Leicester and Coventry. The successes and failures during fifteen seasons of the Hunters era are recalled in this book which, together with a plethora of archive photographs, takes a walk back in time to rekindle the memories of the days when Friday night meant speedway night at Blackbird Road. THE HUNTERS ERA IS CURRENTLY SOLD OUT
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