Crittall Sports Ground Track / Braintree Town Football Club, Cressing Road Stadium, Clockhouse Way, Braintree, Essex CM7 3DE
The Essex town of Braintree becomes another town that has hosted Greyhound Racing at more than one venue. Although Braintree’s first known track lay just off Notley Road, and operated during the 1930’s, yet further attempts to promote the sport came in more recent times.
The venue in question operated at the town’s football ground on Cressing Road, the home of Crittall Athletic, a venue situated one mile southeast of its town centre. Originally the land was just an open meadow, but in 1923 it became used as an athletics track, which also hosted amateur football within its infield, it was during this period that Crittall Athletic made it their home.
As time moved on the venue developed further, when in 1967 floodlights were used for the first time, but also 1967 became the year that witnessed the introduction of Greyhound Racing.
The track was basic, with the grass circuit staked out around the perimeter of the football pitch. Little is known regarding distances and type of hare, and also how long it lasted for, but it seems it was a short venture only.
Today, the Cressing Road venue is now known as the Amlin Stadium and is totally unrecognisable from those days of 50 years ago, with the venue having become the home to the ambitious Braintree United Football Club, its transformation leaving no reminder at all of Greyhound Racing ever having been there.
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