Halifaxtiger

Has to be Belle Vue. Northern based and able to take a big crowd better than any of the others.

Not a big fan of your posts but I owe you a pint. I nearly didn't go until I read this. About 50 empty seats I think. Easily the biggest since the play off, with only the third bend having noticeable gaps. Dead right, it isn't. Its about whether a rider could pass. Heat 7 was fantastic even though there were no passes as Lindgren was all over Tungates back wheel for 3 laps. It might be because I was there, but this was the best meeting I have seen this season. Huge crowd, real atmosphere stoked up by the presenters and the mascot, some cracking racing and a nip and tuck score line with Wolves only really out of it after heat 13. Great stuff. They have even got rid of that knob on the centre green !! They said it was an ef and I think it might have been. Had that not been the case, he'd have been out in heat 12. Does Beaumont Park, Leicester, ring a bell ?

That's probably the best solution of all. Sign who like but if there is a fixture clash you get an NL guest and no more.

Can't have that, because he couldn't do the centre green mic. Very subdued if Scunny are losing, he's one of the best in the game when they are not.

Agreed. No weak link at all today and indeed when I have seen the Tigers in the past. I was surprised. At best it was a huge gamble. Good meeting, with several cracking races - the best probably Summers brilliant last to first win in heat 13. Glasgow were never really in trouble, but the score line flatters a bit. A big word of credit for Rob Godfrey. It would have been very easy to postpone this meeting in the face of weather reports but he held his nerve and it went ahead. Thanks to a large collection of Glasgow supporters, the attendance seemed to me to be actually slightly up on normal.

Intervals. Cheating. Crap tracks. Doubling up. Insert Programmes.

I am pretty sure neutrals do that every week. Still the best racing track in the country. I fear the wet stuff might win this time.

It seems to me that where the NL is concerned the rulebook can be roundly ignored or bent beyond reason on occasion to the benefit or detriment of one club and the benefit or detriment of all the others. I can only put that down to a culture of jealousy, spite and one-upmanship with a weak decision maker being bullied or influenced by interested promotions. I can believe that the Roynon decision was a mistake, but to my knowledge it was pointed out by others who were, basically, told to mind their own business. The recent history of the NL is littered with examples of bent, crooked and, within the terms of the SCB rulebook, illegal decisions. What's more any discretion that is allowed is applied wildly, inconsistently and without precedent or reason. Even when rules are correctly used they can be subject to criticism by promotions. Birmingham's attempted signing of Hall was legal, but it was blocked. Cameron Heeps did not fit the qualifying criteria for riding in the NL but was given permission to do so. I can remember a certain promoter expressing extreme displeasure about Eastbourne's signing of Daniel Spiller, but it was entirely within the relevant criteria. This season, we have had the Roynon decision and the recent one to grade Matt Marson as a 5.00 when that figure doesn't even exist in regulations. Pure speculation on my part, but I believe that was overturned only when legal action was threatened (given the guarantees given to the Marson family and the specific rule, there was only one way a court decision would go) . The one that tops the cake, though, is Paul Hurry's average reduction. I have been told that one club asked after Hurry last season and two more did so during the winter. All were told an average of excess of 10.50 (they were all told different figures). Somehow, Lakeside got him on about 3 points less than that, a truly extraordinary reduction that simply cannot be justified in anyway whatsoever. What's even worse, though, is the random and utterly inconsistent way that decisions are made. Some get advantages, some don't. The real point is a ruling can make or break a club as it can significantly affect on track success and financial security off it. It simply has to be the case that this cycle of corruption is broken, the completely discredited current system abandoned and its co-ordinator replaced and teams are dealt with on the basis of legality, fairness and precedent.

They did. Deaf ears I am reliably informed, although 'Shut Up' would probably be more accurate. Now, it is indeed. But that is irrelevant. What is relevant is the correct average as per the SCB rulebook when he was brought in. Had that been applied, Plymouth would have been about 1.4 over the limit.

Harsh to suggest Campton's score was flattering, because that's the best I have ever seen him ride anywhere and he deserved every point. No mean feat to beat Grajczonek at Sheffield. Campton aside, Workington were once again both inconsistent and disappointing. Good performances from Bjerre and Graversen, with Wood showing some potential. Big step up from the NL without riding a track like Sheffield.

Final word from me on Roynon's average : heard it from two sources that Peter Morrish has admitted he made a 'mistake'.

Rye House had a good crowd but it was about half what I saw there at the start of the season. Lakeside would have been affected by the traffic and the opposition.

Where all the riders refuse to ride because a track is dangerous defending them is pretty straight forward simply because it almost certainly is dangerous. Defending one rider when all the others carry on riding is far more difficult because the implication is that it isn't dangerous at all and that rider simply doesn't like it. That was the case last week. We all accept the risks the riders take, but as I have said before if they are continually pointing out the injuries they have suffered as a reason for not riding surfaces that are less than perfect there is a strong argument that they shouldn't be riding at all.

Adz is right. For a start, only one rider (Bacon) was missing due to riding for another club. Secondly, there simply aren't enough junior riders - especially competitive junior riders - out there to fill all the gaps. Not how it should be, but how it is. Watching the meeting yesterday - and no disrespect to the lad - Kean Dicken was only just about of a sufficient standard. The number of guest bookings that the likes of Alex Spooner has had this season simply emphasises that point. It shouldn't be the case that NL meetings are packed with guests, but I really don't see any other option. The meeting itself was decent enough and I am not sure whether Mildenhall were good or Birmingham poor - a little of each, I suspect. Parkinson-Blackburn and Carr were particularly disappointing and the Brummies were saved from a real thumping by the performance of Taylor Hampshire. Impressive enough even if he looked like a novice when he missed the gate.

Rob has lost his temper here but he has a point. I'd say referring to Dale's weight at a time when he has been taken ill is not only absolutely unnecessary its also pretty repugnant. Surely its just a matter at this time of wishing him well and hoping for a speedy recovery ?

The meeting turned in heat 12 with a totally unexpected 5-1 from Barker & Morley over Schlein & Perks. Up to then, it had really been nip and tuck. I can't help but think that the track should be better and if it was it would help Rye House. Most of the passing was off the second bend after the start where as Harris & Barker in particular would benefit from more racing lines.

Tracks are often less than ideal but riders still ride (and race) on them. Most riders, that is. Fans are being critical of one (or maybe two) for not wanting to ride here. In a case where all the others did ride - and there doesn't seem to be any suggestion that they did not want to - then they have every right to be scathing about those one (or two). Chapman does deserve his share of the blame for this farce but this simply isn't just down to him.

It was better than that, Buxton are hardly crowd pullers and Lakeside's gates have always been affected by traffic on the M25.

Totally agree, Rob, and its something I thought of when Schlein was going nuts about a wet track up at Berwick earlier this season. I am certain that everyone has a great deal of sympathy and understanding for a rider who has been seriously injured but the simple truth is tracks will never always be perfect and will occasionally be significantly less than that. If you are only going to ride when conditions are favourable you should be thinking about not riding at all,

Definitely had an effect. One of my pals was stranded in it and eventually gave up and went home. I went down through Ongar, Brentwood and Ockenden (thanks again to E I Addio) and it was amazingly clear. I didn't think it was a bad match at all, Lakeside using their home advantage to full effect by continually scooting up the inside on bend 2. The highlight was heat 8 with Locke's brawn just about seeing off Woodhull's brain. Impressed by both these lads - Woodhull hadn't been good on the Island the night before but he rode with some skill, while Locke has improved massively from 12 months ago. Morley was imperious and hard as Williamson and Knight tried they never looked beating him. Overall, not quite the beating some might have predicted - Andy Young's description of Buxton being 'dogged' was spot on.

They are. First of all, track hugely improved from that building site against Belle Vue. Some decent racing, I thought it was a good meeting. Scoreline flattered Poole. Word for Starke ss he never stoppex trying. Very solid indeed (bar Ayres) for Kings Lynn.

Speaking to Comet Dan last night the Comets planning permission conditions are pretty tight. They can't just race when they want to. I know that there have been a number of attempts to bring other clubs to Derwent Park and the promotion are conscious both of the gaps and a possible backlog of meetings. It has, however, been difficult to get anyone to come, especially on a day other than Saturday. Sounds to me like this is beyond the promotions control.

Many congratulations to Sheffield. When the chips were down, they wanted this far more than Workington with Bates, Grajczonek, Howarth & Bjerre all pulling off race winning passes in the last few heats and if Sheffield make the play offs they will look on this result as a major one. The way I saw it, Tigers had the stomach for a fight, Comets didn't. The last 4 or 5 races were pretty good (mainly thanks to Sheffield) but what we saw before that was mediocre at best. It wasn't helped by poor control of the meeting. It wasn't Workington's fault that the first 3 races took 45 minutes or that after 85 minutes we had had only 10 races (a lot of track work was undeniably necessary on a hot, windy evening) but to take an interval then was stupid. Quite simply, people had been standing around long enough. We then had the bizarre sight of spectators waiting for the off and riders at the pit gate only to be unable to start because the track staff weren't in position and there was a further delay until they were. Things then got worse as we had to have a sun break after one race. Most fans accept them, but surely Workington knew that was a possibility given the weather conditions ? What should have happened is that there was no planned interval but it was taken if and when the sun required it. People accept intervals (in many cases, very grudgingly) and sun breaks. But not both in the same meeting. I have made no secret of the fact that I have a lot of time for what Laura has tried at Derwent Park. However, you just have to avoid the unnecessary delays that took place last night.

Might have been a little more than that but not much (I was texting). Those who stayed away missed a treat. Four or five cracking races before an absolute stormer in heat 15. Easily the best race I have seen anywhere this season as four riders went hammer and tongs for four laps. Little wonder there was a bit of a clamour at the end to move meetings back to Friday night. Douglas was brilliant and Bailey hugely impressive. A word, too, for Auty who deserved more than he got. Newcastle - not for the first time this season - were disappointing and Worrall and Howarth aside offered little. Rob Godfrey isn't always everyones cup of tea but it was good to see him enjoying himself tonight. His baiting of referees is just superb. Three other points of interest : an insert programme..............at half price so no-one feels ripped off. Should be standard practice. The decision to exclude Howarth in heat 13 after he pulled a locker but did not fall, Auty laying down. Spot on. And the refusal to open the pit gate after an unsatisfactory start in heat 11. Bang on and also should be standard practice.

As far as I can see, the problem is at the bottom end - specifically the big scoring reserve. The way Scunny's team was built there was a significant reliance upon the senior reserve beating not just the oppositions reserves but also their second strings and the occasional heat leader. Rob Godfrey admitted that was how it was supposed to work due to the relative weakness of their top 5. Against Redcar, Carl Wilkinson had great difficulty even beating the Bears reserves and that was a major factor in a big defeat.