Halifaxtiger

I'd say that rule is pretty clear (no-one has argued with me, anyway) and given that I found it within 10 minutes of Lioness' post pretty accessible too. If someone has got that wrong its not confusion, its incompetence.

The calling off of both meetings was completely warranted because this is/was a matter of rider safety, and that comes first every time. What is true is that it shouldn't have happened (this time for sure, last time was different) and I completely agree that the responsibility must lie with the promotion - indeed, I have said so at least twice on this thread. What I do not accept - and what you have suggested - is that this was some sort of deliberate, planned action by the Workington promotion to call the match off. That's just rubbish. Incompetence - yes. Conspiracy - no. I don't agree with personal abuse and never use it. Sometimes, however, I think that posts are so ridiculous that the person making them asks for it.

I'd say he asked for that. Workington have ridden just 5 matches at home in the PL and we are into August next weekend. Why call a match off because of a piece of medical equipment (with all the adverse reaction that would get) when you need every fixture and could call it off anyway because of the weather ? True, what happened isn't good. But to suggest it is some sort of conspiracy is nonsense.

Cyclone said that and he's right. I have made no secret of my belief that the new promotion have really pulled the Comets up by the boot straps after the Denham era. But what you can't do (unless you are a politician, that is) is give all the credit to the promotion for that and then when something goes wrong blame an employee, and an employee who was very new to his job at that. They are either responsible for Workington Speedway or they aren't. You did mention rain off at Somerset in your original post and pointing to what other tracks have done is absolutely no defence as to what has happened here.

You simply can't compare this to a rain off. One is something that is utterly beyond the control of anyone, the other is slipshod human incompetence. Every fan knows the risk of travelling to away meetings due to the inconsistent British weather. No fan would think about not going due to the possibility of there not being adequate medical equipment. I think Cyclone is right when he points to the doctor concerned, but Spinny is also right when he states that the buck stops with the promotion because they have the ultimate responsibility of ensuring that the meeting can go ahead.

I think its this: 18.15.2 If a Rider (except those riding as per SR 18.10 (g)) is prevented as a result of an injury sustained in that Meeting (as confirmed by the CMO), the minimum ride rule will not apply. That means if the injury was sustained in another meeting the minimum ride rule does apply.

No, I don't think you were. I think that those you went today and those who went against Edinburgh were unlucky. The problem is that one match lost like this is poor, two is a disaster. They have tried hard at Workington. Good track, good team, good presentation and at £14 for parking (if you are outside on the roadway) programme and entry is as cheap as most NL clubs and cheaper than any other PL one. It is a real shame that this has happened but, as I say, the buck stops in only one place.

What I can say for certain is that Ashley Taylor was at the back of the first bend terracing chatting with a couple of fans there, including me. Clive pointed out to him that Somerset would almost certainly be putting a TR in and that Shanes should be replaced by Simota. Ashley went back to the pits where Shanes was on his bike with his helmet on ready to go. It was only when Ashley got back to the pits that the change was made. I suppose there is a possibility that Lee Trigger picked it up anyway, but I doubt it and it certainly didn't look like it.

You're almost certainly right but the buck stops in one place only. Its very disappointing because I think the Workington promotion have tried really hard to up the game at Derwent Park.

My fault, mate. I did see you but was in the middle of a debate and forgot about coming over altogether. Not the first time I have heard that opinion..............

I did - in fact I went to both meetings. OTA & SBA are two of my favourite tracks but neither was on top form although, to be fair, Somerset had a rain forecast (which did not materialise, it remained steaming hot) and the fire engine that waters the track at Plymouth broke down and was only repaired just before the start of the meeting. The dirt line at Somerset was out on the fence for much of the meeting and prevented passing, while I will be getting Devon dust out of my hair for a week. The matches weren't bad, though, although both teams massively held the advantage on their home track. At SBA, best I have ever seen Newman ride - he never looked like being beaten. Superb team ride from Allen & Morris to shut out Barker, and a hissy fit from the Somerset no 1 after running a last in heat 5. Good to hear Starke got fined for making no effort to clear the track in heat 4 . One last point : Devils supporters can thank first bend Clive for Simota winning heat 7 and a 3-5 rather than an 1-8. He pointed out to Ashley Taylor that Somerset would use a TR and Ashley told Lee Trigger (at the time James Shanes was mounted and helmet on ready to come out). Change was then made. An 8-1 might just have turned the tide in Rebels favour, and it shouldn't take a fan to tell the Plymouth team manager something like that.

It was he stadium owners - initially James Waters but subsequently RDC promotions - that were taken to court. The speedway promotion have no liabilities here at all.

It is true that there was track work at that time between the stock car meeting on a Saturday and the speedway on a Sunday and indeed I have long maintained that the householders problem wasn't so much with the speedway but with the stock cars. I do think that that is somewhat irrelevant, though. The point that is being made (which to my mind is entirely reasonable) is that the noise problem did not exist until the couple moved in. As such, they created it yet judgement has been made in their favour. There is, apparently, an established legal principle that even if the noise was there before you moved in you can still be in the right in any legal action against it. Personally, I think that is perverse because it places no responsibility on the individual moving into the area to ensure that it fits their requirements and it should not be for the area to change to your wishes but for you not to move there in the first place. The scary bit is that if Mildenhall is not safe, virtually nowhere is - and that's not just speedway, either. At least in principle someone could close down Old Trafford or Anfield on the same grounds. It was. It has been stripped, too. I somehow doubt that they will move back in.

Haven't seen Redcar away this season. Noisiest away fans I have seen are Workington by a country mile.

Shut up you annoying female. Its bad enough putting a post on the wrong thread without you gloating. I blame it on the fact that I am getting sun stroke in Manchester.

Not as good ad Plymouth but still a decent meeting - what I saw of it, anyway. Anyone who says you can't pass at Ashfield hasn't been this season . Impressed with Lykke and Perry but Sheffield were disappointing. They should be better than that. Always good to catch up with Paulco and Lioness and on this occasion with Tigerite and the legend that is Sunglasses Dave.

I think I have been hit by some kind of curse. I got an insert at Glasgow yesterday and another at Belle Vue tonight - the latter programme being three months old and neither anywhere near as good as the Edinburgh wrapround !

Put it this way,mate. If you knew Lioness you'd be supporting Glasgow too.

(gulp) I Will be supporting Glasgow on second thought.

If its half as good as the last match I saw at Ashfield, we're in for a treat. I'll be supporting the Tigers.

Better than me, Mr B. I made it all the way there (although I did get a pint with the Big Taximan in the Black & gold which made the trip worthwhile). I blame Screm. He jinxed it.

Last night, I watched Craig Cook and Liam Carr in the same meeting. A few weeks ago, I watched Niels Kristian Iversen and Michael Palm Toft in the same one. In the early 1980's, I saw Bruce Penhall and Alan Mogridge in the same meeting. My point is the gulf between riders happens in all 3 leagues and always has - or at least for as long as we have had some form of rider control or points limit, which is the past 50 years. My view on the NL is a simple one. It is to develop our young British riders but the tracks in it must be a viable or sustainable business and people just will not pay to watch junior meetings. So what you have to do is combine getting the youngsters in with a few older and/or more experienced riders to ensure that the entertainment content is higher. For the most part, the NL has done precisely that and I have no argument with it.

It wasn't reasonable value. As I say, just have the wrapround out for a £1 and let those who want to buy the old programme for £1.50 do so separately. The thing is no-one would want it, would they ? I very much take your point about concessions, losses etc - you're right. But had they charged £1 for the wrapround or £1.50 for the lot I'd have been on here giving them the credit they would deserve. Part of the reason why speedway is in the difficulties that it is is because of false economies, cutting corners and not doing everything possible to ensure that fans are getting value for money. This is a minor issue when compared with some, but its an example of how promotions take the good will of the speedway fan for granted.

Yes I can. Why not just hand out the wraparound and charge people £1 and those who wish to buy something a fortnight out of date could buy it from the track shop for £1.50 ? That's the point here. You might be quite happy to read about old Edinburgh news, I'm not. I'd like to have read what had happened in the preceding week, not what happened three weeks before hand. Problem was, I only found out what I was getting after I handed my £2.50 over. I'll tell the track shop to stock up with Speedy Stars from a fortnight ago, and your local newsagent with newspapers from the same time. No doubt you'd be happy to pay full price for those too if they had a small bit added to them

Outside the stadium and its throwing it down.