Halifaxtiger

I'd agree that there is always a reason to get stuck in. To be fair, I thought some of the Redcar boys did precisely that and to suggest that the score was about Redcar being poor undermines just how good Ipswich were. They had to win that meeting by 4 points to make the play offs. That's huge motivation for a team to give it their best shot and I'm sure that you would expect a bit extra from your team in the same position. The Witches are also a team very much in form. They battered Sheffield the other night, King is almost unbeatable and Jacobs is absolutely flying. As I said, they will be a real handful in the play offs. I should add that that's probably the best meeting I have seen at Redcar all season. Shades of the old STMP, there.

Did I quote a 'well placed source' ? I don't believe I did. Nothing more than hearsay. As you are so knowledgeable on the subject, perhaps you could tell me what he gains from riding against the likes of Strudwick, Woods & Bowtell - and, for that matter Armstrong, Coles and Halsey - while turning down the opportunity to ride against Cook, King, Masters in the PL as well as the EL ? It a question I - and I suspect many others - would like answered because, apart from money, I simply can't see any reason and that's the nub of the matter here. For your information I am not a Mildenhall supporter. I would have thought 3 visits to the track this season might have told you that. Nothing like being overwhelmingly biased is there ? My point here is precisely how many do beat him or even stand a chance of beating him ? Given that he is averaging over 11 a match, there can't be many. One point dropped at Arlington all season says it all. I bet Halsey was. Then again, I bet Carl Wilkinson was pleased to beat the World Champion the other night. Flukes happen. I don't support a team but if it was a PL side I might well be. I am sure you might have something to say if Craig Cook signed for Buxton. His EL average is about the same as Ellis'. Aside from his bank balance, I really don't see how he benefits from riding NL and if he needs extra rides why not take up a PL offer ? We are talking about a rider who was at the top of Poole's averages when he signed for Eastbourne. I have no reason to call his father - or anyone else - a liar because I don't think he has been untruthful. I simply do not understand why a rider of Ellis' ability chooses to race against Cockle, Terry-Daley & Blacklock and we'll see whether the knowledgable gentleman above gives us a straight answer to that question. What good can that possibly do his career ? Clegg & Morris both ride PL, too, neither of then are averaging over 6.5 in the EL and they are nowhere near as dominant as Ellis. Wouldn't it be truly ridiculous if Craig Cook, Robert Lambert & Danny King signed for NL Clubs - that's most of our World Team Cup squad in the third tier of British Speedway. They all have EL averages that are similar to Ellis'.

Last meeting I saw at Derwent Park was against Ipswich and it was brilliant. This is a big one for the Comets, because after that win at Peterborough they have a real chance of making the play offs. Good track and this has the makings of a stormer.

Team with nothing to race for against a team with everything to race for. This score was always a possibility. Any team with a high scoring number 1 and a high scoring reserve usually does well. King was simply unmatchable and Jacobs rode like he does for Belle Vue. Redcar weren't good but on this performance the Witches will be a handful for anyone in the play offs.

I think the music is supplied by a chap called Phil Lynch, a local DJ.

Actually, and according to greensheets, Ellis was top of Poole's averages at the start of May and has dropped by about a point and a half since (to be fair, he's no longer at reserve). There are lots of reasons why he rides in the NL, and every single one has the Queens head on it. It suits Eastbourne, it suits him, it suits Eastbourne's fans and I'd argue strongly that he doesn't take up a young lads place. To me, though, there is something both slightly wrong and slightly distasteful about a rider who competes in a league way below his abilities (at the same time refusing to ride in a higher one) simply for the money - and, from what I have heard, a very sizeable and guaranteed amount indeed. Personally, I'd say the league's sponsor is more qualified to criticise the NL than any other person - after all, he is putting in a significant amount of money and has a right to say if something is wrong. The problem with Easter is that he is part of the Mildenhall set up so he is hardly likely to be unbiased. For that reason - and not because he is a sponsor - he should have kept his mouth shut. His comments, however, have been made by many others and I happen to agree at least to an extent with them. There's no doubt Ellis is the league's best rider but he he's nowhere near the most exciting (try Bewley or Shanes, for a start). As to whether he is an attraction, I am not so sure. In the NL, it is more about the team as a whole than an individual. Moreover, people go to see their riders take on and beat the big stars from other clubs. With Ellis, he is so far above NL standard that that is a remote possibility which means he is predictable and therefore, at least potentially, boring. With Halsey, my understanding was that Mildenhall thought they had an agreement with Peterborough but were overridden by the BSPA. For that reason, I think the worst they can be accused of is being naïve.

I posted this elsewhere : I am reluctant to bang on about Isle of Wight but they are a superb example of how to go about it. You can make a fair argument that in a holiday resort like the Island advertising is not just desirable its a necessity, simply because there are so many people who are unaware precisely of what the attractions are. They, however, take it to another level. Posters, leaflets, banners, shows, fairs, newspaper adverts, the lot. One young lady even delivered leaflets on horseback !. I took a bus trip from Sandown to Ryde (about 6 miles) and saw two posters and one banner. As I say, you might expect a holiday destination to advertise but I have never seen anything like that at Eastbourne, for example. When you get to the tidy little Stadium, the food and drink is reasonably priced and you can take your own in. The promoter, Barry Bishop, welcomes people through the gate (one poster commented that the last person to do that was Johnnie Hoskins in the 1970's) and he spends the meeting wandering around talking to people. Last Tuesday he took a number of Birmingham fans on to the centre green. They weren't sponsors, VIP's, just ordinary fans down for the day. Both he and his co-promoter Martin Widman are totally approachable, will listen to comment and constructive criticism with a careful ear and give you feedback. Children are free. For a couple and 2 children under 16, parking and a programme, the cost is £24.50. That's comparable with any other evening attraction and reasonably affordable - at nearby Poole, it could set you back £53. Even the cost of getting to the Island is discounted. There are free sweets, free temporary tattoos and a bike ride round the track for the children. Last Tuesday, they had a bike ride round the track. One young lad is slightly disabled ( I think) and Kelsey Dugard pushed him all the way (and its a big circuit). A very small gesture by a rider that may have a huge effect. The speedway itself is very decent (not in Scunthorpe's league, but better than Belle Vue and Redcar and way better than Sheffield) and my old mates Bryn Williams and Tim Allan do some of the presentation and they are excellent. They are, quite literally, doing everything right from the moment you read one of the numerous adverts to the point that you walk out the stadium and its little wonder that their gates have increased week on week. The thing is none of this is particularly difficult or expensive - indeed, Isle of Wight have sponsors to cover much of the cost. Its simply about a promotion putting every effort in to make the night a good experience for all their customers. Would that every track in the country go to the same lengths because, quite frankly, few of them do.

The thing is nothing they do is complex, difficult or expensive - its just the basics done very well with customer care an absolute priority. A breath of fresh air and an example to everyone else.

Been saying it all season and never seen anyone else say otherwise. Truly outstanding promotion from advertising the club to saying goodbye on a race night.

Back to being Bob C I see Been one of my favourite tracks since I first went there and has remained so ever since. Cracking little place not just for the racing but to watch it too. Tried to get Tsunami down once or twice but if he leaves Tyneside his hair falls out PS Had word this morning that 6 air bags have been repaired at the track, a local company are repairing 12 and 22 have arrived from Ipswich. Looks very good for Friday.

I was very sad to hear the decision made by the promotion on Sunday. I think John Anderson has tried very hard to establish speedway at Berwick and deserves a great deal of credit for that. Fingers crossed a purchaser comes forward. One thing : Mr Anderson has to retain the catering rights. Berwick is the only place I eat speedway food and it is rightly renowned for its quality.

So I have my pick of two (or is it three) occasions. In 6 months. They were, undoubtedly, wrong about Cradley and got a deserved (if in my view lenient) punishment. I am not quite certain whom the league's star attraction is. If its Adam Ellis, he was criticised equally as much on this forum - in my view, not without some justification. My understanding of the business with Halsey is that they were at worst naïve. Pretty much the same as Belle Vue were with Dan Bewley and Edinburgh it seems, although of course Bewley is supposed to ride on the same night for both clubs, Halsey isn't.

Aside from Kevin Jolly calling that meeting off against Cradley I haven't seen any. Perhaps you can point me in the right direction as there has been so much ? The track wasn't brilliant yesterday by any means but the meeting took just over 2 hours. Too long, but pretty much par for the course everywhere. According to updates, aside from Halsey there were just 3 further fallers. That suggests it was down to him. If I were a Mildenhall fan, I'd find a Kent supporter slagging off their track pretty hard to stomach. There was a blue groove on bends 3 & 4yesterday at West Row, but in my visits to Central Park (which, admittedly, are pretty rare)the blue groove on every bend has been yards wide.

Had it on good authority that they have fixed four panels (been at it all day) and have some coming from Ipswich. 'Touch and go' for Friday.

It was a very understrength Mildenhall team that started the meeting yesterday, matters being made worse by Danny Halsey's 3 falls in 3 rides. To be fair to Eastbourne, they ruthlessly exploited those weaknesses with Ellis Perks, in particular, impressing. I am not such what 'nonsense' you are referring to but Kevin Jolly's honesty on the Fen Tigers facebook page prompted me to travel to this meeting.

I think that's the real point. You'd probably be better positioned to judge than me but it was supposed to stop raining at 11pm last night. With the amount of time for drainage and apparent available preparation time its hard to stomach that the track couldn't have been made ready for racing. Experience tells me, however, that the promotion have to be very careful about what they make public about EOES. Not right and it will inevitably lead to speculation, but there's little Peterborough can do about it.

Believe me, Plymouth really take some beating.

's Don't doubt its waterlogged if its been raining all day. The question is will it be waterlogged at 2.30 tomorrow afternoon ? The rain is due to stop at 11.00pm according to all the forecasts. I do take Crump 99's very valid point about how long they will get to work on the track but lets say they can start at 8. That's draining for 9 hours and 6 hours work time. At the back end of last season, I went to Plymouth for a match. It had rained for 12 hours before hand(heavy and not so heavy)and stopped at 12pm on the day of the meeting. Just before 7pm when I arrived they were watering the track (and I should remind you that SBA is at a place called Marsh Mills). This is, at very least, premature and its little wonder that some are questioning it.

Mildenhall Stadium owner Dave Coventry has posted on the Mildenhall facebook page: 'a nice drop of rain this afternoon , which has nicely watered the track ahead of tomorrows Speedway , the track is looking great , good luck to the team'.

Me too. A heavy downpour today and a dry day tomorrow could produce a very decent race track.

Dead right, Phil. Best I have seen him ride by a long chalk. I'd also say heat 15, WOW. Cracking race. Zagar's pass of King was a bit special too. Just kept winding it on until he found the space to get past. Although it was pretty one sided it was decent enough but I am very often left with the feeling it could be so much better. I am told on good authority that the track needs time to bed in, so there's every chance that things will improve. A qualified replacement for Colin Meredith is an absolute must. For heavens sake, don't do track preparation on the cheap.

Go over on the catamaran instead, leaving your car in Portsmouth. If you book, you can get a free taxi from the Pier Head at Ryde to the track. The discounts still apply for foot passengers.

It must be said I'm not a fan but there are worse.

Most tracks have some form of set music at the start of a meeting. Lakeside always play The Clash's 'London Calling' and then a bit of 'Hammer Time' as the riders are at the tapes. Eastbourne's 'Sunny Sussex by the Sea' has been played for as long as I can remember and I'm ashamed to admit that one of my favourites is Joe Loss' 'Wheels Cha Cha' played at Berwick. The standard of music played during meetings varies wildly but few can match Plymouth's mix of The Wurzels and Showaddywaddy. I think the standard of announcing has improved in recent seasons, Rob. Rob Godfrey talking about 'Victor Pullover' on Sunday made me laugh out loud, for example. The presentation at Peterborough for the 4's, in particular, was outstanding. I have never been a big fan of Roy Clarke but he was hugely impressive that day as he played the clown backed up by the ultra professional Kevin Moore and Craig Saul. Throw in the best boxman in the game, Edwin Overland, and it was pretty much a dream team. A quick word for one newcomer : Eastbourne's Steve Crow. He's been a breath of fresh air at Arlington.

A little harsh, Rob, but its difficult to say you haven't got a very valid point indeed (ably assisted by those who turned this thread into a shambles that would delight any promoter determined to disregard its contents). Perhaps it is, after all, a case that there is far too much chaff and far too little wheat The quick answer to that is I watch Rugby League.