Chadster

Some interesting ideas, James, thanks for posting them. I'd agree with point 1. It will be difficult to achieve but if needs be we should go down to 5 man teams at first but with a determination over 4 or 5 years to bring enough riders through to get back to 7 man teams. With point 2, I don't see the existing point system as confusing; 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and a bonus for an away draw or win by more than 6 points, or an away loss by 6 or less. Seems quite simple to me, more so than the bonus point systems in cricket and rugby. The present system keeps both matches live. Take Belle Vue v Wolves as an example. Having lost by 10 points at home the Aces had little chance of winning an aggregate bonus point at Monmore Green, but every chance of keeping the match tight and getting a bonus point for a narrow loss, which they did. The 13 heat formula was a poor one in my view, with number 1s meeting once only, and that in heat 1. Second halves were scrapped for a good reason; the riders weren't taking them seriously and the fans were leaving the stadium in droves after heat 13. The only point of second halves in my view would be for a 6 heat junior match, perhaps as part of the policy stated in point 1 of bringing through more riders to get back up to 7 man teams. I read a piece of market research that the ECB commissioned about the new Hundred cricket tournament in which respondents expressed a strong preference for being able to be on their way home by 9 o'clock. Sticking to 15 heats, run sharply should enable that to happen and might encourage more parents to come as their children could be home at a reasonable hour. Centre green presenters are a group cursed to be remembered only when they've annoyed people. If you've just watched a great meeting, you're unlikely to give any thought to the presenter, a bad one and you're left cursing them and the wretched music etc. I was fortunate enough at Wimbledon to watch two of the best centre-green presenters, Mike Bennett and Dave Lanning and they certainly added something to the meeting, but they were masters of the wind-up, and I suspect that would be frowned on in these snowflake times. I do think that the whole idea of a show, lights, music etc but most importantly snappily presented is really important and an area for much improvement. Mascots could be better used. They don't do anything for me, but when I was watching Brentford they had two mascots working the crowd before kick-off and the kids loved them up, queuing up for selfies etc. Agree with everything in point 5.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, Barry. I did hesitate before making the original posting as it seemed a bit negative but I am glad that you feel you are getting good crowds and long may you continue to do so.

I watched a couple of You Tube videos of that meeting and there didn't seem to be many there. Of course, there might have been huge crowds just out of range of the camera, but the main stand seemed a mass of empty seats.

I would have thought Adam Ellis was in our top five, certainly he was one of the Brits in the GP qualifying rounds and made the Challenge comfortably. I'd imagine he'd only be behind Bewley as top Englishman in the PL averages this season.

I enjoyed the Belle Vue meeting and so went again last night. Obviously, the racing was not as good but the scores were close and the balance tilted between the teams until the Panthers pulled away, so I enjoyed my evening out. Owlerton is perfectly capable of producing good racing, as the Belle Vue match showed. I don't know how many tracks I've seen speedway at but the common denominator is that I've seen poor meetings at all of them, including many at the great Hyde Road. My one visit to the NSS produced a turkey. It happens.

I also read that there was a serious infectious didease outbreak in the Neath area that year and restrictions were imposed on crowds etc. Sounds awfully familiar.

That was my first meeting for about 4 seasons and I went with my brother and he hasn't been for about 34 years. We both thoroughly enjoyed our evening. Even the early races were quite closely fought and racing really stepped up after about heat 8. There seemed to me to be a good crowd and, with a lot of Aces fans present, a good atmosphere. I'm glad they don't segregate the fans, would make it too much like football if they did and it's good to chat to fans of both teams and get their perspectives. The lack of segregation is one of the strengths of the sport, in my view. I was really impressed with the two rising stars on view, both well on the pace and involved in some of the best racing.

Belle Vue did want to use Chris Pusey in the Colts but were denied the chance to do so. I guess it was because he was also in the Aces side and blatant doubling up was frowned on. It certainly couldn't be that he was too experienced as he'd only had a few meetings for the Aces in 1967.

True, but the point I was making was that heat leaders didn't have to ride in positions 1, 3 and 5.

There were no points limits in those days. 2nd division teams could bring in new riders when they wanted, as Canterbury did when they brought in Wimbledon no. 8, Peter Murray, who helped them win the KO Cup. Although it was supposedly frowned on, Reading brought in Vic White from first division Leicester and Berwick Bill McMillan from Glasgow. Mike Cake and Mick Handley doubled up for their first and second division teams more or ess throughout the season. The following season did see controversy when Romford signed Des Lukehurst from Hackney as iy was argued that he was too good to step down. As for team positions, they seem to have been decided by an average of scores over the previous 6 meetings so a couple of poor meetings could see riders change position and even drop down into the reserve position. I don't think there were hard and fast rules about heatleaders having to ride in positions 1, 3 and 5. I remember seeing Ivan Mauger line up for Newcastle at number 6 the previous season.

Famously, allegedly, Jack Biggs was asked for money so that his rivals would 'go easy' on him in his last race when he needed 1 point to win the world title. He didn't oblige and didn't get the point.. The Duke of Edinburgh was guest of honour at a big post-war meeting, saw some fairly obvious collusion between two team mates and made his disgust plain afterwards. Royalty have never attended a speedway meeting since.

Did they go to the Newspaper library at Colindale in North London? It's moved from there now, I think.

A few weeks ago there was a big golf tournament (The Masters?) and I was reading a preview of it (not much else to do in lockdown). The article mentioned something called 'bifurcation', arising from a fear that improved equipment (clubs, balls etc) and the fact that players were getting generally more powerful was threatening to reduce famous courses to ruin and threatening to turn golf into a sort of pitch and putt. Bifurcation was the view that the top pros should use the old style equipment and leave the modern stuff to the recreational player. Apparently, the article went on, in Baseball the pros use wooden bats not aluminium ones to keep the distance they can hit the ball in check. The problems for golf and baseball are similar to those afflicting speedway but the proposed solutions seem to be the reverse. Wouldn't it be better in speedway if the top riders rode standard bikes? The best way to achieve this would be perhaps for the FIM to insist that their competitions (GP, SoN) would be raced using standard equipment. The practical details would need to be resolved, but if at the highest level you couldn't ride a 'rocket ship', why would you do so at league level? The benefits would be widespread, but whether the FIM would ever do something like this would have to be severely doubted.

Andy Galvin was always guaranteed to get the Wimbledon crowd going.

Norman Strachan?

Unless he's doubling up between Easter and Christmas?

I think Cross is the wrong religious festival so maybe use r/r instead?

Another arrival today!

I'd say that since lockdown started I've enjoyed reading the Star more than ever. I did worry how you were going to cope in the winter without the track reviews but you've made a good start so far. The series on the KO Cup looks as if it will be a winner.

John Dews was captain of Sheffield but was never their number one, same for the Templeton brothers at Edinburgh and Glasgow and Alby Golden at Newport. I recently saw a picture of a 1969 newcastle team with Mike Watkin, not Ole Olsen as skipper.

I was born in November so no one was riding, home or away. I suddenly feel strangely deprived..

I got an email about renewing my BT TV deal. Checking the new packages on offer, there was no mention of Eurosport.

I remember seeing this on TV. Was it about the time rear wheel spoilers came in? I seem to recall Dave Lanning suggesting they had something to do with it.

Shows how bad Hackney were that Patrick Pawson got two points! I was at the the match the following year. Cyril Maidment complained that the announcer was mispronouncing Jancarz's name. Needless to say he got a very dusty response..

Installing the air fence (not really necessary at Rye) more or less ruined the bends as viewing areas.