bill94d

I did not attend the OTA at all this year, after regular attendance in 2018. Reason? Dropped a league, got rid of the world champion and (for me a pensioner) put up prices. Try selling something under the banner of "less for more" and you will be in trouble sooner or later. I am interested in the sport and watch it on TV but the ritual clearing out of riders for a whole new set up for the next season is the height of madness. Can you imagine the uproar if football tried that? Develop a fan loyalty base, bin the points limit, and let promoter build the team they want and their supporters can relate to over time and can support commercially.

Heard Nigel Person mention as an aside during the play off final that there were one or two clubs aiming to step up to the top division next year. Any further information?

Back to the topic. I only ever saw Split once, in an exhibition "match race" with Barry Briggs in 1960 at Old Meadowbank. He rode for New Cross and Ian Hoskins dad ran it hence the appearance. Still good then.

Iversen poor and why persevere with Sarjeant? If he can't bust the tapes he's nowhere.

I quite like him and Kelvin. Much better than anyone on another channel. It is not an easy job, I know he gets a bit ahead of himself with so and so on a 5-1 on the first bend but we could do a lot worse.

One of his "big 4" go down and they are in trouble. When I think of the talent that has come and gone from Somerset it makes me weep. And yet it is supposed to be one of the better clubs to ride for. Don't mention Charles Wright!

Time for Garry May to follow Theresa into the sunset. His ideas and ways of doing things are the reason Somerset are on the slide.

As I said, me and my friends have given it up. OK I was wrong, strictly speaking about the adult entrance, but for me as a 70+-year-old it went up. That still doesn't negate the other reasons, namely that next year there will be 5 or 6 new riders, so team loyalty is never built up and we went down from the top flight. It's like charging more for the gods in a theatre than the front row.

Absolutely correct.

I have stopped going to Somerset this season for the following reasons. They put prices up, they stopped pensioners concessions, they dropped a league and they cleared nearly the whole team out (including a world champion) year after year. It generates no fan loyalty to the "team" because it isn't going to be the team next year. You never get the same team out week after week because of injuries and R/R is a joke. Some riders (like now) decide that "British speedway is too hard" and bale out. Tish! It will take a lot to get me and my friends back (sorry Debbie but you have got it wrong) and I still happily watch good racing on the TV which is better value than going to my home track. Shame but there it is.

Surely the likes of Split Waterman, Jack Biggs, Olle Nygren, Ron How, Ken McKinlay and of course Jack Parker. More recently, Leigh Adams comes to mind.

You just made me feel old!!

I have been a supporter for nearly 60 years, in Edinburgh and now where I live in Somerset. BUT I will not be attending many meetings this year. WHY? Because of the ridiculous clearing out of riders at the end of the season. We were in the Premier league with the world champ riding for us. Now he's not and we are down a league, with only one rider from last year. Sorry guys but that is not the way to engender loyalty. No concession entrances so I will be voting with my feet. I like Bill and Debbie and what they have done but they have to work with a broken system. Accuse me of being a dinasaur if you like but it cannot be viable to keep managing the decline like this.

Dick Campbell beating Ivor Brown at old Meadowbank from the back for the Silver Sash is the best I've seen but there can't be many left who also did!

If this is set in 1954, how come Geordie is driving a 1965 Singer Gazelle Mark V, complete with inertia reel front and rear seat belts?

Francesco Molinari and Billie Jean King are not British either but got awards. Ivan and Ronnie have MBE and OBE between them, so nearly British.

Adding detail to the situation I outlined earlier.

You are so right. Why are promoters not allowed to put together the best team they can and keep it? This points system is the final nail in a dying sport. It has overseen the decline over the last few years so why is it persisted with?

Makes it worse!!

Women's netball in front of the Ryder Cup team? You are having a laugh BBC. I checked on the website, not everyone listed there got a mention last night, but even there Ronnie Moore does not figure.

As I said Lefty, maybe I blinked and missed it. I am sure I will be corrected by someone if I am wrong.

I suppose it was inevitable there would not be a mention of Tai's achievements this year,(unless I blinked and missed it) in the above last night. However what upset me most was the omission of Ronnie Moore and Ivan Mauger in the list of those who have departed this mortal coil this year. Very disrespectful to riders who in their day rode at Wembley in front of 90000 people.

You only have to look at old films of the way speedway used to be. Even forgetting the 30000 crowds, it was very pedestrian compared to todays bikes and tracks and even the top riders (Craven in particular) seemed to stop on the apex of some turns. Well done Tai, and let's hope the BBC do the decent thing and let us vote for you.

I think Doyley is a great rider but he did himself no favours last night. Christina got it dead right. It was a dive in the penalty area. He should have had enough faith in himself (as Bomber showed) and come from the back. He has more than enough ability. Second place would have made all the difference. Great meeting all the same and best wishes to Jack and Brady.

Only a minor point Ove, I think it it was 20 yards back. There were scratch riders (the majority), 10 yard men, (McKinlay, How etc.) and the Famous 5 off 20 yards. Briggo complained, even though he got more per point for the handicapping, that it cost more in engine wear and repair than the extra money provided, quite apart from the effort and risk trying to pass the lesser riders. It was soon scrapped.