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Please let's not try and build this into something it definitely isn't,it's an end of season challenge nothing more.probably 80% of fans I spoke with on sat thought it was meaningless, unfortunately there are a few regular posters on here whose posts are totally unrepresentative of the majority of poole fans.Weve had a good season and am very confident that a super competitive team will be assembled for next season (cooks would be top of shopping list of every other team in the league)

I estimate that I have been to around 80 different tracks. Some I have enjoyed and some I haven't. But not for 1 second have I wanted any of those tracks to be lost to the sport.

Thousands here where the hell they been over the years

We need a new manager as well. Dave Peet steps down. Many thanks Dave.

One big problem with lowering the averages is the following year riders are on a higher inflated average then maybe not get a team place, As usual the ones in charge have no ongoing plan, do this one season, then do that another season, if they don't get their act together and have a 2/3 year plan speedway will bump along until no clubs are left !!

Think it would create more interest than the main event a real treat for everyone if that happened hope the night goes well and the weather is kind to you ,I for one think the loss of Mon/Green is a sad day for the sport .

Just to add to the above why isn’t continual lowering of the points limit explained to the fans and there reasoning on why a weaker product would be better. Because for the life of me I can’t get my head round how a weaker league can be better.

Not deluded at all the league structure should be allowed to flourish instead of constantly weakening the product. Its the only sport I know that continues to weaken the clubs that want to progress, it’s not a coincidence that Glasgow and Poole we’re against the lower points limit last season and it would be no surprise if these two clubs will be against further farcical points reduction this year. Madness.

The idea that a new track “won’t be needed” is somewhat odd considering the current state of the sport in this country.

Polish 2nd tier still way more competitive than our top league

I see Peterborough have let the cat out the bag that Bomber has signed for Glasgow for 2024 in a newspaper article. I am sure our promotion will be over the moon that it has been aired in public.

Don't know what the German whose name I won't speak would be, but the last averages on bspl have clegg as 4.21

The majority unfortunately,but blaming brexit for the demise of GB Speedway is pretty shallow. IMO

and yet the ghost teams supporters were turning up and paying CL and PL admissions at hosting tracks just to watch the 2nd half, the actual ghost development teams got not one penny from the admission and it still wasn't good enough for the host clubs. 20-30 supporters might not sound like mega numbers but in a sport where attendance is on the downturn every little helps.

a lap?

My opinion on that is that div1 has become so weak that div2 HLs who would've been 2nd strings or reserves in the past have become div 1 HLs. The issue is the weakening of the prem for which again the championship fans are being punished

I've been to too many of these now. What makes a successful farewell is engagement with fans memories. Exeter set the gold standard (Honey Sandford's laying a bouquet in memory of her father, and Ivan's final lap). Despite a fairly mundane field Reading's benefited from a bumper turn out of former riders (plus Dave Lanning and Diddy David Hamilton). Peterborough on the other hand was a disgrace - a chat with David Howe (who just happened to be there spannering) and that was about it. I'm confident tonight will be a good (if teary) send-off.

If clubs that are of a level to run in Div 1, choose to stay in Div 2, then they have to expect controls to provide a more level playing field.. As we know, averages often don't do that, given all the random variables involved that contribute to a riders average, including even subjectivity when using assessed averages... The lower average basically will prevent teams from using 3 Div HL's , or two HL's and a strong Div 1 SS.... It should therefore mean that each team have at least two "good" Div 2 level riders, which means all should be at least competitive.. Which has to be the ultimate aim of any sport that doesnt have promotion or relegation, or delivers any great financial rewards for winning any title, or cup...

Trying to widen the gap between the two leagues so doubling up is more under control imo.

Because that was what was agreed before the competition started.

I think one of my favourite memories of Monmore was when we scored about 29 points, Vanessa Purchase came out to us as we were on chauffeur duties, apologised and told us they would be late coming back to the vans. She went and found out where the control for the hot water was in the showers and turned it off making it extremely cold, she then stormed into the showers and gave them a right rollicking.

If any speedway supporter has anything to do with Entain you really aren't a speedway supporter. Goodbye Monmore, thanks for the memories.

Yet another Bell En*

Noticed that as well, however announcing a signing is a different scenario than not doing your homework on who holds a registration.

Made a massive mistake there then, Douglas far superior

Exactly, No one cares about this i cant even imagine the riders care really especially as some already know there moving on... its less than a glorified friendly

Looking forward to this. Should have taken place last year but ran out of time with the final fiasco at Leicester. Should be a cracking fixture and just because Glasgow pulled out due to lack of funds means little. While other teams shut shop weeks ago Poole continue to ride every week which is great. Hope Leicester put out s competitive team and the racing is as good as last week. Harris likely I should think.

Although not my favourite track the "Cheetahs" had some memorable meetings there and Momore Green will be a sad loss.

A lot of calls for the 2nd halves to return and aside from the mega list of reasons why it failed previously (driving out ghost teams, rising costs, midweek fixtures, it goes on) the big reason why they are unlikely to feature again is there is no progression route without the NDL. At one point there were decent numbers of amateurs travelling big distances over a season to compete in the second halves (check out the stats 8-10 years ago), riders who were throwing good money at their own personal dream of getting a shot in the NL one day. Why would anyone do that now? Would anyone honestly recommend speedway to a friend a hobby/sport to get into? There are currently dozens of kids that are to come of age in the next year or two that will either get no shot or will have to bridge the gap between youth level and CL level, can anyone honestly see that going well? For British speedway to survive another 10 years it needs new blood to replace the ageing riders who might eventually retire, that means a NDL supported by higher division clubs/BSPL or a Nora league that can operate with the blessing of the SCB/BSPL as a complementary product rather than an opposing one.

I've said this many times too. There are riders now who would've struggled to crack the old EL, yet are somehow heat leaders in both leagues. There were some excellent PL #1s back in the day and they couldn't hack it in the top league, unless they were really special. It's a shame though, because the PL for a long time was probably the most equal and competitive league.

Maybe a silly question but why is the points limit as has been mentioned coming down surely it's better to go up and allow better teams to be built don't the promoters run speedway or am I deluded

The 1992 Ipswich junior team that was probably the best team ever had Ben Howe, Laurence Hare, Savalas Clouting and Shaun Tacey as its most regular team members. Leigh Lanham didn't come on the scene until gone half way through the 1993 season! So you'd like to wipe Mildenhall Fen Tigers from the speedway map by disbanding the 3rd Division? The current BSPL cannot be trusted to create a new junior League set up, just look at the farce that was the Premiership Junior League of a couple of years back!

I would imagine having ridden for them this season, he will now guest

Does Pickering not get a reduction for quitting the league for 2 weeks?

Have said it before but personally think this difference in price lark is a nonsense.If the weather is dodgy people are just going to watch the stream ( which is less) than risk paying more on the the day.

Hodder was very impressive when he was at Berwick with Belle Vue

On the flip side it may bring more exciting and competitive heats of speedway.

Great stuff from Scunny even sweeter after the arrogance of the Poole fans on here telling everyone how easy it would be…

It's the same every season We have blank weeks and here we are trying to fit in key fixtures in a damp miserable October

I know Freddie is not down to ride, but do you know he won't be there?

I never quite got the objection and eventual banning of ghost teams. If you start with the objective of organizing a racing environment whereby young riders can get competitive track time on a regular basis and enough people are willing to pay to watch them, what's the problem?

The fact that the BSPL has never shown any interest in youth development is very much their fault.

Simple enough Idea however when fans won't come out and watch free (some clubs do charge entry) British Youth Meetings just now they won't turn out for the above as suggested. Scunthorpe and Redcar also run Summer/Winter Championships for all levels (entrants even pay to ride) yet very few come and watch those either. The Kids who "make it" every year do so because of the commitment from parents, Clubs actually do very little in terms of bringing the own riders through nowadays and those who rely on "Go Fund My Hobby so I can get to the paid ranks because I'm entitled" will always struggle to make it.

A third level of the sport needs to exist to ensure a pipeline of new talent but the format of a meeting does not have to mirror the standard thirteen or fifteen heats. Make race days a festival with teams made up of say, 500 cc, 250 cc, and 125 cc with perhaps 80 c c or even electric powered bikes. Each category would race as a team with say four man teams and include both male and female riders. Set an upper age limit for each category. Set a fixed price for points and that is it. If the talent exists and it wants to compete then they have to understand that at the 3rd level it is equivalent to an apprenticeship. Clubs could band together to offer a season ticket to punters which gives them access to all tracks or a flat £7.50 entry on the day with kids under 16 free. Just thoughts and I am sure others on here can come up with more and better ideas, but most of all you have to create the demand and start somewhere. The sport cannot afford to lose the Kent’s and Mildenhall’s of this world.

Fair enough iainb but you say that as a Leicester fan presumably? Ask Mildenhall fans about the virtues of the 3rd Division cause without the 3rd tier Mildenhall speedway wouldn't exist.

This already exists: the Midland Junior League. Unfortunately, the idiot BSPL mostly destroyed it as they couldn't be bothered to run it. As for curfews, Birmingham manage to run a 15 heat main match and a MJL match before 10 pm ... and have found enough riders to run two teams.

Whatever they come up with for a new version of the NDL they will have to tackle the issue of payments. Fifty percent and more of the current breed of NDL riders expect good payment for riding, some are paid the same as good Championship riders and this has to stop if there is to be any hope of clubs willing to run some form of NDL style racing alongside their current team racing. Riders have to get their heads round it being a ‘hobby’ at this level and not a full time job. Wasting their money on logo’s vans, fan merchandise etc, the priority is learning to ride first, then ‘race’, the time will come, if they are good enough, for the flash stuff. If there is to be a mini version of NDL type racing, perhaps as part of a national style second half racing, but regionalised to reduce travel costs, then riders have to get their head round it being a possible stepping stone to ‘semi professional’ racing, not a ‘good earner’ as some view it now. I do hope the powers that be come up with a workable alternative to the NDL or the sport will die.

Hardly obsessed, 430 posts in 20 years, whereas 6,000 screams no friends.