Legends left the Peterborough Panthers, but the eighties still proved to be entertaining

​Part two covers the 1980s and a decade of change and departures at Panthers…

The first to go was Richard ‘Dickie’ Greer, a genuine Panthers’ legend who started his professional career with the club as a 23-year-old in 1970 and ended it 12 years later, a month or so before his 35th birthday.

Greer was a permanent fixture in the side during two separate spells, four seasons in the seventies and then a second stint between 1979 and 1981 when he became a firm fans’ favourite.

Greer recalled: “I’d had a go at speedway at Hackney in 1966 and also rode for non-league Brafield the same year, but it all went a bit wrong when I was riding in a second half race at Hackney.

"I hit a lamp standard and knocked all the stadium lights out!

“I packed in after that and went back on the grass.

"Andy Ross, who was also a grass track rider and lived at Folksworth, told me there were people going to build a speedway track at the Showground and he was going to ride for them along with another grass tracker, Joe Hughes.

"He told me ‘we haven’t got a full team, so will you ride for us as well?’

“I was a Peterborough lad through and through, living in New Road, so I agreed, and of all the teams I’ve ridden for, Peterborough was my club.”

GREER THE GREAT

After his first three seasons, Greer was offered a team place at First Division Oxford and remained at the top level at London White City (where he was an ever-present in their championship-winning side) and Birmingham before returning to the Panthers.

Greer said: “I’d had a few accidents at Birmingham and broke my leg and arm and, in 1979, I wasn’t doing very well, and I got chucked out of the team.

"I had only ridden in two meetings and only scored a couple of points and they said they didn’t need me any more.

“But Danny Dunton, the Peterborough promoter, rang me up and said ‘you’ve got to come back to Peterborough’ and I'm glad I did as I enjoyed the rest of my career there.

"I knew everybody. The supporters were brilliant and even when I was riding for the other clubs, if I didn’t have a meeting, I would go to the Showground to watch.

“I had another three years, but by the end of 1981 I knew it was time to stop.

"A lot of riders don’t know when to retire. I was still enjoying it and I could have done another season, but I knew it was time.”

In all Greer made 234 official appearances for Panthers and scored more than 2,000 points and would later become president of the Supporters’ Club and occupy a string of top positions within the club, taking over as co-promoter in 2021 before suddenly quitting towards the end of last season. after a fall-out with owner Keith Chapman.

Like Carl Johnson, who preceded and succeeded him as co-promoter until he resigned earlier this year, Greer hasn’t attended a single Panthers meeting since handing in his notice!

GREAT ENTERTAINERS

The other legend to depart in the eighties was Danny Dunton, the man who was in charge when Allied Presentations Limited, a five-strong consortium that already owned four Second Division tracks, opened Peterborough in 1970.

Danny, a former rider who had finished 12th in the 1950 World Final at Wembley, sold out to Martin Rogers, a sports journalist and author who combined writing with running King’s Lynn, at the end of the 1984 season.

It was a sea-change in promotional style and one of Rogers’ first acts was to meet the fans at the Supporters’ Club end-of-season shindig at The Fleet in Fletton where he spelt out his philosophy to supporters.

“The emphasis has got to be to put on a show and to give the fans entertainment," Rogers declared.

"If the team happens to win as well, that’s the icing on the cake.”

He was true to his word although success was hard to come by….

UPS AND DOWNS

Usually impressive and, at times, unbeatable around their Alwalton home circuit, the Panthers harvested little in the way of silverware.

They did come out on top in the Second Division Four Team Championship in both 1988 and 1989 and Ian Barney was crowned the second tier Riders’ Champion in 1984.

All three honours came at the Showground as a quartet of two Australians, Craig Hodgson and Mick Poole, and two locally based riders, Kevin Hawkins and Barney, got the better of Mildenhall, Eastbourne and Poole for the first success.

And Barney, Poole, Hodgson and Kevin Jolly outpointed Stoke, Exeter and Eastbourne as they successfully defended the title 12 months later.

But those successes were fleeting and in the two competitions that really mattered, the record made miserable reading as Panthers never finished higher than fifth in the National League (in 1987 when they were eight points behind champions Eastbourne).

And they suffered three defeats in the two-leg semi-finals of the Knockout Cup, losing to Hackney by two points in 1984 and by four points to Berwick in 1989.

Their other appearance in the last four was one to forget, hammered by Eastbourne by 25 points after being beaten both home and away!

A GREAT UPSET

​There was one result in the 1980s which was the cause of major celebration even though it is merely a footnote in speedway’s record books.

​Top-flight Halifax were the exalted visitors in the Speedway Star Knockout Cup on Friday, May 8, 1981, with a team that included 1976 World Finalist Doug Wyer and the 1975 world number three John Louis, but missing Kenny Carter, who was in hospital after breaking his jaw.

World Cup winner and World Pairs champion Louis, father of current Ipswich promoter Chris, showed all his class with an 18-point maximum but that wasn’t enough to deny second tier Panthers their first ever victory over a Division One team.

A four-point victory was sealed by Greer and partner Mick Hines in the last race to send the crowd into raptures.

Greer recalled: “It was a big deal because they were a top team, with top riders. It was good for the fans because everyone thought we would struggle, but we held our own and beat them.

“I was a bit nervous going out for the last race and I probably said to Mick if we get decent positions stick together and they can’t pass and that’s what we did. Everyone went wild when we crossed the line.”

END OF A SHORT ERA

Rogers’ reign as promoter was comparatively brief, especially compared with the Dunton dynasty.

In May 1988, he brought in 34-year-old David Hawkins as a partner, but it wouldn’t even last until the end of the season as Rogers and his wife Lin sold his shares in the August, explaining: “We have always felt that some promoters have overstayed their welcome and it has never been our ambition to stay around for ever.”

And it wasn’t too long before they were heading for a new life Down Under, emigrating to Australia where they still live on the Gold Coast, although they do make the occasional trips back to this country.

Hawkins had big ideas but, unfortunately, he didn’t have the bank balance to match and after the stability of Dunton and Rogers, Panthers were heading for turbulent waters….

​NEXT WEEK: The Nineties – famine followed by feast.