TheScotsman

Looks like Rye are running into form now. Could they do the previously unthinkable and stuff the Monarchs? Looks like you'll certainly hammer us at reserve.

In theory Hall should have been a reasonable signing - circa 6 point average and likely to score much better at home, so cutting the risk of home defeats. It just hasn't worked out that way, but no-one would have predicted how bad he has become. Dilger for Jacobs was always a dubious call though I've never been a fan of either of them. Should have brought Greenwood back when he was fit. The Fish should certainly be brought back next season, especially on his current average. And Blackbird too. Unlike most, I would also like to see Dryml back - just love his style!!

Hardly. Bjerre and Dryml have been going well recently.

Yes I should have made a comment about the lighting in my previous post. Two thirds of the way up the stand it was pretty grim. Too far from the circuit lighting and at the mercy of the guy behind who was between me and the 20w bulb. Never noticed it being bad before.

I think it was Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong that sung Gone Fishin'.

Got to agree about Hall. He seems to be getting worse match by match. Good to watch when passes mean points but he's not passing or point scoring.

My "higher than 60" covers that!!

I doubt you'll hit 70+ against the Monarchs (unless the ref gets involved again!!)!!

Have you got Rye House at home yet to come? If so ...... And was I right about Sheffield away? Despite all the naysayers!! Anyway, I have always reckoned Ippo had a very strong well balanced team. Certainly the best balanced apart from Somerset. It was just a matter of time till they got their form back. And ignoring the demands to drop Heeps and Ellis and various others!! Unfortunately it looks like my Mighty Monarchs are going to have to meet you lot in the play-offs. I was really hoping to avoid that and let Somerset take the hit!!

Higher!!

Very enjoyable match against Scunny / bit less so against Plymouth. But still fantastic value at £20 for adults for the 28 heats we saw. So good to watch racers like Bjerre, Roynon, Ostergaard and even Hall, though he didn't actually score much! Roynon has really surprised me - I thought he would plod around for the rest of this season but he putting everything into it and scoring as well as Blackbird would have done (at home at least). Well done Adam!! But my favourite is now Ales Dryml!! Such a smooth stylist and all those who say he's just a gating tart - just watch him work his way through from the back at the Showground!! I am a recent convert since I had always had him down as a space waste. But I now admire the way he doesn't have to throw the bike around to get results. The reserves are a bit flaky though!! Scunny put up a good fight, mainly thanks to Birks - paid 14 vs his average of 5.65!! Auty's theatricals with his non-starting bike were great entertainment. It looked like they were going to push for a whole lap to try to start it! Lost count of how many times he changed bikes. Just a pity that all these delays probably cost another heat in the Plymouth match. Plymouth on the other hand were poor, even with Ollie Allen guesting for Barker. Wright was a pale shadow of his former self. Even Newman was subdued. The crowd level did seem a bit disappointing though the stand did look like a good third full to me. The track was a bit on the slick side but I suppose they didn't have time for regular tractor work during the evening. It was a bit shambolic trying to get a programme though having only arrived at 10 to 7. All regular locations didn't have any left and in the end Trevor Swales in the speedway office went off just before the first race and came back with a bundle for us punters. But on the bright side, the fish & chip stall was back again! I don't really know what more the management can do to get the crowd level up. It's a fantastic venue, easily one of the best in the country, and the racing is usually first class entertainment. Certainly somewhere you would be happy to take your friends without the risk of them never speaking to you again! The huge covered stand is an excellent amenity. You are close enough to the action with no dog track in the way. The prices are very good, possibly amongst the lowest in the PL. There are plenty of out and out racers in the team. The only negatives I seem to read are that ..... - the team is not in the EL - well sorry but I think that's a plus this year! - the race night is a Tuesday - well that seems a bit of a plus to me given that it's an empty race night (apart from Dudley) so there should be few conflicts causing rider unavailability. Sundays are great and the promotion seems to be trying to add in some of those to the mix. - the team is weak - maybe it is now, but if Fisher and Blackbird had stayed fully fit and if Greenwood had been retained it would have been a hell of a team. Some teams do suffer from injuries, you just have to get through them and hope the next season will be better. At the moment only Somerset, Edinburgh and probably Ippo are in the hunt for silverware, the rest just need to accept that and enjoy the racing in front of them. There can only be one winner in any competition - every other team is a loser.

I was tempted to do a recce there myself to do a bit of spying before the big match there on Saturday but I will probably save myself the effort too.

I posted that after Scunny & before Plymouth! He was very much improved in the second match.

Barrett has been dire tonight so No worse off with Sarj. Jorgensen has been rubbish tonight though.

60+ for Ippo in this one.

A true smug - that'll do for me!

At peterborough on tuesday,they said a week on Saturday (6th) for matty's return.

Apologies will all be accepted in due course! In the meantime I'll just say I Told You So!

As the financial watchdogs say..... Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future results.

You are probably right Mr Baldyman I haven't had that pleasure!. However - a) this Sheffield team is pants Ippo are riding well c) Tungate & Heeps were surely brought up on big tracks d) Risager knocked up 3 race wins at Peterborough earlier in the season so can turn the throttle full on e) Worrall has been known to hit double figures at Peterborough and Berwick this year f) you got a point at a strong Peterborough in June So all in all - 4 points coming up!!

Looking at that Sheffield team, 4 points for Ippo looks more likely.

Should be 3 points for Ippo.

Superb entertainment last night. Ridiculous value at £20 for an adult. Track was in great condition - passing opportunities all over the place. Some of the racing was pretty scary!! The downside was that the air fence doesn't seem to be secured to the track. Hall got wedged under it in his first race against Bandits when Jensen gave him a big shove. Worse was when Barker went into turns 3&4 far too fast and piled into it and seemed to get trapped behind it for ages till they could get the bags away from him. Fortunate he was able to get up and walk back after a while. Disappointing that this is still happening after Holder's big off last year at Coventry (?). Panthers were so committed all night with the big turn around against Bandits being in heat 10 when Bandits were 4 up and Kus was coming in on the back of 3 wins and gated well ahead of Bjerre and Roynon. Bjerre seemed to rough him up a bit to get past and Roynon followed suit. That was the end of Kus' dominance for the night. He won his next outing but that was only against Barrett & Hall, and then finished at the back in heat 14 against Ostergaard and DILGER (!) with Max having to force his way past Jensen for the second place!! 4 x 5-1's, a 4-2 and a 3-3 in the last 6 heats completed the job. Of the new signings, Hall was a bit better with 4+2 from his 3 finishes; Roynon was spectacular for 6+1 and Dilger was surprisingly good with 5+1 from 4, including points against Bellego, Kus and Jensen (can't include the one against Edberg because he was pants and only scored his 1 point because Hall's bike packed up at the start of heat 9). At least Bandits made a fight of it. Plymouth on the other hand were never at the races. One race win out of 13 tells the story. Only Newman looked likely to do much and his tapes demolition in heat 8 put paid to their challenge. Barker wasn't threatening in his first ride and tried the kamikaze move in his second to put himself out of the meeting. Nice to see Hall pick up a race win (he gated in that race!) though he did hit the deck in another 2, once was by laying the bike down to avoid Barker. Ditto Dilger won a race but also surprisingly added no more points from his other two rides. Roynon was again all action and great value for his 7+1. But over the night the top 3 reigned supreme. Bjerre only headed by an opponent once in 9 rides. Dryml twice in 9 rides. Ostergaard once in 7 rides.

Brilliant stuff Panthers! So determined! So many points from the back. Bandits vulnerable even on a big track. Great racing. Well done the underdogs! Jensen & Edberg were pants! Jensen even outmuscled by Mighty Max Dilger! He seems so puny & lightweight. 15 heats in 75 minutes. That's the way to run the sport.

Ye gods that's horrendous. Best wishes to Liam for a full recovery.