crescent girl

Ooooh, that's a bit supercilious! Glad I'm not able to go to this one, else you might have had a hefty handbag applied to your ear. (Thanks to later poster who answered my query sensibly)

So what's the line-up tonight, as it ain't August yet?

Does this table take into consideration the difference between 3-point and 2-point home wins, and/or points collected from away defeats? Or is it just the old-fashioned wins v losses?

Mark Jones would be a sensible signing -- he lives in the south-west, doesn't he? But Redcar stated he has retired?

Heffenbrock was named by Germany as their representative in the GP Challenge at Berwick, but replaced at last minute by Marcin Helfer (who has just been signed by Edinburgh) so maybe he's not currently fit to ride?

What's confusing you? Unlike the southern copyists (and we in the north are flattered to be imitated) the NJL is now in the third year of operation, and is indeed running happily, despite a number of rain-offs, like everywhere else. The NJL never starts until June, prefering to concentrate the schedule into the longer, lighter and hopefully warmer evenings. The competitors are Edinburgh, Berwick, Workington and Redcar, following Halifax's withdrawal. I am told the problem on Sunday was between the people running the Dukes and Buxton, outwith the league's control.

Running in two different junior leagues must have been stretching resources. As posted above, BSPA have introduced this year restrictions on who can contest even amateur league racing. Halifax Dukes were very welcome and enthusiastic competitors in the NJL of both 2010 and 2011. Very sad.

I believe the decision to get the polyfoam fence was taken shortly after Alex Edberg's big crash last summer. Having set up their fund-raising (starting with the challenge match with an Edinburgh Select last year) and having ordered the fence they were probably told at that point to apply for FIM status, and that they might get a prestige meeting. Lord knows, it has been a long time coming for a big meeting in the north! On the subject of fences, whatever happened to the air-fence Newcastle were getting from Peterborough as part of a deal over Rene Bach? Genuine question -- speedway needs as many "soft barriers" as it can get.

Absolutely correct. Rico donations at practice, fencefund collection during meeting. Always the schedule. Arranged weeks ago. You don't go changing things at the last minute at a meeting as big as this. Remember the Rico collection was originally scheduled for May 19th, when Ipswich were visiting. Chris Louis was bringing the first supply of Freya's t-shirts. The donations at Saturday's practice were to be an extra, dictated by the BSPA, not Berwick.. Plus the wristbands were still on sale, and raised about £1,000, I believe. The actual Rico collection was always rescheduled for this coming Saturday. But as has been said, don't let sensible organisation for a good cause get in the way of destructive criticism of the Berwick promotion. Like the Popular Front said, what have the Romans done for us........?

What a load of nonsense! What knowledge do a Polish referee and a Danish schoolteacher have about preparing the Shielfield circuit? Nobody took over anything. My guy on the spot tells me the FIM delegates repeatedly assured Ian Rae and his magnificent staff that it was their track, their know-how and their task. The inspection at the Heat 12 interval followed Danny King and Bomber Harris crashing and was a mere formality. Stick to flogging the two-bob watches, please.

Magnificent effort by track staff! FIM people must have been ultra-impressed by the arrangements and size of the crowd. Three or four times the attendance at Lakeside's recent FIM meeting, I understand. The weather? No-one's fault -- schedule a big meeting in mid-June and surely expect a better two days that Friday and Saturday turned out to be. Horrendous downpour at about 4pm for nearly an hour, yet the track still held up. Covering tracks has been suggested for years and years. Berwick have now proved covers make the impossible possible. John Anderson, George Hepburn and Ian Rae, all step forward and take a bow. Racing was poor at first, better as the night wore on. Lee Complin's appearance raised the roof, and despite losing his steel shoe on (I think) the first lap, he still came a solid second. Facundo Albin rattled a few cages. Was it really only his thirteenth professional speedway meeting? All in all, pleased to be able to say "I was there". It will surely not be the last big FIM night at Shielfield Park. OK, sorry folks! Once would have been enough!

Magnificent effort by track staff! FIM people must have been ultra-impressed by the arrangements and size of the crowd. Three or four times the attendance at Lakeside's recent FIM meeting, I understand. The weather? No-one's fault -- schedule a big meeting in mid-June and surely expect a better two days that Friday and Saturday turned out to be. Horrendous downpour at about 4pm for nearly an hour, yet the track still held up. Covering tracks has been suggested for years and years. Berwick have now proved covers make the impossible possible. John Anderson, George Hepburn and Ian Rae, all step forward and take a bow. Racing was poor at first, better as the night wore on. Lee Complin's appearance raised the roof, and despite losing his steel shoe on (I think) the first lap, he still came a solid second. Facundo Albin rattled a few cages. Was it really only his thirteenth professional speedway meeting? All in all, pleased to be able to say "I was there". It will surely not be the last big FIM night at Shielfield Park.

Magnificent effort by track staff! FIM people must have been ultra-impressed by the arrangements and size of the crowd. Three or four times the attendance at Lakeside's recent FIM meeting, I understand. The weather? No-one's fault -- schedule a big meeting in mid-June and surely expect a better two days that Friday and Saturday turned out to be. Horrendous downpour at about 4pm for nearly an hour, yet the track still held up. Covering tracks has been suggested for years and years. Berwick have now proved covers make the impossible possible. John Anderson, George Hepburn and Ian Rae, all step forward and take a bow. Racing was poor at first, better as the night wore on. Lee Complin's appearance raised the roof, and despite losing his steel shoe on (I think) the first lap, he still came a solid second. Facundo Albin rattled a few cages. Was it really only his thirteenth professional speedway meeting? All in all, pleased to be able to say "I was there". It will surely not be the last big FIM night at Shielfield Park.

Magnificent effort by track staff! FIM people must have been ultra-impressed by the arrangements and size of the crowd. Three or four times the attendance at Lakeside's recent FIM meeting, I understand. The weather? No-one's fault -- schedule a big meeting in mid-June and surely expect a better two days that Friday and Saturday turned out to be. Horrendous downpour at about 4pm for nearly an hour, yet the track still held up. Covering tracks has been suggested for years and years. Berwick have now proved covers make the impossible possible. John Anderson, George Hepburn and Ian Rae, all step forward and take a bow. Racing was poor at first, better as the night wore on. Lee Complin's appearance raised the roof, and despite losing his steel shoe on (I think) the first lap, he still came a solid second. Facundo Albin rattled a few cages. Was it really only his thirteenth professional speedway meeting? All in all, pleased to be able to say "I was there". It will surely not be the last big FIM night at Shielfield Park.

Magnificent effort by track staff! FIM people must have been ultra-impressed by the arrangements and size of the crowd. Three or four times the attendance at Lakeside's recent FIM meeting, I understand. The weather? No-one's fault -- schedule a big meeting in mid-June and surely expect a better two days that Friday and Saturday turned out to be. Horrendous downpour at about 4pm for nearly an hour, yet the track still held up. Covering tracks has been suggested for years and years. Berwick have now proved covers make the impossible possible. John Anderson, George Hepburn and Ian Rae, all step forward and take a bow. Racing was poor at first, better as the night wore on. Lee Complin's appearance raised the roof, and despite losing his steel shoe on (I think) the first lap, he still came a solid second. Facundo Albin rattled a few cages. Was it really only his thirteenth professional speedway meeting? All in all, pleased to be able to say " was there". It will surely not be the last big FIM night at Shielfield Park.

Berwick is grey, cold and spasmodically lightly drizzling right now. Track is firm and dry under covers. If it isn't raining heavily at 7pm it'll be on, for sure -- the FIM don't mess around!

BSPA website reports covers have been laid on bends to deflect rainfall onto grass. Even their sternest critics will have to praise the promotion for what is being done at Shielfield Park to stage this meeting.

Promotion have been working at Shielfield all week, both on track and in polishing up an already-smart stadium. Extra turnstiles will be opened on back straight to help get folk in. Coaches will be parked in special auxilliary area behind stadium, not to be taken into main car-park. Huge buzz in area about the meeting now, especially since good piece broadcast on Look North (BBC1) last night at 6.30, with great shots of stadium yesterday, plus bright interview stuff. All we need is the weather to hold up for three short hours on Saturday evening!

Late change by DMSB (German Federation) has 22-year-old Marcel Helfer, who rides for Gustrow, replacing Heffenbrock.

As an observer of your posts from afar, I do have to submit that you are an absolute twit. Ipswich is a great club with a long proud, sixty-year history. The Louis family have been heavily involved in it for more than forty years. Twice (in 1989 and again last year) John Louis has saved the Witches by moving them across from a chaotic and entertainment-lacking "big" league into a much-more-entertaining competition. Both when they visit other circuits and when we visit Foxhall Heath I find the club full value. Your unrelenting campaign of bile and envy against the Louis family is becoming tiresome. Please find a new hobby-horse and ride it off into the sunset. Or better still, the sea.

Maybe Ryan will be in the Grand Prix on his own account by the time the Series reaches America. He begins his GP Challenge campaign this year at Berwick in nine days time.........

Why no Woffinden? I thought he was going to "tape it up and have a go"? His replacement would be nominated by Neil Middleditch, but must surely be Danny King. Who is next to assume a reserve slot -- Ashworth? Indeed, will Complin be fit?

BSPA release (outwith Berwick's control, yes) can be read to infer Berwick is in Scotland -- but its close enough, does it really matter? Mr Buckowski has, I note, been re-instated at Peterborough. They must fancy him a bit, then. It's going to be a pretty good night, if we all relax, stop bickering and enjoy it. Hopefully, the BSPA as promoters will still allow Berwick's track-staff to run the show. They tell me Lakeside was pretty awful, with the fence unwashed and just looking like an "ordinary" meeting. One thing we know is that Shielfield will be ###### and span. Bring it on!

You are comparing an unusual afternoon event in exceptionally hot sunshine, which I expect would require lots of track watering, with an evening meeting run at regular time. Track grading after every four heats will be the norm. Berwick have stated they will have two ambulances and two doctors on the night and have long experience of presenting speedway. There might be a bit of pomp and circumstance by the FIM before and after the twenty heats, but running to time won't be a problem. Indeed, I see the after-meeting party is advertised as being from 9pm until 1.30pm. So they aren't planning a long show, just a good one!

The next Sunday opening will be July 22nd....