TonyE

I assume you are referring to their inability to fix an electrical problem that occurred on equipment they are not even responsible for. Just like Peterborough, the lights come with the rent so to speak. Panthers could have been gracious in defeat and conceded the tie given all the circumstances.

The Rye House Stadium is a mess. A total hotch potch of viewing options, some better than others, Arena , by comparison, provided excellent viewing all round and with a well lit track and don't even start on the quality of racing. If the Hammers are serious about racing there next year, then major track changes are necessary or no one will bother to watch what is essentially a gating contest.

I really hope the 'rules' are not being bent in this instance. There was some degree of justification when the Ellis scenarios became apparent in the Premiership play-off but there is absolutely none here. Panthers should be grateful that they are, effectively, facing Lakeside on a neutral track!

If they do, ever, lay a 'Chris Morton' track - I wouldn't let Ronnie anywhere near it!

Whether or not this whole thing is a wind-up, it would be a foolish promoter who shells out big (any?) money for a so called 'asset' and especially so given the current state of speedway in GB.

Panthers will be just as much at home at Rye House as will Hammers.

Have you looked at the updates? A win on the night using our own team!

Doesn't the season close at the end of October? And, no - it is nothing new but no one appears to learn the lessons of previous seasons. They are all still making it up as they go along.

So the second leg of the Play Off Semi-Final will be at Rye House - pretty sure that is not what Peterborough envisaged when choosing us. It all seems so crazy after a more than decent Summer, everyone is now running around trying to fit fixtures in.

PE7Panther makes some good points. It would appear that a lot of the crowd had made up their minds that the result of the tie had already been decided and, after waiting for some time, decided to go home when the delay became protracted. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and the promotion were between a rock and a hard place. Keeping the public informed is of paramount importance and, on the face of it, this could have been better on the night.

In most cases, the GP can be recorded. Weather, however, looks to be a big issue given the forecast.

Yes, in one way, fans were short-changed - two less heats than expected. On the other hand, a reasonably generous discount for the double header had been applied - entry was £25 against 2 x £17.

The reality is that other promotions do not have emergency lighting to hand. Peterborough are in a particularly unique position in this regard. The apology comes with barbs and that diminishes it in my opinion. Neil Watson went to great pains to point out it is the referee who terminates a meeting early, yet we have references to the 'early finish' at Rye with the inference it was totally a Lakeside decision - so which is it? Last night both teams were using guests and references to 'playing games' does not sit well with someone who, on the face of it, would not agree to race at Arena when the opportunity was there. I wonder what strokes will be pulled for the play-offs.

I was/am well aware that the meeting referee has the final call on abandonment but, as others have said, normally receives input from the teams involved. I applaud Peterborough for having 'emergency' lighting replacements to hand (without such the meeting/result would most certainly have been called off/result declared) and it was their decision to try to utilise said equipment that 'kept the meeting' alive. Whether or not the likely impact/delay on the spectators present, on a chilly evening, played any part in the decision making process, only the home promotion know. As ever, and common across the speedway community, communication could be improved.

At the time of the floodlight failure, the meeting had reached a stage where the result could have been declared. Peterborough, having temporary lights to hand, decided to utilise them in the likely knowledge that this would take some time to put into effect. In the meantime, those who had paid to witness tonight's proceedings were left to shiver in the cold (or go home) not knowing how much longer things would take. The Panthers' promotion made the call and it is for the fans to decide if it was the right one. As stated above, the opportunity to get this semi-final out of the way much earlier was there if both parties wanted it to happen. Oh, and the Lakeside reserves scored just two points between them.

Of was it that the public were just not enamoured with watching the same opposition week after week no matter the start time!

If they wish to keep going, then they have little choice - maybe they can get the track shape altered (again) over the winter.

Peterborough are past masters of doing much the same. I can remember many, many occasions when either one or both of the Drymls were 'missing' for meetings at Arena and high scoring track specialists were brought in as guests. In speedway, it is do unto others as they would do unto you.

Kyle Newman has declared himself fit for this one, or should I say 'two', and he had better be. First meeting back being a double-header will probably test him to the limit.

Me too - the video also exemplifies just how good the track lighting is at Arena compared to Rye House. As for the racing itself, no comparison - RH is pretty dire.

I cannot claim any credit for the video. Daytripper posted that it existed on YouTube, so I added it in to my post. I do have my own camcorder clip taken from the back straight (re the Heart 15 crash) and it was this that I was referring to in my original post. The much longer clip above shows the incident in far more clarity than my camcorder effort! Not heard any more from Dorothy have we?

It doesn't work - that is what is so annoying to Hammers' fans

Cannot see this one surviving the heavy rain in the forecast.

I don't doubt your figures - may be it is a case of not being able to find any opposition willing to visit on those dates.

He was also riding one of Leigh Adam's bikes that night.