40-38

Couldn't we work it so Jan ended up at no.6 and we signed someone to ride at no.2, like we did with Eklof? I'm not sure what the averages are currently at for team building?

A different class? I don't agree with that, yes he had the bit between his teeth in the last race and to be fair he was bound to get some stick for not getting off the track first time round as he was looking to get the race stopped and was quite rightly excluded as he was the master of his own downfall on both occasions. I reckon had Bjerre not come a cropper with the fence he would easily have taken Risager in Heat 15 too. Ipswich well deserved their point though and Lanham apart (who I don't think has ever gone well at BP) they look very solid. Still think the track isn't right despite some good passes, it showed for me in Heat 14 when Doolan tried everything but couldn't get a line to pass the guy in front. I also heard the abusive language and I said to someone at the time it was unecessary but I've no doubt had anybody complained it would have been brushed off anyway. The pantomime stuff with Barker is always fun and he showed his capability when he gets out in front in the end to throw it back at us and that's as it should be, even if it was irritating!

I came away feeling like we'd lost after that considering how well we'd started! I still think we're short of a decent reserve, although all credit to James Sarjeant who gave it his all, and it shows when Ipswich's reserves got I think double our tally on our own track. With Nemo only getting 6 on top of that it cost us all three points. Ipswich picked themselves up well though considering they looked rattled after the first four or five heats. Risager certainly looked good too. If he's a confidence rider he must be in the clouds at the minute, by far and away the best away rider tonight. I see the Ben Barker magnet in the first/second bend fence was working well too!

Sounds pretty much like for like then Anybody know what Lewis Blackbird is doing...?

Should have been Nielsen if anybody was going to go, much as I like him and enjoyed watching him ride last year before his injury his confidence looked shot in the first few meetings, apart from a decent last few rides against Redcar.

Or better still just make the trophy that they win the Lee Richardson Memorial Trophy?

Taken from the Leicester Lions Facebook page: "Lions sign British Champion The Lions have completed a deal to bring Robert Branford to the club and he will make his debut in their Premier League fixture at Somerset on Friday. Branford currently rides for Coventry’s National League side and at Wolverhampton last week the nineteen year old was crowned British Under-21 Individual Champion. “I have been monitoring Robert’s situation well before our season started and was impressed with how he performed against some Premier League standard riders in a meeting in Australia just before he departed for the UK. I was not at all surprised to see him win the British title at Wolverhampton and we are pleased that Robert has agreed to ride for the Lions” stated Team Manager Glyn Taylor. Leicester were all set to enter the season with a squad of eight riders with Lewis Blackbird and Lewis Kerr sharing the number seven position until Newcastle offered Kerr a full team place. “Ever since we allowed Lewis Kerr to sign for Newcastle we have kept a watchful eye on emerging talent and Robert fits the bill. His presence will generate competition within our team” added Taylor. Branford will retain his place in Leicester’s team for the Bank Holiday Monday meeting at Ipswich and Lewis Blackbird comes back into the side for the trip to Berwick on Saturday 11th May and the return fixture at Leicester against Ipswich the following day." Thoughts anybody? I can see the reserves looking slightly worried as of now...

They would have been better calling the Edinburgh match off and running it when the weather was better, it was an abysmal night and many people haven't forgotten getting soaked twice while waiting for matches to be eventually called off in past seasons. Add to that getting walloped up there the night before made it even more pointless for some. I remember the exhibition at the BBC Leicester station way back when the idea was first mooted, in fact I went to it on my lunch break at work the day it opened despite having never seen speedway in Leicester. From there on I joined the supporters club, went to Kings Lynn, Swindon and Sheffield for the challenge matches, went to the local meetings with residents to add my support and also attended other exhibitions at the shopping centre, signed petitions etc, you name it I went as I so wanted it to happen. When it finally opened I was there on opening night, I bought the merchandise, I watched some truly appalling performances like the 62-28 drubbing by Glasgow but even that didn't deter me. I've only missed about four matches since the day it opened and at times I had to beg and borrow money to afford to go when my wages wouldn't cover it. Yesterday at 5:30 I sat at home and I really didn't want to go, I'm at the sharp end of my pay packet and the prospect of being bored rigid didn't seem worth it anymore, but I did go, because I love the noise and the smell and the spectacle, but after reading Hemsley's rant and watching yet another procession I wondered why I'd bothered. I'm not am armchair fan, I don't pick and choose my meetings and I've spent hundreds of pounds since 2011 so I'm clearly not out to sabotage his business, he seems capable of doing that all by himself with his other promoters the nodding dog and Comedy Dave Darcy. I'm sorry Mr Hemsley but the track is terrible, truly bad. The entertainment is abysmal, the value for money is rubbish and I'd be too embarrassed to bring any new fans along to that, they would never come back. I'd never convince the sceptics of speedway at Beaumont Park. I've no doubt I'll be there next week, spending my money to be told I should be grateful for what I've got but it's truly worn thin this year and if things don't change by the start of next season there will be a gap where I used to stand.

Well my night was rather spoilt by the verbals I got off a Redcar "fan" for cheering Lewis Blackbird past their faltering tac sub.

Embarrasing

I'd rather it was the other way round thanks.

Quite a lot of people go away bank holiday weekend as well given that it's also back to school soon so last chance getaways maybe? That said the crowd wasn't as big as I thought it would be. I only just arrived in time for the parade and still got a spot right by the fence.

According to Radio Leicester there was a bust up in the pits during last weeks meeting. So says the co-promoter anyway. Seems like Hemsley might be sticking his oar into the team again (that didn't work last time remember, he had no rapport with the riders at all). I think he maybe needs to realise that what works for him as a cycle speedway rider doesn't fit everybody else. I also find it very odd that someone on here seems to think that sacking your old track man for comments about changing the track and then re-hiring him as team manager seems to be a perfectly normal course of action. What on earth made Glyn Taylor want to come back I don't know and you only have to look at Sheffield forums to see that Boocock really isn't that much of a boon signing these days. I've no doubt he's a genuine and honest bloke that said, and I'm sure he won't take any crap from the management either. Despite what ballroom says re Jason's experience or lack thereof he did have a good rapport with the riders and that's as important as any tactical nouse. Last year it was a revolving rider policy now it's revolving track staff. We want a settled side, settled management and a settled season please David, if you're listening...

if we were that desperate to field a team I'd just not bother tbh!

What riders want and what fans want are entirely different things however!

I expect Dugard didn't think he'd be motor-crossing over the centre green. The way he hit the wet patch looked spectacular. I hope he's not too badly hurt though, must have knocked the stuffing out of him a bit. Same for the lad who hit the fence, looked like he was heading over it for a split second!

It's all very well quoting the Glasgow expense but if it had been done properly in the first place it wouldn't have cost anything to put right would it?!

I don't think he meant to scale, more the shape of Blackbird Road and the space into and out of the turns. I remember when Chumpman Jnr was involved he was all for building something akin to Scunthorpe size.

I'm looking forward to this, should be a good meeting!

How on earth can you be in the final with 5 points?!

That's assuming Garrity doesn't fence Bunyan first!

Ludvig. It's not a bad line up really, and there are elite standard riders in there, alright so it's not Holder and Ward standard but that would have been nigh on impossible anyway with the ELRC the day after and it would have cost a fortune to run it.

Given the fact there are about three polish GP's anyway they're hardly lacking in opportunities.

Surely it should be the Golden Gauntlets anyway

You know it's funny, if you listen to any long term speedway fan more often than not someone will have a story about "That 'Crazy John Smith' the ex rider who fenced opponents for a living and what a lark the fisticuffs in the pits were, I well remember him lamping that foreign rider Uja Nikabolokov and the bikes going down like dominoes! And what about that local derby where Bodgers Badgers beat the home team to win the league and they were surrounded by irate fans banging on the cars! Oh great halcyon days! The charecters! Now where's my pen, I'm going to write a stern letter about this despicable fracas last night, should all be banned and flogged, think of the children, the humanity of it all!!"