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A look back at 25 years of the Hammers
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After the disappointments of the 2000 speedway season, the stage was set for all to be avenged in 2001. That was the feeling among the home camp as the new look Hammers squad lined up on the eve of the 18th season of competitive speedway at the Arena-Essex Raceway.
The horrendous catalogue of injuries suffered by the Hammers in 2000 resulted their worst ever season in British speedway. Thirteenth spot in the Premier League table – just one place above wooden spoonists Reading – meant that it was not a season that home fans would remember with any affection.
It wasn’t long after the dust had settled on the final race of the 2000 season that the new promoting consortium set about putting together a side for 2001. One of the first priorities was to upgrade and tidy up the safety fence, which bore the brunt of much criticism the season previous. In an attempt to make it safer for the riders, cuts were made in the fence posts, which allowed it to break easier in the event of it being hit at high speed.
From the team that finished the 2000 season, the Hammers retained skipper Colin White and long serving Troy Pratt, both of whom were due to have testimonial meetings during the season. Luke Clifton, who had shown much promise in the latter part of 2000, joined them in the opening line-up and was joined in the reserve berth by Barrie Evans.
There was plenty of press surrounding the Club’s next signing – former Hackney star Andy Galvin, who had mentioned to the management that he wanted to start riding again. Galvin had not ridden since sustaining a serious injury in 1993 and was allocated a starting average of 4 points, putting him straight into the team as a second string.
Everyone was delighted to see Leigh Lanham back in the Hammers colours following his injury in the opening meeting of 2000. It would take him a little time to get back into the groove after such a serious injury, but he certainly had the talent to do so.
The Hammers’ long winter search for a number one was completed at the back end of January – with Coventry’s Ipswich-based asset Shaun Tacey coming into the side at number one. Burdened with a high opening average of 10.98, it was expected he would help take a little pressure off the returning Lanham and he certainlycompleted a very strong top four.
The season-opening Essex Championship was called off due to the elements, but the curtain was raised just seven days later when Pratt staged a hugely successful testimonial meeting in front of Arena’s biggest crowd for ten years. The sight of Elite League stars back at Purfleet drew out the punters, who watched Eastbourne and England star Joe Screen take the individual honours.
The league campaign kicked off the following Thursday when the Hammers travelled to Swindon – and were soundly trounced by a strong Robins side.
The Premier Trophy campaign opened the following evening with an unexpectedly tight four point win for the Hammers over Exeter – but more news was to be broken after the meeting when Martin Goodwin, who had remained as team manager, advised the club that he would be unable to continue in the post due to his increased work commitments. Peter Thorogood was appointed to the position for the remainder of the season.
There were several respectable performances with a loss at the Isle of Wight and a victory over Reading on Good Friday. Tacey showed signed of getting used to the Arena track, but by this time both Galvin and Evans were struggling.
The start of May saw the visit of Swindon – who had topped the Trophy group – but the Hammers slipped to their first home defeat of the season amidst much disappointment as they suffered mid-meeting injuries to Tacey and Galvin.
The management made changes to the side, re-introducing Australian Brent Collyer into the team at the expense of Evans, who returned to Conference League racing with Mildenhall. Tacey’s sticky start to the season was confirmed when new averages saw him slip to fourth in the team standings and a switch in riding order to number two.
The Hammers soon found their feet and picked up their first away win of the season at Trelawny thanks to an all round team performance with the top five all scoring well.
But the side were brought back down to earth with a bump the following Friday when they faced Reading in the first leg of the Knockout Cup. On a slick and dusty track, the Hammers struggled to a draw much to the disappointment of all concerned in a meeting which saw the debut of Aussie Lee Herne, who’d been signed to cover the gap left by another injury to Galvin.
Lanham was beaten only once in a majestic showing in the return leg but the Hammers limped to a six-point loss on the night - the Cup was over all too soon for another year.
With the Hammers also out of the Premier Trophy, all thoughts turned to the league campaign. It was a tough opener, too, as 1999 champions Sheffield arrived at Purfleet but the Hammers managed a four-point victory to start the league campaign in positive mood. Victory was achieved at cost though, as Collyer was involved in a horrifying crash in heat three, suffering a broken thigh and left leg and a broken right foot.
As in the season before, the management team proved that they were not shy on filling gaps when required by quickly snapping up Hull asset Lee Dicken. Ironically, Dicken made his debut against his old club on 1st June - but it was not a happy debut as the Hammers lost by four as the Vikings secured victory on the night.
Lanham and Pratt scored sixteen and fifteen points a-piece, but White had an evening to forget as he only managed three points, highlighting the problem that the team had - if one of the top four had a bad night at home the team would struggle to win.
The Hammers hit the road again the following weekend as they competed in their first Northern Tour of the year. They were well beaten at Workington by twenty points and by fourteen at Newcastle, but collected a welcome win at Glasgow, which was sandwiched in between.
Herne was injured in the clash at Newcastle – and with Galvin declared fit the previous week, he was brought back in to the side. He won his first ride back in a twenty five-point home win over Berwick and kept his place the following week when the team took part in another tour of Edinburgh and Berwick. A last heat 5-1 from Tacey and Lanham gave the Hammers victory at the home of the Bandits.
Almost immediately, the Hammers undid all of their good work as inconsistency on their home circuit the following week resulted in defeat at home to Newcastle. The high-flying Diamonds would go on the clinch the Premier League championship.
But by this stage the season was well and truly over. The club had failed to get the nod for the Four Team Championship and slipped to another hugely disappointing defeat at home to Workington.
A big defeat up at Sheffield was to follow with Tacey top scoring for the Hammers with 12 points. Galvin, however, took a fall in his final race which was to keep him out of the saddle for the remainder of the season.
A home win against Stoke appeared to keep the team on track for the Young Shield play-offs and they kept up their winning ways the following week with a 14-point win against the in-form Isle of Wight. But defeat in the re-arranged match up at Stoke was a great disappointment to everyone.
Results elsewhere conspired against them and any realistic chance of making top eight was gone with defeat at Loomer Road. The Hammers needed to win at Newport to retain any mathematical chance of reaching the end of season finale, but with Clifton now sidelined with a broken leg and Herne gamely giving the meeting a go despite being far from fit, the Hammers produced their worst performance of the season.
The final weeks of the season were something of an anti-climax – although the Promotion showed loyalty to the fans who had supported them through another difficult year by staging three further meetings at Purfleet.
Pratt won the 12-lap Supernational Marathon for the third time and White staged a successful testimonial at the beginning of October, ex-Hammers Brian Karger and Paul Hurry remaining undefeated throughout the meeting.
With the season over, Hammers were left to reflect on annoying inconsistencies throughout the side. When all the team were firing at the same time they showed what they were capable of doing, but on far too many occasions let points slip from their grasp. For a team who appeared packed full of heat leader material at the start of the season, visiting numbers ones would often dominate at Purfleet and inspire their sides to victory.
The highlight of the year was without doubt Lanham’s return to full fitness – and form. He finished the season in superb fettle and was deservedly voted rider of the year by supporters
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