Cleveland Park Stadium

Cleveland Park Stadium, located in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, was a greyhound racing and speedway venue built in 1928 and demolished in 1996. The idea for the stadium was conceived by Jack French, who formed National Greyhounds Middlesbrough Ltd., and it was constructed on an eleven-acre site of former allotments. Initially, the track had a circumference of 412 yards (377 meters) with a Mono-Rail hare system, which was later replaced by an 'Inside Sumner' in 1939. The first greyhound meeting took place on May 19, 1928, attracting 8,000 attendees. A greyhound named Just Alone won the inaugural race over 500 yards. Speedway events began three months later, on August 23, 1928. The stadium's early star was Brilliant Gambler, an Irish import that set multiple track records in 1928 and 1929. The facility included two enclosures with members' clubs, hare control between the first and second bends, and a tote control added in 1936. A greyhound named Cheerful Chinaman won 138 races from 452 outings by November 1934, a record believed to still stand today. In 1938, all greyhounds became company-owned to prevent doping, and race distances were changed to 288, 500, 518, and 700 yards. Post-war, the stadium's totalisator turnover reached £656,386 in 1946, with a new Electro-Mechanical tote installed the following year. Notable events included triple dead heats in 1956 and 1959, and hosting a BBC Television Trophy heat in 1961. The track operated on Wednesday and Saturday nights during the 1960s, with trainers Harry Gendle and K Nelson. In ...