GeneralMelchett

Last season at Owlertons 2nd match Lidsey was your best rider scoring 10 from 5 (including 2 wins) - on both visits this year he has scored 6 and 5 with 0 heat wins - hes gone backwards this season for sure! Bewley on the other hand scored a terrible 3 last season but as you say has been great at both meetings this year! He was the only one in the cup match that looked like he was riding flat out. Wasn't there last night but he did even better last night it seems

Possibly the Peterborough of last season - however wouldnt it be nice (for stars fans) if they could just for once get it right from the beginning of the season! if they hadnt had 2 points taken off and won their home match in hand they would be off the bottom and likely pushing for the last plsyoff spot! They do look decent at home - although with Tobias out for 28 days one wonders if he will return! I hope so as he is a decent rider. As for the crowd or lack of I rather suspect no one is suprised but as someone else says it just seems sad to see a decent match on TV in front of what appears to be a rather sparsely attended meeting, altho i reckon it was maybe about 1000.

Largely agree with TTT no point signing anyone just yet plus it looks like Danny King will be back now after his 10+1 at Redcar last night, so the Witches just 1 rider down now - admittedly their best and most influential!

His form in the last few weeks has been good - he struggled early on - he is the 2nd top BP scorer and 2 recent heat wins occured in the KO cup so not reflected in that 2.84 (with no BP average) - He and Rew are doing fine for now at reserve.

Showing he has a SOH as well! With the exception of his comment about effing off back to Ipswich I dont have a problem with him - i just feel that lacked a bit of class. British Speedway certainly is benefitting from having a lot of the top riders back in my view. He certainly is very decent around Sheffield right now. Your comments about the gates and passing tally with my previous visit which was Leicester in the cup - gate 4 at Foxhall is the new gate 3 at Owlerton!

I remember these types of shouts / chants - the type heard earlier this season was more boorish football chanting and it just sounded damn stupid at a speedway match! good win for the Witches and it seems that talk of Woffindens demise in the U.K. is perhaps a bit premature - also sort of well done to Jack Holder 3 wins at Foxhall is not normally what he gets! solid thought the Witches however and good to see Adam back scoring well!

I thought I imagined it when i heard it the other week, it was just one person but it just sounded so naff and out of place at a speedway match!!

Anyone who has been a fan for a few years will have a tale or two, 99% of fans are good genuine people but you just get the few that are idiots and cant help but show themselves up. Just occasionally on here you feel youve moved to a football forum as there can be the bit of name calling etc. This has definitely developed in the last year or two like you say two of the stronger teams around and of course the rivallry is for now set for a while due to the cup and play off finals last year. The Sheffield home match that got curtailed didn't help either with the long delay after Danny King took out the air bag etc. (Some) riders probably haven't helped the situation either. There is a saying win and lose with good grace!

Well fair play to KL they have gone out and signed a Grand Prix rider - let’s hope it works out for them!

Great result - the guests were perfect and it seems Rew is really banging in some big scores right now!

Good result for KL must boost their confidence, as someone who attended their 58-32 thrashing at Owlerton this season I hope / expect they will do better - but now what are the odds on a KL V Ipswich final I wonder! I think Sheffield will still progress to repeat last years but this isn't over yet!

I have a feeling that a few riders who have been dropped / sacked or wharever will say the same to some clubs! Shame for Birmingham, maybe good for Ipswich as I recall him having a belter of a meeting in 2023 for Wolves at Foxhall!

Good to see Adam back - lets hope he is recovered - the guests ok with me - both should be fine. Won't be there for this so will follow on the updates.

they are probably factoring in / gambling on a few extra attending as well to see a genuine out and out no 1 rider

In the past I have heard riders say they get tired taking a lot of rides in succession. The other thing to point out is Birmingham were 8 points up at heat 9 and Pawlicki featured in 3 of the next 4 heats - the only trick is could he have been used in heat 14? I assume so but maybe he said no.

He is definitely picking up in my view - but lets see how he fairs when he goes back into the top 5

Great effort from the guest Blodorn and also Rew - Emil you expected him to probably do that kind of score - also good to see win no 2 for Jenkins, no room for complacency however for Thursday!

Given how Scott rode thurs good move to get him in - No Freddie makes Brum weaker for sure

think they might need Belle Vues lawyer for this one!

Jason needs time to get this injury sorted so let’s hope his recovery is good and we will see him back next season m. given Laguta’s half arsed efforts last year at KL not sure I would welcome him at Ipswich! with Jason you got total effort and commitment

As a youngster and an Arena-Essex fan we would regularly get to 'ackney for friday at 8. I did enjoy trips there. I have some great memories but we were also there the night Paul Muchene had his crash from which he never recovered and I have never forgotten that! He'd been a promising junior at Arena left to go and ride with a certain Mr Nielsen at Oxford and he had just signed for Hackney when the tragedy happened - bless both him and and his dad who used to always be there, its been so long now and I often reflect on it. However, always try and finish on a high - yes the magnificent 7, the man selling the star - Andy Galvin invincible. I recall a patched up Arena getting runners up in the NL fours in 87, the NL pairs meetings they were always good! Huge rivallry with the fans as well but nearly always good natured - although one did call Arena a mickey mouse track much to my annoyance. Think he was miffed we'd just won i think! A certain Ipswich promoters debut season and seeing Mark Loram as a raw 16 year old novice and thinking wow he's good! For some reason I always had a sniffle / sore throat the day after going to Waterdon Road - my old man always reckoned it was due to all the factories and industry stuff in the area. Would give anything to have both Hackney and Arena back!

Yes - largely agree here - I recall Douglas trying to pass trying to pass Rew in heat 10 and he fell after making up a decent bit of ground , Nicholls made some very good first / second bend moves - in fact in heat 15 he was trying to same but just didnt quite have the speed to get past Lawson.

Its always interesting what people pick up on - (for me the Witches secured a victory on the night with a patched up team after their star man conceeds a 1-5 in the opening heat - id say that was cause for optimism) but some have to focus on a guest rider who is a bit marmite i grant you - like you say his gating in his first 3 rides was abysmal and once at the back there was zero chance of overtaking - in his final 2 rides he gated and as a result he scored which is much like everyone else last night, and of course beat the visiting skipper.

This is true but he was their best rider last night - people who weren't present and havent seen any race highlights need to understand that last night after bend 2 there was vrtually no passing - that heat i recall Lawson was off gate 4 the same gate many others failed to get away from including Emil in heat 1! Once behind there was virtually no chance of getting past.

Great - he really celebrated and i felt it was his first Witches win and on the night he featured in the programme about being a former Witches mascot too!